CORPUS CHRISTI AND SACRED HEART:
The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) and the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus are feasts the celebrations of which were requested by Christ himself through two nuns: in the case of Corpus Christi, it was through Saint Juliana de Cornillon (also known as Saint Juliana of Liège); the Most Sacred Heart, through St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.
In the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, during Eucharistic adoration, Juliana 
had a vision that “presented the moon in its full splendor, crossed diametrically by a dark stripe. … The moon symbolized the life of the Church on earth, the opaque line, on the other hand, represented the absence of a liturgical feast for whose institution Juliana was asked to plead effectively: namely, a feast in which believers would be able to adore the Eucharist so as to increase in faith, to advance in the practice of the virtues and to make reparation for offences to the Most Holy Sacrament” (Pope Benedict XVI, Wed. Audience 11/17/2010). Margaret Mary, on the other hand, had a vision of Christ with His Heart exposed, surrounded with thorns and a burning flame above it. It symbolized the sufferings of Christ for love of mankind, a love that continues indefinitely in the Holy Eucharist who is Christ Himself, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.
In Corpus Christi, we honor the Real Presence of Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament. The Real Presence of Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament is further emphasized and dramatized through the solemn celebration, within the octave of Corpus Christi, of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Most Blessed Sacrament is the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus that burns with love for us and quenches our nagging thirst to be loved.
And as we contemplate the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we can envision Christ, his gaze on us, making a request of us to love him in the Blessed Sacrament, the same request he made of his apostles while praying at Gethsemane: “Could you not watch one hour with me?”
FORMATORS EMPOWERED:
Our present formators recently underwent a series of formation sessions aimed at supplementing their knowledgeof formation,in order to be more effective in their efforts of facilitating the development and discernment of our brothers in the initial formation. The session content and resource persons were as follows:
First session:Formation Document from the Generalate (Fr. Rey Capili)
Second session: Formation in the Code of Canon Law (Fr. Mike Garcia)
Third session: Person of the Formator (Sr. Ma. Fe Magbanua)
The first session became more enriching with the sharing of personal experiences as a former formator by Most Rev. Sofronio ‘Ronnie’ Bancud, SSS, DD. Also, the answers given by Rev. Fr. Chris Manahan, SJ, during the Question and Answer portion made the third session more realistic and personal.
Later, Fr. Mike had all the Formation materials from Canon Law reproduced and hardbound so that each formation house would have a copy.
Thanks to the Formation Commission headed by Fr. Rey and to those who contributed to this noble endeavor.
POLA FORMATION DOCUMENT TO BE REVISED AND UPDATED:
Now that our formators have been provided with additionalinstrument for accomplishing their task of accompanying the young formands to be true-blooded SSS, we immediately turned our attention to our POLA Formation Program.
The members of the Formation Commission will again gather on July 6-8 with some other religious who had engaged in formation ministry, in order to revisit the POLA 1999 Formation Document – to evaluate it, to adjust it to the present Formation Program of the entire Congregation and to respond to the challenge of forming missionaries of the Eucharist (Ad Gentes).In the meantime, the Formation Program of Uganda, which was not included in the 1999 Formation Document due to the absence of documentation, was already written to be includedin the POLA Formation Document, thereby producing one whole documentreflective of the entire Province – Philippines-Hawaii-Uganda.
The Formation Commission’swork, the 2015 POLA Formation Document, will be presented to the Amplified Provincial Council in October of this year.Thus, the commission would like to solicit your inputs and suggestions on any conditions or issues on formation. For example:
* Sexuality * Family background
* School Policy * Candidates who were former diocesan or religious seminarians
* Priest candidates * Candidates from different nations, etc.
PROGRAM OF PREPARATION FOR PERPETUAL PROFESSION (IP4):
The Program of Preparation for Perpetual Profession (P4) started last May 10, 2015 at the Provincialate with Fr. Rey Capili as the one in overall charge of it. Our brothers who are being prepared are the following: Bro. Jonelito Sison, Bro. Arthur John Abalos, Bro. Ronel Fulo, Jr. and Bro. Israel Cruz.
