Misyon Online

November-December 2018

misyonedassistant@gmail.com — Thu, 06 Dec 2018 09:06:16 +0000

We just celebrated the feasts of All Saints Day and All Souls Day on November 1 & 2 respectively. I visited the grave of my father and stayed there for a few minutes with my mother and my brothers. While we were talking, I noticed that we often referred to what my father said or his stand on a particular issue or what he shared with us or did for/to us. He’s been dead for one year and six months, but he’s still very much a part of our lives… and will always be. He’s alive in our hearts and minds . . .

ANGEL

By Liliani Losi Ma’afu

Lili is a Columban lay missionary from Tonga who arrived in the Philippines in December 2015.

I am currently assigned in Cagayan de Oro, to one of the communities named Antipolo, in a sub-parish called Barra. My engagement in the ministry involves accompanying and visiting families, and teaching catechism to the children among others. I am also involved in the Women’s Ministry of the Archdiocese . . .

A Shepherd with the Smell of his Sheep

By Fr. Cireneo Matulac

The author, known to many as “Father Dodong”, is a Columban priest from Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay. He had worked in China for quite a number of years. At present, he is part of the formation staff at the Columban House of Studies in Cubao, Quezon City.

In the film Monseñor: The Last Journey of Oscar Romero, the Archbishop is seen in the cafeteria of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center of San Salvador having coffee with the people. This was at the height of the military repression in El Salvador and people flocked to him to tell their stories about missing loved ones and those who were killed. One of the women said, “I only had pieces of him to bury, and I cried out, ‘Why did they burn him? Why did they kill him? My son was not an assassin.’” Monseñor Romero listened to their stories and afterwards he instructed the lawyers to document the circumstances of the killings and by doing so, he gave voice to the victims.

In this essay I would like to focus on Romero’s personal witness and his role as shepherd of the church who accompanied his people selflessly and offered his life for them . . .

Treasured Memories with Columban Missionaries
(TM with CM)

By Gloria Fallorina

Gloria was married to Leonardo Fallorina of Candelaria, Zambales. They have four children, all girls. She has been back from Japan to the Philippines since 2000. In her golden years, she is still actively engaged in church works in Valenzuela City.

I arrived in Japan on December 5, 1995. Adjustment in a foreign land was not easy. Language was one of the biggest problems. There was only one Person who could understand me completely, GOD.

Being a church worker for more than ten years, I missed attending Holy Mass in less than a week since I arrived in Japan. I tried my best to find a church where I could feel at home being away from home. I remembered what God said, "If you seek Me, surely you will find Me". True enough, with the help of the taxi driver and a few Japanese words that I managed to memorize, courtesy of some Filipinos living in that area, I was able to locate Chibadera Catholic Church. So beautiful, magnificently standing on top of the hill ! . .

Seasons of My Heart

By Fr. Donald Kill

Columban Father Don, from USA, was ordained in 1972 and was assigned in Mindanao ever since. At present, he resides in Singalong.

Thanksgiving 2018 is upon us. Some with turkey and cranberry sauce on their minds are looking forward to eating far too much when they already weigh far too much. The change in the liturgical colors, from green and white to violet dramatizes our entering into a new season in the Church calendar.

Advent Wreathes, in the Churches and in many homes, act as calendars marking the beginnings of each week in this season of preparation for the celebration of the Birth of Our Savior . . .

When Two Different Roads Tread on One Mission

By Gertrudes C. Samson

The author is a Columban lay missionary from Balintawak, Quezon City who is assigned to England since 2010. Ger is an architect by profession.

Christmas celebration starts early in the Philippines. As the “ber” months are already here, you start to see Christmas decorations in shopping malls and hear Christmas songs playing at the background. Now that I am still here in the Philippines, this brings back one significant memory from the Christmas season last year . . .

The Gift of Misyon

By Mary Joy Rile

The author started as editorial assistant in 2008 and got promoted to assistant editor with the transfer of Misyon office in Singalong in June 2017.

When I joined Misyon in November 2008 I only thought of a part time job. But the editorial assistant position was such a demanding, full-time job. I accepted the offer but honest enough to tell those in the office that I might not stay for long as I would rather practice my teaching profession. The editor at that time was Columban Fr. Seán Coyle, who told me, “At the end of six-month probationary period, I will have to decide for you to continue or not. I am giving you the same freedom to decide for yourself.” What he said captured me as I found in it the sense of freedom, consideration and responsibility combined. My career path had changed since then . . .

A Step at Ground Zero

By Cesar Jay-R Ramirez

Jay-R, from Barra, Cagayan de Oro, is the assistant vocation animator for Mindanao.

Filthy things were everywhere. Remnants of missiles scattered. Bullets were all over the place. I got teary-eyed at the heartbreaking scenario at Marawi Ground Zero . . .

I understand that the veneration of the relic of a Saint allows us to pay respect as we commemorate the life of the Saint and request for his/her intercession for our petitions.

But I find it creepy to think of a body of a Saint being divided to be distributed into different monasteries for relic purposes. Why do they have to do that? Can’t we just leave the body as intact as possible and respect it the best way we could?

Veneration of the relic of the right hand of the Holy Hieromartyr Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, Nafpaktos, West Greece, May 2, 2009

From the moment I was first illuminated by the light of reason, my inclination toward letters has been so vehement that not even the admonitions of others… nor my own meditations… have been sufficient to cause me to forswear this natural impulse that God placed in me.

