We, the Philippines mission centre, began in Manila in 1997 at the invitation of the late Jaime Cardinal Sin, the Archbishop of Manila. Our goal: enable the light of Christ to shine brightly in the Philippines, the only Catholic country in the heart of Asia. As the majority of the population of the Philippines lives in poverty. Vision: Empowering the poor with God's compassionate love in the heart of Asia.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Part 3 of our updates: Medical Assistance and Retreat Giving
Lending a helping hand
medically
Karen and Philip Gacias together with their mother |
... and after! |
Before the operation... |
Retreat from life toward God
From May till July, we have been providing individual
retreats for various members of our Balikatan and Seeds of Faith ministries.
Four adults and three youth took turns to come to our centre in Tagaytay for
days of prayer, rest and renewal in the Lord.
Riza Naldo, 24, said, “God drew me to this place so
that I could face all my fears. Through this retreat, I realised that He is the
more powerful than all of this scary stuff. He kept reminding me that I am
precious to Him and that He loves me very much.”Riza Naldo on retreat |
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Part 2 of our updates: Empowerment in Montalban
Since March 2013, we have
begun to reduce the frequency of our visits to Montalban in order to respond to
the growing ministries in Tagaytay. The meetings in Montalban are still held
once a week and are coordinated by the leaders of each ministry there. Thus, we
are gradually empowering and forming more leaders from each ministry to
continue the outreaches there.
Balikatan Ministry says yes to wedding vows...
March was a significant
milestone in the journey of our Balikatan Ministry as three members solemnised
their marriage and received the Sacrament of Matrimony. We were generously
supported by members of the Woman to Woman Ministry in Singapore who provided
funds for the church wedding and a simple reception thereafter.
It was a joy to see these women receiving the Sacrament, enabling them now to be able to fully participate in receiving the Eucharist at Mass. One of them expressed deep happiness at having her dream of getting married in Church fulfilled.
...and commitment
In May, our Balikatan prayer
group members renewed their commitment to support each other in their faith and
prayer life through the prayer group. Seven Balikatan Community members renewed
their commitment and two new members were added to the community. It was a powerful
proclamation of faith and commitment to help each other live out their
baptismal promises through the community.
Balikatan community members and their commitment certificates |
signing their commitment |
The Balikatan community
members continue to coordinate weekly prayer groups, even when we are not
there, and it is heartening to see their commitment in sharing their faith with
others despite their hectic schedules. One member shared, “The Balikatan prayer group has helped me grow closer to God
and I have experienced that nothing is impossible with God!”
Growing in faith - Seeds of Faith Youth Group
Since March 2013, our Seeds of
Faith youth have been meeting amongst themselves for Bible sharing and
reflection. Our monthly meetings with them resumed in July but they continue to
meet weekly to share and support each other in their faith.
Seeds of Faith members and their multivitamins |
Group activity- who is a Catholic? |
In August, 11 of the senior
members came to Tagaytay for their annual retreat. Here, they were challenged
to recognise their identity as forgiven sinners who are greatly loved by God.
With that, they were encouraged to walk the talk as Christ’s disciples and to renew their commitment to know and to
follow Him.
We choose to stand for Christ |
Seeds of Faith retreatants |
We were blessed to see each of them taking another step forward to stand for Christ and His values. At present, the group is studying the letter of Saint James and striving to live out what they have learned from their Bible study sessions.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Part 1 of our updates - Reaching out in and around Tagaytay
We continue reaching out to our Barangay (village) with our monthly home visits and Eucharistic Celebrations.
The celebration of the Holy Eucharist in our centre |
Our Barangay children have been receiving monthly catechesis and faith formation through our Children Ministry in Tagaytay. Commencing in September, the meetings have increased to once a fortnight.
Who knows the answer? |
Working hard on our project |
Love God and Love our neighbour |
This Pentecost past, our
Barangay youth joined us to celebrate the joy of the gift of the Holy Spirit to
the church. Together with some youth from Montalban, they gathered for a day of
prayer, fun and rejoicing!
A gift-giving day in Magallanes
Thanks to a generous donor
from Singapore, we have been able to share and distribute clothes and books to
children and their families in the rural area of Magallanes in Cavite Province.
Located an hour’s drive from Tagaytay, these families subsist from hand to
mouth as they till the land, planting vegetables and fruits. Thank you Aunty T
for blessing these families and helping us by sending over the donation of
books and clothes!
Bearing fruit
In June 2012, Riza Ymas, a Seeds of Faith member from Montalban, began her first year
of high school education at the SHIM International School in Tagaytay. She won
a scholarship that covers part of her tuition fees but she stays with us in the
community as we continue to support her other educational needs.
Through her hard work, Riza was awarded top student in her class at the
end of her first year in the school. Apart from her educational needs, we also
assist Riza in her faith formation and personal development - this includes
helping to prepare her to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, English
tuition and computer lessons. Riza just started her 2nd year of high
school this June.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
My time with the ICPE Mission Philippines
In April, Riza Naldo, one of our Balikatan members from Montalban, spent 3 weeks in our mission centre. It was Riza's vacation cum retreat as the pre-school where she works as a teacher closed for the summer break. During her stay with us, Riza had the opportunity to experience life in community. She shares with us her testimony of her time here:-
Riza enjoying some quiet time in our garden |
God is so good
all the time…I am very blessed because the ICPE Mission has given me an
opportunity to spend my vacation in their house. I did not expect that this
would be also a magnificent holiday with our almighty God. During this time, I
really felt the presence of the Lord, with His eternal, uninfluenced and
sovereign love for me.
My Lord has special plans for me and He
desires to call me to dwell in this place for three weeks. Throughout these
days, He invited me to go to church everyday, receiving the Holy Eucharist as
my daily seed of strength and protection. I had times of praying, sharing,
fellowship, baking, cooking, etc. Most of all, I had the chance to attend different
events about choosing my vocation. Through this, God wants me to ponder my
deepest desire in life, to be generous to Him, and discern my lifetime
vocation. He is challenging me and inviting me to act upon His will.
Riza, with one of our neighbours at our regular home visit |
I am glad because I also met numerous
disciples of God in this place. I have joyful memories with priest and nuns
from different congregations. I also visited astonishing churches and chapels.
Our Father in heaven is really amazing
because He drew me to this place where I could face all of my fears in life. He
wants me to trust Him and to overcome what I am afraid of. I realized that He
is the more powerful than all of these scary stuff and I should renounce all of
these evil things in my life.
“You are most precious to me. I love
you very much”,…This is what God is repeatedly saying to me. He never misses
the opportunity to make me aware that it is He who is doing all of these
marvels to me. Even if I failed him, He still loves me. That’s why He brought
me in Tagaytay, for me to feel His presence and His great love. I will cherish
this moment for the rest of my life.
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