They are inserted in the life and activities of the Provincialate community. Fr. Rey has prepared a program for them which includes lectures, prayer/reflections,apostolate, etc. In this program of preparation, strong emphasis is given to the savoring of past experiences when God in his manifold ways intervened in the lives of these young men, to call them to be his co-workers in the vineyard. The going back to silence and then the sharing are meant to allow their experiences of God to sink into their consciousness, leaving them all aglow.
INSTALLATION TO THE LECTORATE:
Four of the scholastics at EFC(International) are approved for the Ministry of Lector. They are the following: Br. Tonny Akena, Br. Joseph Nguyen Huy Kiet, Br. Joseph Tran Bac Thien and Br. Throy Fuentebella. The installation date is on August 2, 2015, 10:00 a.m., at Eymard Formation Center.
6 VIETNAMESE SCHOLASTICS AND 2 DEACONS AT EFC:
For the past few years, the Province of the Vietnamese Martyrs has been sending some of their scholastics and Deacons to study Theology and Formation respectively in the Philippines. They are housed at the Eymard Formation Center. The scholastics are studying at Maryhill School of Theology and the Deacons, at the Institute of Formation and Religious Studies (IFRS). Their names are as follows:
- First Year Theology – Bros. Nguyen Quoc Hung & Pham Tuan Khoi
- Second Year Theology – Nguyen Huy Kiet & Tran Ba Thien
- Third Year Theology – Le Tran Minh Dang & Tong Duy Thinh
- Deacons – Nguyen Bach Duong &Nguyen Hoang Long (Rev. Long will be back in Vietnam this Monday)
WELCOME TO THE PROFESSED WORLD:
After two years of Novitiate, Bros. Tedley Villanueva, Eddienel Villa and Victor Clemence Posadas committed themselves to continue to seek and serve the Lord in a community of brothers in the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament as temporary professedreligious.They made their Profession of Religious Vows before Rev. Fr. Sebastian Luistro, SSS, Vicar General, on May 6, 2015.
We thank Fr. Thon and Fr. Allen for helping the three to freely discern and make a mature decision to continue to follow the Lord. Now that the responsibility to form them has been passed on to Fr. Rey (and again to Fr. Allen), we pray that the call of the good Lord will become more clear to them.
ONE FIRST YEAR NOVICE:
Out of two who were approved for Novitiate only one reported last May 13. He is Br. Jessie Argoncillo from the Diocese of Capiz. His investiture was last June 7, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.
SEVEN NEW POSTULANTS:
Last May 30, seven incoming Postulants were sent forth during the celebration of the Mass on the Feast of the Holy Trinity at the Provincialate House. Although with just a short time from the date he took over as Vocation Director, Fr. Marlon Reyes, still, was able to recruit and processseven young men who wanted to serve the Lord as future SSS religious. They are as follows: Mr. Glofer Saavedra (Diocese of Maasin); Mr. Dunhill Timkang (Diocese of Parañaque); Mr. Walker Daniel (Karachi, Pakistan); Mr. Carlos Castro,Jr. (Diocese of Malolos); Mr. Ernesto Modez, Jr. (Diocese of Paranaque); Mr. June Vasquez (Archdiocese of Caceres); Mr. Kim Arnie Frial (Diocese of Kalibo).
They started their Postulancy program last May 31 under the direction of Fr. Andres Malawis, the new Postulant Director.
20 POSTULANTS IN 2016:
With the celebration of the International Eucharistic Congress here in the Philippines in 2016, we aim at recruiting more than twenty (20) Postulants who will be disciples and apostles of the Eucharist.
Let this be treated not simply as a wish, a dream, but a command to make disciples for the Lord. This will materialize if we will all be one in:
- Praying for it – Let vocation prayers be said in our communities and in our parish churches.