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz by Juan de Miranda, circa 1713

~ Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, poet and scholar (1651–1694)

March-April 2018

misyonedassistant@gmail.com — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 03:26:44 +0000

From the Editor

Responding to the Call

By Arlenne Villahermosa

The Missionary Society of St. Columban’s centenary celebration has been blessed with two ordinations in the Philippines in the month of February: Diaconate Ordination of Rev. Peter Dong, the first Chinese member of the Society in one hundred years on February 4, 2018, and the Priestly Ordination of Rev. Erl Dylan Tabaco on February 17, 2018.

These two occasions speak not only of jubilation on the day of ordination but also of a journey filled with the grace of God, a process of listening to and answering the call. They speak of formative years so that each one may discover and know the depth of God’s love in themselves, and by the same love reach out to others in mission . . .

Here is an article about the diaconate ordination of Peter.

A faith born in the shadows cast by a single candle in a tightly curtained room of a small farming village in China emerging from the repression of the Cultural Revolution in the early 1980s blossomed on February 4 in the chapel of the Columban Seminary in Manila, as Peter knelt before Bishop Honesto Ongtioco to be ordained a deacon, becoming a minister of the word of God that he had imbibed in the clandestine darkness of his home so many years before.

The ordination was also the fulfillment of a dream born in the imagination of an Irish priest working in China over 100 years ago . . .

Solemn Profession of Filipina Carmelite in Belgium

By Sr. Mary Carmela OCD

Sr. Marie Paul Thérèse after her Solemn Profession

This story has one of its beginnings in the pages of MISYON, as MISYONonline.com was known before. Columban magazines have been a significant part of the vocation story of many, not all of them Columbans, such as Sr. Marie Paul Thérèse of Jesus the Good Shepherd. We thank God for that.

On Sunday October 1, 2017, the feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the sun was shining brightly in Vilvoorde, Belgium. The Carmelite monastery church, the Basilica of Our Lady of Consolation, was beautifully decorated with white flowers and filled with more than the usual Sunday attendance. The atmosphere was festive as Sr. Marie Paul Thérèse of Jesus the Good Shepherd, our youngest Sister, pronounced her perpetual vows in the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel during the Solemn Mass that began at 3pm.

The eldest of four siblings, Sr. Marie Paul Thérèse, née Jurechille Catalan, was a member of the Redemptorist Youth Ministy in her birthplace, Iligan City. She came to know Vilvoorde Carmel in 2007 upon reading The Touches of God in MISYON, then a printed magazine, by one of the Filipina Sisters, Sr. Carmela, about her first home visit. She was intrigued by the term "contemplative-missionary Carmelite", something new to her and asked how it was possible to be one . . .

Music Eases My Journey

By Vasemaca Ratu

Vasemaca Ratu is a Columban Lay Missionary from Fiji who came to the Philippines in December 2015. After language studies she was assigned to Barra sub-parish, Opol, Misamis Oriental doing catechesis with the children. She is also involved with the women’s ministry (livelihood), Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC), and with the youth ministry. Now, she is working with the Diocesan Deaf Ministry of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro.

Learning a new language is really difficult. One has to become a child again. It is entering a new culture that you were not born into. The question most people ask is: WHY LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE?

During my six months language studies, I really struggled to learn Cebuano. My brain was suffocated with new words, grammar, etc., every day. Sometimes I felt like quitting but I realized only losers quit. My body had to adjust also to the change of climate, culture and language. Thinking I had a goal to achieve I did SELF-CARE in order to continue my journey. . .

What I Have Learned from CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION (CPE)

By Peter Dong

Peter Dong with Fr. Felisiano Fatu, Rector of the Columban Formation Program, Philippines

The author is a Columban seminarian.

I took the Clinical Pastoral Education program at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute. There were nine of us. I thought CPE was about helping the sick deal with sufferings and death. However, along the way, I gradually discovered that it was not only about helping the sick, but also helping my own self. While doing my patient visitation rounds, I recognized my own issues and weaknesses. I, too, need to grow and be healed. Many times, it was not I who comforted the patients, but instead, they were the ones who comforted me, with the way they went through the process of healing. This gave me hope. The group processing helped me face my own shortcomings and affirm the goodness in myself. . .

Will I Wait for the End of Time?

By Larry G. Duerme

The author is a Columban seminarian from Salawagan, Quezon, Bukidnon doing his spiritual formation year in Cubao, Quezon City. Here he shares to us the poem he wrote as product of his reflection attending the Laudato Si’ – Awakening The Dreamer Workshop.

Will I wait for the end of time?
When the last heave of breath is gone?
When all that I see now are dead?
When the beautiful created things of this life are already shattered?
. . .

The Missionary Society of St. Columban has been blessed with two ordinations in February 2018 – ordinations to priesthood and diaconate. Thank God for the gift of Vocations! It is then fitting to raise this question which puzzled a number of the faithful: What is the Sacrament of Holy Orders and why is it called “Orders”?

March – April 2018

You know that the rulers of nations behave like tyrants and the powerful oppress them. It shall not be so among you: whoever wants to be great in your community, let him minister to the community. And if you want to be the first of all, make yourself the servant of all. Be like the Son of Man, who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life to redeem many.

~ Matthew 20:25b-28

A Christmas Gift to Japan

misyonedassistant@gmail.com — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 09:15:32 +0000

A Christmas Gift to Japan

By Fr Philip Ilio Bonifacio

Christmas International Mass 2013, Matsudo Parish, Fr Philip in center

As December starts, people put their Christmas trees up, illumine their houses with Christmas lights and other decorations to create the ambiance of the Christmas season. In the Philippines, people gather in small groups for the evening caroling or daigon, going from house to house using improvised musical instruments. People are excited by the Misa de Gallo. We delight with fireworks greeting the night as we do the count down. It is the favorite time of the year for children as they await their gifts from ninongs and ninangs. Our Christmas comes alive with all the sharing and giving.

