It was truly a refreshing time in the spirit today. For the first time in a long while, the chapel is filled with many people and lo and behold! we finally have the full attendance of the ICPE community in Philippines on this night. We started out the night with praise songs and we immersed ourselves in the spirit-filled atmosphere. We then prayed over each other in pairs and we could sense the spirit moving in the hearts of all present. What a great start for the Staff formation! We are truly dependent on the Holy Spirit to lead us to do God’s will, not ours!
We had Father Mark Grima mssp, from Malta who celebrated our Pentecost/ commissioning mass. There were a total of 30 of us from 14 different nations participating in this Eucharistic celebration. From Japan, Vietnam, Pakistan, Malta, Peru, India, Singpaore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Korea, Czech Republic, the Netherlands and of course the Philippines. They prayed over the new members in staff formation, asking God to give us strength and grace during this time of formation.
During the mass, each new staff formation participant presented a symbol as an offering to God as a representation of our journey ahead.
We had an Agape meal to celebrate the occasion. The menu included vegetable clear soup, chicken thigh in coconut gravy, brocolli and cauliflower with egg and rice – a must have in the Philippines! The cuisine is international, after all, we're from 14 different nationalities!
And through current technology, we received a personal message from our International directors and founders of ICPE mission, via You Tube! Giving us a deeper background into the beginnings of ICPE's pontifical recognition during the feast of Pentecost.
Jitka inspired us with a speech encouraging all of us to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
During the agape meal, the new members in formation were invited to sign a commitment to formation with the ICPE. This marked the beginning of Staff Formation for the entire ICPE mission! This is truly a witness to all those present, our friends from several communities, friends, and family. God bless us all!
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