- Living a life worthy of our Eucharistic calling – Let us give a true Eucharistic witness individually and as a community.
- Promoting the Eucharistic way of life by our Celebrations, Catechetics and Concrete living out of our Consecration.
- Preparing for this miracle – Let us have a good sense of our being an SSS; let us train more formators; let us put up and revive BSVC chapters; let us add more rooms in Davao house etc.
ONGOING FORMATION – FR. GEORGE’S THANKSGIVING:
“To think is to thank,” according to a 17th century German Pietist. It means to always be mindful of God and be grateful for all the things he has given us.
Since I cannot shout out loud the Love, the Joy and the Generosity that I have received and experienced during my stay with my bothers here in the Philippines, let me express the Joy, Love and Generosity in a few words of gratitude.
From the day when I arrived, all I count is Blessings – Blessingthat opened the way for me to learn and re-learn. In all our communities where I have been and in our encounters, all have been moments of growth and glow: a period of renewal through formation programs and accompaniment courses which were so rich; a moment to experience the ultimate gift, the gift of love and generosity of the people, who lovingly and generously gave all they could so that the Eucharistic flame may continue to burn in Uganda. My gratefulness may not sound strong as it is expressed in words, but to repeat the words of Saint Paul: “I thank my God each time I think of you and when I pray for you, I pray with joy”(Philippians 1:4). I pour out my heartfelt thanks to you the Provincial Council, my brothers the members of POLA, and I humbly ask the pastors of our different parishes and communities to convey my heartfelt thanks to the people of God for their generosity.
As I go on with the ministry and the mission entrusted to me, I consider all the experiences, the encounters and formation that have been offered to me as a timely gift to accompany me on the course of a precious and challenging journey. And as I express my gratitude, the highest appreciation is not in uttering words but in living them. Thus, to the quote above, allow me to add two words: To think is to thank and “to pray.” I pray that the Lord who gives me life may give me a heart replete with thankfulness.
(***Expect other Ugandans to come and avail themselves of opportunities for renewal and updating.)
TALKS ON CONSECRATED LIFE – GUIDE FOR RECOLLECTION:
The talks of Fr. Gerard Timoner III, OP (POLA 2015 Retreat Master) on Consecrated Life were compiled by Fr. Hermie Garcia to continue to guide the Province for this year’s celebration of Consecrated Life, and each community was given a copy. It is our hope that each community will use this for theirmonthly recollection.
POLA WEBSITE:
Fr. Joel and a volunteer in Sanctuario de Eucaristico have started setting up our Provincial WEBSITE. They will be working on the following: Project Analysis; Setting up Plugins/Theme/etc; Homepage; Basic Pages; Responsiveness of the Site and Final Testing. The cost for the website development is Php6,500.00 and content updating will be done by us.
We thank Fr. Bobit Laroga for offering to develop the website of the Province; however, we had already contracted a website developer by then. To view the work of Fr. Bobit for the parish where he is currently assigned, please visit www.staroftheseahonlulu.com.
EVERY DAY ADORATION AND SERVITIUM CHRISTI IN UGANDA
Dear Father Provincial, greetings from Uganda. Thanks a lot for the good work you are doing for the wellbeing of our congregation. Thanks once again for the fruitful visit to our community and I hope that you had a very successful flight back home.
Dear Father, I have been a bit silent but my silence has been also fruitful, as I have been embarking on the task of creating awareness among our parishioners on our new idea of recreating our parish into a new Eucharistic parish. This work has proved successful as we have managed to come up with the following new programme for our adoration and our adorers every week:
Every Monday, we shall be having the Charismatic group
Every Tuesday, the St. Jude group
Every Wednesday, the Legion of Mary group
Every Thursday will remain as it has been (there is already a group of adorers at each hour)
Every Friday: this is still under study and talks especially with the Neo-catechumenal Way and the youth.