I used to think that the spirit of Christmas was the same in every part of the world.

Christmas Children’s Mass 2013

For more than two decades, since I was assigned here after my ordination in 1995, I have spent most of my Christmases in Japan. Catholics – fewer than one in two hundred of the population of more than 127 million and about one fifth of all Christians - attend Christmas Eve Mass, sing some carols and share tea. After that, they go home. The atmosphere is nice with Christmas lights but firecrackers are not allowed, and there’s no house-to-house Daigon.

Tea Party after Christmas Eve Mass

My first Christmas here was a bit lonely. After the evening Mass, I was left alone in the parish since my companion parish priest had left for Ireland. It felt so sad since I had no family to spend the season with. So I called my family in the Philippines to greet them. Then I phoned the Filipino parishioners as they were either alone or with their spouses, also sad for being away from home. We met and agreed to go to a restaurant. Since then we’ve been doing this every year after the ‘Midnight Mass’. We gather as many Filipinos as would like to join us for our Japanese Noche Buena.

Christmas 2014

Sometimes we go to one house for coffee. It’s a joy also to share Filipino dishes cooked by Filipino parishioners. That’s how we celebrate Christmas. We become one family as we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.

In 2012 I became parish priest of St Michael the Archangel Parish, Matsudo, Archdiocese of Tokyo.

Filipino Community, Matsudo Parish

The Filipino Community is in charge of decorating the hall for the Christmas season. One day I asked myself, ‘How can I make Christmas memorable for the children here in Matsudo?’ I knew I had to initiate something. So two years ago, I incorporated caroling and gift-giving into the Midnight Mass. It was the first of a kind in Japan. Gift-giving in this context might be ordinary for us Filipinos but is something extraordinary for the Japanese.

Christmas Children’s Mass 2013

I invited some parishioners to help prepare the gifts for the offertory at Tagalog and Japanese Masses. We came up with between 100 and 200 gifts for children. And at the Christmas Mass, before the final blessing, we invited all the children to come up to receive their gifts. Shy as they might seem, you could see big smiles on their faces.

Children receiving their gifts 2015

We also have a kindergarten near the church where I have been teaching English since 2013. I was later invited to become its principal but declined as I had other obligations. My decision was affirmed by the bishop. Before, there had been no connection between the kindergarten and the church. I think it was the previous Japanese priest who drew the line to avoid conflict – let Christian service be for Christians, Japanese for the Japanese only. Christianity is seen as foreign by most Japanese and Filipinos are regarded as foreigners.

Tea Party with the children 2015

But if you say to Japanese people, ‘our parish is also Japanese’, they are surprised to know that there are Japanese parishioners actively participating in the Church. They often react with, ‘I thought it is only for foreigners’. Some Japanese are a bit shy about their identity, so it’s good to motivate them. We are not exclusive.

Carol singing before Christmas Eve Mass

Since the principal of the kindergarten is a Catholic, I talked to her and invited the Japanese children in Yōchien (kindergarten) to join the parish Mass on Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day so that we might also give them gifts. She responded positively.

In the parish hall, Christmas 2013

The day came with Japanese children bringing their parents and grandparents. For the first time, they experienced the church community on Christmas Day and a parish giving gifts to children. Since we are in the context of the Church, we say that Father (Priest) was distributing the gifts, not Santa Claus. The kids wore big smiles as they received their gifts. They were delighted and we were more than happy to see them rejoice on Christmas Day, a memorable occasion for them and one they now look forward to each year.

Children receiving their gifts 2015

Some Japanese members of the Parish Pastoral Council initially questioned this, thinking that it would entail expenses. But ‘This is Christmas and we don't usually do this’ prevailed and we all ended up happy. The beauty is that with Japanese children bringing their grandparents, the elders now want to come back. And the Catholic parents are also encouraging grandparents to tag along with their grandchildren. So we came upwith an additional preparation for Christmas, a Communal Rite of Reconciliation for the Japanese on the first or second Saturday of December.

Fr Philip with Baby Jesus, Christmas 2015

I am happy with this kind of Christmas spent with the children and their families, happy because parents are very supportive in bringing their children – and there are many of them - to church. It's nice to see them re-introduced to the Church. Others who learned about this activity start to inquire about the different services offered by the parish.

Mother Church is inviting us ‘to go out and find your sheep’. And this is how we in Matsudo Parish have responded. This is our Christmas gift to Japan.

The Little Angels of Nagasaki with Andre Rieu ‘Silent Night’ in Japanese

Christmas 2016

An old story that’s always new

webmaster — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 10:50:53 +0000

An old story that’s always new

A reflection for International Migrants’ Day, 18 December

By Fr Bobby Gilmore

Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Gerard David [Web Gallery of Art]

Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod. (Mt 2-14-15).

The image of Joseph, Mary and Jesus sitting in the shade of a tree with their donkey tethered to a branch outside some Egyptian town all those years ago is repeated almost daily in newscasts. The plight of Syrian, Iraqi, Libyan and African families fleeing for their lives across water, desert and mountain with a few belongings is reminding us that little has changed for millions of men, women and children. Daily we see the terror in their faces as they scramble aboard rickety boats, reach a Mediterranean beach and then a border crossing secured by military armed with assault rifles.

Syrian refugees passing through Slovenia, 23 October 2015 [Wikipedia]

Worse still is the anxious face of a woman guarding her children as their father is handcuffed by border police in Hungary. The anxiety on her face resembles that of Mary under the tree in Egypt, the Jewish children arriving at Liverpool St. Station waiting to be given a home by an English family, the men, women and children on the St Louis in Havana in 1939, the woman and children on Route 66, the Vietnamese woman and children tossed around in a boat in the Pacific, the woman and children at the US-Mexican border fence, the women and children in a refugee camp in Turkey, Lebanon or Jordan, the woman under a tree in the Sahara, the pregnant woman in the camp at Calais, the father of the dead child on a Greek beach, a woman and children waiting to board a bus in a European railway station, the face of the woman and children at the Migrant Rights Centre in Ireland.

From Aid to the Church in Need

It is hard to accept 2,000 years after the flight of Joseph, Mary and Jesus into Egypt that people are running for their lives from the same part of the world today. But more disturbing is the impotence of present world governance to prevent this from happening. Never are there more resources at the disposal of governments to accommodate desperate people who have to flee. Yet, with some exceptions, the application of these resources is found wanting in responding to basic human shelter and safety.

When it comes to making resources available in preparation for war there seems no shortage or lack of military management. And it is precisely the misuse of these military and associated corporate resources initiating and maintaining war and conflict that are causing the human deprivation we see on the faces of people today. How come that the management expertise evident in military expeditions cannot be used to manage human desperation, the residue of war?

The present exodus from the Middle East and Africa didn’t happen overnight. It was predicted years ago by Susan George in her book, The Debt Boomerang. While great progress has been made over the latter half of the last century and in the early years of this century the care of the weak and the dispossessed has become an irritant. Frequently, tabloid media headlines highlight the weak, immigrants, refugees as swarms of scroungers.

Children document life in largest Syrian refugee camp

They are animalized, corralled in 'jungles' of despair, treated with indifference at the drawbridges of European fortresses. Europe has developed a sanitized memory of its post- and pre-war exodus of people looking for safe havens around the world. Echoes of the pre-Second World War Evian conference are heard around Europe today as nations threaten to close their borders to those seeking refuge.

St Joseph helping Mary on the journey to Bethlehem [ Subanen Crafts]

Immigrants and refugees, just like Joseph, Mary and Jesus, do not want to leave home and familiar surroundings. Television images of destruction in their homelands tell the reason for people’s decisions. World powers vie with each other putting their interests before the needs of populations. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is one exception. She responded recently to criticism for allowing refugees into Germany, ‘If we now have to start apologizing for showing a friendly face in response to emergency situations - then that’s not my country’.

As long as that continues to happen the flight into Egypt is never old, always new. How do we respond as we commemorate that event?

The mystery of salvation has known unpredictable and mysterious integrations of peoples, cultures and races. (Carlo Maria Cardinal Martini SJ, Archbishop of Milan, 1991).

Joseph rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. (Matthew 2:21).

Pope Francis invites 21 Syrian refugees to lunch, August 2016

Columban Fr Bobby Gilmore, ordained in Ireland in 1963, has worked for many years in the Migrant and Refugee Apostolate in Ireland. He spent the early years of his priesthood in Mindanao and Camiguin. From 1978 to 1992 he was Director of the Irish Emigrant Chaplaincy in Britain. And from 1992 until 1999 worked in the Diocese of Montego Bay, Jamaica. After returning to Ireland he established the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI).

We Were Refugees
A story of hope

By Hieu Van Le

Hieu Van Le, Governor of South Australia since 1 September 2014, tells of his arrival in Australia as a refugee from Vietnam in November 1977 and how the ‘G’day, mate. Welcome to Australia!’ of an Australian fishing on the pier in Darwin gave such hope to him, his wife Lan and their 40 companions after their hazardous journey on a small boat. Official Australia welcomed them too and enabled them to fit into life in Australia.

The Governor of South Australia represents the Queen Elizabeth II of Australia, who lives in Britain. She is Queen of 16 independent countries. The work of the Governor is mainly ceremonial.

Christmas 2016

webmaster — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 01:46:46 +0000

Christmas 2016

Honoring Our Culture and Our Habitat

webmaster — Sun, 27 Nov 2016 22:52:28 +0000

Honoring Our Culture and Our Habitat

By Evangelyn Gawason

Making Subanen Christmas cards

Vangie with Christmas cards

My name is Evangelyn Gawason. My friends call me Vangie. I’m a Subanen. The Subanens are an indigenous people whose ancestral homeland covers most of the mountainous Zamboanga Peninsula in the Philippines. For the past six years I have been involved in a livelihood project called Subanen Crafts. Columban Father Vincent Busch started our craft project in 2001 with the help of the Columban Sisters who have been working with the Subanen People since 1984.

Making hand-crafted items is part of the Subanen culture. Using rattan from the forest we weave mats, baskets, storage containers, and other household items. Over the centuries we have also developed a deep spiritual bond with our habitat which we celebrate in rituals and in dance.

Christmas party with crafters, their families and Fr Vincent Busch

Through the Subanen Craft Project I have learned to use our traditional hand-crafting skills to create beautiful works of art that also celebrate our bond with the natural world. Over 15 years our Crafts Project has provided dignified livelihoods for 76 full time and part time crafters. I want to share how this project and other Columban ministries have helped my family, my people, and our habitat.

Being the oldest in our family I try to help my younger brothers and sisters. My brother Roniel and my sisters Lalay and Jen had to board in the distant town of Midsalip, Zamboanga del Sur, to go to high school. I am thankful that I am able to use my earnings as a crafter to pay for their living expenses, and for their school supplies and project fees.

A basic education is becoming essential for Subanens as more and more land-hungry settlers and resource-seeking industries occupy our ancestral land. Many illiterate Subanens have been fooled into signing or endorsing official documents that authorize outsiders to take possession of our land and its resources.

But going to school is difficult for Subanens. Government schools are free but our families still find it difficult to pay for uniforms, project fees, and school supplies. Our little ones often have to trudge long distances over rough terrain to distant schools where their teachers sometimes arrive late or do not show up at all. They struggle to understand teachers who do not speak our tribal language and who do not understand our customs. Our children begin to feel that our language and culture are not important and they become ashamed. Many stop going to school entirely.