Saturday, being the day for weddings, will be used only during the morning hours.
So far, the Spirit has guided us up to that extent and by his grace, we hope to begin this new arrangement from this coming Monday.
Another request from these different groups is celebrating a mass for them at the end of adoration and this is still under study.
We strongly hope that the Lord will bless this new programme. We ask too for your prayers so that we may make this new idea a success.
I am also on the task of recruiting slowly the Servitium Christi as Fr. Victor advised me to have a person-to-person approach. I will also be giving you more feedback on the success and development of this work.
Thanks so much for today dear Father. Let us continue praying for one another as well as for the success of this new programme.
May His Eucharistic Kingdom come! Fr. Joseph Matovu, sss
- MIKE’S NEW APOSTOLATE:
Aside from being active as Secretary to the CBCP’s Permanent Commission forInternational Eucharistic Congresses, Fr. Mike Garcia is now sharing the Eucharistic charism as taught and lived by our Founder, Saint Peter Julian Eymard, in the Diocese of Laoag as he took last June 10 his new role as Spiritual Director for the seminarians in their Major Seminary.
- PAT LABASANO BOUND FOR HILO, HAWAII:
Fr. Pat is now prepared to disembark from the La Sallian ship and fly to Hilo, Hawaii. His departure is on June 27, 2015.The Bishop’s office in Hawaii confirmed his courtesy visit to Bishop Larry Silva on Sunday, June 28, at 2:00 p.m. Bro. Bobby volunteered to drive him to Pali, where the St Stephen Diocesan Office is located. Thenhe will fly to Hilo on the afternoon of June 29 (Monday).
THANK YOU MISSION APPEALERS:
Although Mission Appeal to the United States of America is an opportunity for our religious to take a break and be able to visit the USA, it is still principally a fund-raising project. The money that we get from Mission Appeal is appropriated to those who are in formation. Thus, I thank Frs. Choi Castaňeda, Nelson Roque and Adrian Ladines for bringing in a total of USD71,300.00when they went on Mission Appeal last year.
We also pray for Frs. Kennyjo and Dingdong who left last May 29 for the 2015 Mission Appeal.
TAKBOKASYON:
We thank God for the success of TakBokasyon, the very first fun run for vocation fundraising project of the Province, which wasspearheaded by Fr. Choy Ramos, the head of the Provincial Director’s Office. Fr. Choy worked very hard for this and his efforts were rewarded. The fun run yielded a net total ofPhp450,000.00, which will beadded to the formation fund of the Province.
CONGRATULATIONS FR. LITO FOR FINISHING CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION
Fr. Lito Hitosis finished his Clinical Pastoral Education last May 27, 2015 and had a simple graduation ceremony at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, Cleveland, Ohio.
He is now looking forward to be Board Certified and be part of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) and National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC). He needs to be certified in order to minister not only to Catholics but also to other faith traditions and Christian denominations.
WELCOME BACK:
A number of our religious who are assigned in different stations abroad are here for different reasons. They are the following: Frs. Bong Luistro, Mark del Rosario, Lito Hitosis, Frankie del Rosario and Tony Pangan.
We also welcome back our Silver Jubilarians: Frs. Arnel Martinez, Grogee de Guzman, Rey Capili, Dante Funelas and Victor Buyser. They left the country May 14 for Eymardian and Marian Pilgrimages as part of their Jubilee celebration. They arrived last June 1.
PRAYERS FOR:
- Full recovery for Leodegaria Lasutaz (mother of Fr. Joel) after her major operation.
- Healing for Johnny ‘Juan’ Hitosis (father of Fr. Lito) who is suffering from kidney complications due to diabetes.
- Repose of the soul of Juanito Timbol (father of Fr. Michael).
- More vocations to Religious and Priestly life, perseverance of all those in formation and guidance of the formators.
Fr. Joseph Matitu, SSS