Sr Kathleen Melia SSC with pres-school teachers and students

The Columban Sisters recognized the need to help our little ones overcome their shame. To address this need the Sisters started a pre-school program with Subanen-speaking teachers. Over the years the Sisters and the staff of their Subanen Ministry have built nine pre-schools with an enrollment of more than two hundred. These pre-schools are happy places for our little ones. Their teachers listen with wonder and appreciation when the children tell stories about snakes that fly, about eagles that eat monkeys, about the shy tarsiers that appear only at night, and about the wild pigs that try to eat our crops. Their teachers show gratitude for the sheltering mountains, the forested hills, and the cool streams of our ancestral habitat. They understand how rituals of thanksgiving to God are part of Subanen life. They encourage learning through play, song, dance, and drama. They affirm our culture, honor our traditions, and respect our spirituality.

Pre-schoolers and teachers with our books

The Pre-school teachers and the Subanen crafters have often worked together to make educational materials for the children. Using stories and examples familiar to the children we crafted books that introduced the children to numbers, letters, colors, shapes, and opposites. To go with these hand-crafted books we also made coloring books that make learning fun. With these learning materials our little ones gradually became familiar with the world of reading, writing, counting, and art. And, with the help of their Subanen teachers, they gradually became accustomed to the new words and languages that they will need to know when they enter the government schools. When they finish their pre-schooling they bring with them the confidence and the strength to enter the mainstream school system.

Our hand-crafted books use stories and images that are familiar to us. So too do our Christmas cards. Our card designs show Mary and Joseph working together to make their stable a more livable place for each other and for Jesus. Mary and Joseph are like us. Subanen families work hard to make our homes more livable. For example, I was able to pay for the construction of a new kitchen area for our home. Two years ago Fr Busch had his photo taken in our outdoor kitchen area. Recently, he was photographed again in that same cooking area but now it is enclosed within our home. One of our cards shows Joseph cooking for Mary. My family can now cook meals for each other in our new indoor kitchen.

Fr Vincent Busch in outside kitchen; in enclosed kitchen
St Joseph cooking for Mary Christmas card

Vangie holding earth beads

Having an enclosed kitchen area is a welcome improvement for our home but having food to cook is a necessity. Each year many Subanen families go hungry because they have exhausted their stored grain and root crops. This lean time of the year is called the ‘hunger season’ and it lasts for months. During these months many Subanens develop intestinal illnesses that sometimes require hospital care. Some Subanen families have had to sell their land and farm animals to pay for their medical expenses. Because I have a steady income I can buy rice for my family during the hunger season so we have been able to eat and to keep our land and animals.

As a part of Subanen Crafts I have been able to help my family and help our pre-schools educate our little ones. My craft work also helps me share our culture and celebrate our deep bond with God’s creation. Recently, I designed an adjustable bracelet containing beads that represent the Earth and the other planets. When I look at the tiny blue Earth-bead I think of the Earth as the sacred home of my family and of all people.

The author is a first cousin of Mercy B. Gawason who has had articles in MISYONonline.com here and here. The website of Subanen Crafts is here.

Christmas 2016

Columban Pilgrimage to Pililla and Paete

misyonedassistant@gmail.com — Sun, 30 Oct 2016 08:42:42 +0000

By Fr Rex Rocamora

The author is a Columban priest from Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay. He was ordained in 2000 and until this year was based in China. He is now in Our Lady of Remedies Parish, Malate, Manila. His brother, Fr Joseph Joy Rocamora, is a priest in their home Diocese of Ipil.

Miss Dominga Bayocot sharing her memories of Fr Douglas

‘No wonder he was always looking towards the altar’, said Miss Dominga Bayocot who had witnessed as an eight-year-old the man tied to one of the pillars in St James the Apostle Church, Paete, Laguna, after realizing that he was a priest. She was speaking in Tagalog but I noticed the interpreter missed this line and didn’t translate it for the pilgrims who were listening intently to the accounts of two witnesses – the other was Mrs Aurelia Cadapan – to events in the church in July 1943. It was an important line, I thought. They spoke to us after a lunch hosted by the parishioners at Lunal Paradiso Resort in an off-road garden setting.

Manila traffic bogged down the bigger of two buses carrying pilgrims to Pililla, Rizal, where Columban Fr Francis Vernon Douglas from New Zealand had been parish priest in the early years of World War II, and to Paete, Laguna, where he had been tortured and killed by Japanese soldiers. We pilgrims included Columban priests, lay missionaries and workers from many countries and relatives of Fr Douglas from New Zealand. Our bus almost skipped Pililla because we were running very late and we only had one day, 28 September 2016, to do this pilgrimage, to see and hear about Fr Douglas, known to his family as ‘Vernon’.

On the way, conversing with fellow pilgrims, praying and singing as well, and seeing rural of Rizal and Laguna from a front seat was very pleasant. Finally after many hours on the road, including a visit to St Mary Magdalene Church in Pililla, and our lunch, we slowly moved down the narrow street leading to Paete church and parked near the town hall. A local person told me that the name ‘Paete’ comes from the Tagalog word ‘pait’ or ‘paet’, ‘chisel’. The town has been famous for centuries for its woodcarving.

The old adobe church of Saint James the Apostle stands at the foot of a mountain. I entered the church, which was quiet and calm, and approached and, as other pilgrims were doing, prayerfully touched the post to which one of Fr Vernon’s hands had been tied. He held his rosary in the other, or so I imagined.

Mrs Verne Turner at the pillar where her uncle was scourged

The post is one of two supporting the choir loft and is near the baptistery, which was the ‘torture chamber’ of Fr Vernon’s three-day ordeal. Then the stirring within my soul began shortly after praying at the post, more so when I witnessed others praying solemnly there as well. ‘Do you feel something within you?’, I had to ask, Verne, one of the New Zealanders, as my emotions were welling up. Had I been foolish in asking her? But she quickly replied, ‘I’m his niece’. Verne was born in April 1945 on the day the Douglas family received news of the death of Fr Vernon, hence her name. I was thinking that she had feelings that could not be expressed in words. We talked and went to the baptistery where we prayed in silence with a few others. We heard of the locals’ plan to install stained glasses in there; the image of St James the Apostle on one side and of Fr Vernon on the other.

Receiving Holy Communion during Mass

While I was praying at the post, a spontaneous conversation with God was quietly going on within me. It happened again during the Mass at which Columban Fr John Keenan, whose article Here was a Strong and Brave Man, first published in 2001, has stimulated much interest in Fr Vernon, was the main celebrant and homilist. Before the final blessing, Fr Dan O’Malley, the Columban Regional Director, an Irishman, spoke briefly, followed by inspiring words of thanks by Verne.

After Mass I walked outside the church and saw a vendor and bought a mortar and pestle chiselled out of molave wood. It symbolizes for me the ‘grinding’ that our fellow Columban, Fr Vernon, was subjected to. Terrible, it must have been. But I wanted to remember it as a graced moment between him and God, a shared moment with the crucified Lord. Martyrdom may not be for many, but everyone is called to holiness. God is alluring and inviting. The memory of Fr Vernon’s death has stirred a willingness within me to listen to God’s call to holiness, to total self-giving. On this pilgrimage to Paete I felt God’s gentle call to move on the path towards Him, the most Holy One.

Some of the pilgrims outside Paete Church

Author:

Fr Rex Rocamora

Homily at Memorial Mass of Fr Francis Vernon Douglas

webmaster — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 11:28:56 +0000

Church of St James the Apostle, Paete, Laguna, Philippines

By Fr John Keenan

On 28 September this year a group of Columban priests, Columban Lay Missionaries and co-workers, along with four relatives of Columban Fr Francis Vernon Douglas from New Zealand set off on a one-day pilgrimage to the two places associated with his death in 1943, Pililla, Rizal, and Paete, Laguna. Here is the homily given by Fr John Keenan, a Columban who came to the Philippines from Ireland in 1966, at the Mass in the church of St James the Apostle, Paete. His article, Here Was a Strong and Brave Man, first published in MISYON in January-February 2001, has renewed awareness of the martyrdom of this heroic priest from New Zealand.

Fr John Keenan and concelebrants

Magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat at maraming salamat para sa inyong pagdalo sa Misang ito para kay Padre Francis Vernon Douglas. Having traced the last journey of Fr Vernon Douglas from Pililla Catholic church where he was abducted to this church of St James the Apostle, we have reached the goal of our pilgrimage. It was here that Fr Vernon spent the last three tortuous days of his life. We remember him affectionately and pray for his eternal repose.

Good afternoon everyone and many thanks for joining us at this Mass in memory of Fr Francis Vernon Douglas. A special welcome to his niece Verne and her husband Cliff Turner, also to his nephew Vernon Douglas and his son Brendan. It is wonderful that you are here all the way from New Zealand. Very many thanks to your parents and grandparents for the big sacrifice which they made at the time of the death of Fr Vernon.

Our feast today is that of St Lorenzo Ruiz and companions who were martyred in Japan some 400 years ago. Like them, Fr Vernon was made to endure terrible tortures for his faith in Jesus Christ. It is providential and a great co-incidence that our theme for today is that of martyrs.

Fr Jacques Hamel
(30 November 1930 – 26 July 2016) [FB]

In his homily to the relatives of Fr Jacques Hamel, 85, the elderly priest who was murdered by members of the Islamic State (near Rouen, France), Pope Francis said that there are more martyrs for the faith in modern times than in the early days of Christianity. In our times many priests, sisters and lay people have been killed for their Christian witness.

Pope Francis speaks about the martyrs of our times

Some 400 years ago Filipino St Lorenzo Ruiz and his companions were martyred in Japan, also St Pedro Calungsod, a Filipino catechist was killed in the Marianas Islands.
In February 1945 five Columbans were martyred in Malate parish and more recently Fr Tom Flynn in Labrador, Pangasinan in 1950, Fr Martin Dempsey shot dead in Mindanao in 1970 and Fr Rufus Halley mowed down in 2001 also in Mindanao.

Before them Fr Francis Vernon Douglas at the age of 33, after being severely tortured in this Church of St James, Paete, was killed on 27 July 1943 – 73 years ago. Our presence here today means that his supreme sacrifice is not forgotten, nor should it ever be.

When news of the martyrdom of St Lorenzo Ruiz (and companions) reached Manila all the church bells in the diocese were rung in thanksgiving to God for their fidelity to their faith in Jesus Christ. So here also we joyfully give thanks for Fr Vernon’s splendid and heroic witnessing to his Catholic and Christian faith.

Fr Francis Vernon Douglas

Fr Francis Vernon Douglas was born on Sunday 22 May 1910 to Catherine Gaffney from Ireland and George Douglas from Australia, in Johnsonville, Wellington, New Zealand, the fifth of eight children. After graduating as valedictorian from Mosgiel at the age of 14 to help his family financially he worked in the local post office and later as postmaster for three years. Responding to the call to priesthood, he entered Holy Cross Seminary in Mosgiel destined to serve in the Archdiocese of Wellington. After eight fulfilling years he was ordained a priest on 29 October 1934. For over three years he worked zealously in various parishes in his home diocese of Wellington.

Sensing a call to be a missionary he applied to Fr Luke Mullany, superior of the Columbans in Australia and New Zealand, who accepted him as a member of the Missionary Society of St Columban in 1937. After a year’s study and preparation he was sent to the Philippines and arrived in Manila in July 1938. After a brief stay in Malate he was assigned to Binangonan and Morong (both in Rizal) to learn the local language, Tagalog.

At the early age of 28 he was assigned as parish priest to Pililla, Rizal. This parish was very much run-down having been 40 years without a resident priest. Because of typhoons and floods the church and convento (rectory/presbytery) were in bad shape. Being young and energetic he set to work along with the local people and gradually renovated the church and convento where he lived. Through liturgies, catechesis, meetings they gradually built a loving Christian Community. As a zealous priest he often visited outlying villages to attend to the sick and respond to the various needs of the people in the hills around Pililla.

At that time many of the people in the hills resisted the Japanese military police known as the dreaded Kempeitai. In the eyes of the Japanese he was ‘an enemy alien’ and was suspected of collaborating and spying for the guerrillas.

Mrs Verne Turner, Fr Dan O’Malley and Fr John Keenan
Mrs Turner, whose mother was a sister of Fr Vernon, was born on the day in 1945 when the Douglas family learned of his death in 1943, hence her name.

On the afternoon of Saturday 24 July 1943 he was interrogated by the Japanese in his convent. He was heard to say in answer to a question, ‘I cannot answer you and you have no right to ask me that question’. Many believe that he was referring to the seal of confession which he refused to break regarding what he knew about the guerrillas. He was abducted from the convento that day and brought by truck to this Church here in Paete. This was used as a concentration camp with some 1,700 prisoners, men and youths held in atrocious conditions.

The sacristy was used as a torture chamber where many prisoners died. Here he was taken and severely tortured. He was given the dreaded water–cure but still refused to give any information. Like Jesus before Pilate he uttered not a word. Later he was tied to the altar rails and further beaten. Let us imagine the scene in this very church: ‘ECCE HOMO’, ‘BEHOLD THE MAN’, put before all the frightened prisoners as to what might happen to them also. Then he was dragged to the baptistery and tied to the font and further tortured.

Vernon and Brendan Douglas with Frs O’Malley and Keenan
Vernon is a nephew of Fr Douglas, a cousin of Verne and the father of Brendan

Later he was manacled to the post beside it under the choir loft there. With one hand tied to the post above his head he was left to stand for two days and two nights. He was allowed neither food nor drinks even though the people had brought some for him. His eyes, swollen and bloody were fixed on the tabernacle while he fingered his rosary beads, which he was allowed to keep. Like Jesus before his tormentors he remained silent.

Realising that the end was near he asked to see the local parish priest, Fr Nicomedes Rosal, to whom he made his last confession.

Later, as night was falling, he was bundled into the back of a truck and driven off into the night in the direction of Sta Cruz (capital of Rizal Province). He was never seen again. The speculation is that he died from the effects of the beatings and torture he endured, or that he was killed and buried in an unmarked grave in a rice-field or in the vicinity of Sta Cruz town.

Pope Francis called the French priest who was murdered a couple of months ago in his parish in northern France a martyr. He said that we can pray for him and pray to him for our various needs and petitions. Fr Hamel suffered only for a couple of minutes. Fr Vernon suffered excruciatingly for three days and three nights. We also can pray for him and to him for our sick and for other needs.

The prisoners did not fail to notice that torture on them ceased after Fr Vernon’s arrival. All the anger seemed to be concentrated on him. They thought of him as their savior, like Jesus.

Some 2,700 years ago the prophet Isaiah said: ‘Yet it was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured . . . by his wounds we were healed (Isaiah 53:4-5). Fr Vernon’s faith, courage, commitment and fidelity to the end are an inspiration and example for all of us Columban missionaries and everybody else to follow.

Within a short time after Vernon’s death the zoning of the town ceased and all the prisoners were released and allowed to return to their homes. Maybe someday, with God’s help, Fr Francis Vernon Douglas will be listed with the church’s martyrs. He may become the first (canonized) Columban saint and the first saint and martyr from New Zealand.

Maraming salamat kay Fr Noel Canopio, Parish Priest, sa Sangguniang Pastoral ng parokya ni St. James Apostle at sa inyong lahat. (Many thanks, to Fr Noel Canopio, Parish Priest, and to the Parish Council, and to all).

Church of St James the Apostle, Paete

Author:

Fr John Keenan

What the Pilgrims Say

webmaster — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 23:22:51 +0000

Short Reflections on the Pilgrimage

Some of the pilgrims

The experience was surreal. I felt sad yet honored, privileged, and blessed to have walked the floors that Fr Francis Vernon Douglas walked, touched the pillar where he was tied up and tortured, entered through the doors where he welcomed my fellow Filipinos, climbed the stairs where he was dragged out, and just being in the space where he once was. He is truly an inspiration. Mrs Mavic H. Mercene, Secretary, St Columban’s Lay Mission Center and of AITECE-Philippines.

I found the sharing of the two witnesses very moving and inspiring. Although they were young when they witnessed Fr Vernon's suffering it impacted on their lives, and enriched their faith. Meeting them and listening to their sharing enriched my own faith and helped me make the connection with this great Columban. Fr Raymond Husband, Vice-Director, Region of the Philippines, and Rector, Columban House of Studies, QC.

God's will comes in surprises. Believing and trusting God's providence, willingness to serve and sacrifice, the patience to wait, the goodness, cooperation and uniqueness of His people, and coming together walking with love, spirit and surprises in the direction of finding the true meaning of life is wonderful. We have nothing to worry about even unto death. I for one couldn't hold my tears, because God and Fr Douglas were with us, happy and joyful. Even the traffic in Manila and rain along the way couldn't stop us. Miss Thelma Patapat, Assistant Archivist, St Columban’s, Manila. Thelma is from Pililla.

Usa sa akong ginapuy-an nga versikulo gikan sa Matthew 20:26, ‘Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant’. Mao kana ang mga pulong nga akong ma-connect sa kang Fr Vernon upon hearing the testimomies sa mga katawhan. Nga samtang siya gitorture, anaa lamang siya sa kahilum samtang nagrosaryo. Diha sa kahilum, mas daghan pa kita’g mahunahuna nga mga bulawanong butang nga angay ikapa-ambit sa uban, sama sa atong mga talento ug gasa, aron daghan ang mabulahan. Daku kung kalipay nga nakasalmot sa gipahigayon nga pilgrimage isip pagbalik lantaw sa kinabuhing misyonero ni Fr Vernon. Usa ka maayong ehemplo nga pagasundon ug pagapuy-an sa atong inadlaw nga pagpakabuhi. Malipayon nga nakauban pud ang ubang mga Columbano. Jhan Yecyec, Columban Co-worker, Cagayan de Oro City.

It was a great opportunity for me to have joined the Pilgrimage to Pililla and Paete. To be in the places where the drama of Francis Douglas's martyrdom unfolded was both sad and inspiring. To personally hear the testimonies of the two ladies who saw him tied to the post created a more visual reality that gave flesh to the stories I had heard from other people. The more touching the experience became when his nephew expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Douglas family and saw how they were touched by the way people in Paete honored their uncle all through the years. May Francis's life continue to inspire all of us and encourage us more to value the dignity and sanctity of our individual and collective vocation as Christians. Fr Jovito Dales, Bursar General, Hong Kong.

I was deeply moved by the testimonies of Mrs Aurelia Cadapan and Miss Dominga Bayocot who, as youngsters, witnessed the torments of Fr Vernon Douglas. While they were bringing food to their relatives who were also imprisoned in their church Aurelia and Dominga remembered seeing Fr Vernon tied to a pillar that supported the choir loft. He was bruised and bleeding from a head wound. In telling their stories the two women, now in their late 80’s, mentioned details that attested to the accuracy of their memories. Dominga remembered that her mother made her wear tattered clothes so as not to attract the attention of the soldiers. Aurelia remembered how deeply she had to bow to the Japanese guards before passing into the church. They gave their testimonies before we visited the church where Fr Vernon was tortured. Upon entering we saw the pillar to which Fr Vernon had been tied. Next to it a tiny candle kept vigil over that sacred place. Fr Vincent Busch, Ozamiz City.

I had known about Fr Douglas since I had worked in eastern Rizal in the 1990s but it was mostly on an 'informational' and individual level. The pilgrimage to Pililla and Paete in a Columban group that was multi-cultural, multi-generational and in the company of his immediate relatives brought home to me the sacredness of his sacrifice and how relevant and alive is his witness in the context of Columban mission today. Fr John Leydon, Malate Parish.

The pilgrimage awakened my awareness of the multiple possibilities in my life as a missionary, depending on what the situation calls me to do. It was both a privilege and a joy that my faith in God was nourished. And my belief that the calling that have I responded came from God and not from myself was deepened. For this, I would like to ask Fr Vernon to help me to be faithful, just as he was, to the mission regardless of the possible consequences. Jerry Lohera, Columban seminarian from Magsaysay, Misamis Oriental.

The pilgrimage was so special, you all shared our pain and joy. This has been the greatest journey I have ever made. Without your planned pilgrimage it would not be the same. I feel Uncle Vernon smiling on us all, I feel he can surely rest in peace now. Thank you all for this wonderful experience. God Bless. Verne Rose, Fr Douglas's niece, with her husband Cliff Turner, New Zealand.

Misyon Online

November-December 2018

From the Editor

Beginnings – Endings

ANGEL

A Shepherd with the Smell of his Sheep

Treasured Memories with Columban Missionaries
(TM with CM)

Seasons of My Heart

When Two Different Roads Tread on One Mission

The Gift of Misyon

A Step at Ground Zero

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From the Editor

Responding to the Call

The Late Dawn of a Restless Dream

Solemn Profession of Filipina Carmelite in Belgium

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What I Have Learned from CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION (CPE)

Will I Wait for the End of Time?

A Christmas Gift to Japan

A Christmas Gift to Japan

An old story that’s always new

An old story that’s always new

A reflection for International Migrants’ Day, 18 December

We Were Refugees
A story of hope

Christmas 2016

Honoring Our Culture and Our Habitat

Honoring Our Culture and Our Habitat

Columban Pilgrimage to Pililla and Paete

Homily at Memorial Mass of Fr Francis Vernon Douglas

Church of St James the Apostle, Paete, Laguna, Philippines

What the Pilgrims Say

Short Reflections on the Pilgrimage

Misyon Online

November-December 2018

March-April 2018

A Christmas Gift to Japan

A Christmas Gift to Japan

An old story that’s always new

An old story that’s always new

A reflection for International Migrants’ Day, 18 December

We Were Refugees A story of hope

Christmas 2016

Honoring Our Culture and Our Habitat

Honoring Our Culture and Our Habitat

Columban Pilgrimage to Pililla and Paete

Homily at Memorial Mass of Fr Francis Vernon Douglas

Church of St James the Apostle, Paete, Laguna, Philippines

What the Pilgrims Say

Short Reflections on the Pilgrimage

We Were Refugees
A story of hope