In line with the preparation for the 2021 celebration of the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) opened the “Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons” on the First Sunday of Advent, December 3, 2017.
The CBCP’s message for the “Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons” dealt primarily with “renewal” and “communion.” These two words were also highlighted in the message for the “Year for Priests” (June 19, 2009-June 19, 2010) by Pope Benedict XVI and for the “Year of Consecrated Life” (November 2014-February 2, 2016) by Pope Francis. It would seem that their impor-tance cannot be stressed enough.
The CBCP has set the goal of “renewed servant-leaders for the New Evangelization” for the year’s celebration. What is meant by New Evangelization? In short, as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI explained, it is re-proposing of the Gospel especially to those experiencing “a crisis of faith.” Then those who have been re-evangelized are called to go forth to evangelize.
The Clergy and the Consecrated Persons dedicate their lives in the service of the Lord through the service to His people and witness to the Gospel. They should continuously be renewed to provide the service they have vowed to give and to live the life they have professed. Thus, the aim is for “an integral renewal of their values, mind-sets, behavior and life-styles.”
As Clergy and Consecrated Persons go about their daily lives, they should have a constant awareness of being in communion with Him. In this way, they keep their focus as renewed servant-leaders for the New Evangelization and avoid yielding to desires for possessions, pleasures, and power. Being in communion with the Father will embolden the renewed servant-leaders in the performance of their duties but always steeped in humility. It is hoped that their actions would encourage fallen away Catholics to come back to the Church, give consolation to the downtrodden, and offer spiritual strength to those in need.
The CBCP acknowledges the importance of having a good servant-leader foundation; thus seminary ways and religious formation will be revisited. According to Pope John Paul II, the basis of all priestly formation is a sound human formation.
The lay faithful also share a responsibility in the Church mission and ministry. The various ways that clergy, consecrated persons and laity can collaborate will also be re-examined, keeping in mind the many and varied charismatic gifts of the laity.
The CBCP exhorts the lay faithful to support our clergy and consecrated persons in their journey as “servants to the servants of the Gospel,” to pray for the men and women in the seminaries and formation houses, that they may continue to look to Jesus for their inspiration, strength and joy.
The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Philippine Province, heartily celebrates with the whole Filipino Catholics the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons. We pledge our full communion with the Philippine church to make this year one of integral renewal of values, behavior, and lifestyles of the clergy and consecrated persons.
Today, as it has been before, “the capacity to cultivate and live deep priestly friendships proves to be a source of serenity and joy …, a decisive form of support in difficulties, and valuable for growth in the pastoral charity … towards those confreres in difficulty and in need of understanding, assistance and support (Cf. Presbyterorum Ordinis, 12-14).” Each and every priest, therefore, is united with his fellow priests in a bond of charity, prayer, and total cooperation. Under the influence of the Spirit of brotherhood, priests should not forget hospitality (cf. Heb. 13:1f) and should cultivate kindness and sharing of goods (cf. Heb 13:16).
Connected to this, our Rule of Life states, “we recognize the importance of the mission of priests. We seek to share with them a life of faith, prayer and friendship, and exchange pastoral plans and experiences. We place ourselves at their service by offering hospitality, animation and formation, encouraged in this by the example of our founder, St. Peter Julian Eymard, who would often say: “I would leave everything for priests.” (ROL 44) Truly, Eymard’s affection for priests, ministers of the Eucharist, knew no bounds. He was sensitive to their needs.
In this year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons,
- we will continue to promote such communion by opening our religious houses for priests to stay and share a life of prayer with us;
- we keep them in mind in our moments with the Lord especially during our daily Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament – we intend to mention during our daily adoration the names of priests from the different dioceses in the Philippines; and
- we will be centering on the theme: Clergy and Consecrated Persons – Renewed Servant-Leaders for the New Evangelization, our 2018 Provincial annual retreat and the monthly recollection of our local communities
hristianity in the Philippines is nearing its 500-century mark. We have many workers in the vineyard of the Lord that we have to be thankful to, in particular the clergy and religious.
The work of Clergy and Religious give witness to the Sequela Christi (Latin: in Christ’s footsteps) everyday in their own way, the former as witnesses of the Church hierarchy (Pope, Bishops, Priests) while the latter have the particular charism of the institute where they belong.
What’s a charism? The Catechism of the Catholic Church in Article 799 states:
Whether extraordinary or simple and humble, charisms are graces of the Holy Spirit which directly or indirectly benefit the Church, ordered as they are to her building up, to the good of men, and to the needs of the world.
As consecrated persons, Religious embody the intention of their Founders and Foundresses, concretely reflecting their charisms in their everyday lives, with an awareness of the needs of present times.
For example, the charism of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament is propagating the love for the Eucharist and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
The witnessing of Clergy, on the other hand, springs from their image of “alter Christus” (Latin: another Christ). As Pope Benedict said, “As an alter Christus, the priest … is in Christ, for Christ and with Christ, at the service of humankind. Because he belongs to Christ, the priest is radically at the service of all people: he is the minister of their salvation, their happiness and their authentic liberation. Thus, he acts “in persona Christi” (Latin: in the person of Christ).
The lay faithful take notice of the work of Clergy and Religious and are even inspired to join the various programs, projects, and ministries of the Church. Their collaborative efforts are a big boost for the new evangelization.
Since a lot is expected of Clergy and Religious as servant-leaders of the People of God, the following characteristics are critical: the capacity to listen, empathize and heal, awareness persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community. Thus, they need all the support they can get. Their varied gifts are more generously given in communion with the different institutes. The diversity of their charism come together like pieces of one whole that are served for the good of the Church. In charity, they forge harmonious relationships and active participation and collaboration. The clergy as pastors of their flock are also expected to do the same.
Communion is more of a challenge between Church authorities and religious when a particular religious institute would like to set up or is being invited to set up a community in a diocese. This case calls for a dynamic exercise of the values of partnership, collaboration and networking, and the People of God will reap the rewards of communion for the greater glory of God.
In the planning of the theme for the sixth year of our spiritual journey toward the milestone celebration in 2021, the term “Consecrated Persons” was used deemed more appropriate instead of the widely known “Religious Life” in order to include the different forms of consecrated life. One of these other forms is the Secular Institute where our Servitium Christi belongs.
Secular institutes are Catholic organizations whose members have made a profession of vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. Members live a life in which God comes first even as they lead their normal lives in the world either alone, in their families or in fraternal groups (cf. Code of Canon Law, can. 710-730).
Pope Pius XII officially recognized, in Provida Mater Ecclesia 1947, secular institutes as a form of consecrated life. Secular institutes are currently recognized either by a Bishop (diocesan right) or by the Holy See.
Their apostolates as expressions of consecration while remaining in the world are the following: presence, witness, christian commitment in social life, evangelization, education/formation of minds, etc. As Pope Benedict XVI had said, “the place of your apostolate is the human being in his entirety, both within the Christian community and in the civil community, where relationships are formed in the search for the common good, in dialogue with all, … (Pope Benedict XVI, Address to the participants in the International Symposium of Secular Institutes, 2007)
Pope Paul VI called members of secular institues “mountaineers of the spirit” (Address to Participants in the First International Congress of Secular Institutes, 26 September 1970); “At the heart of the Church with the heart of God” is how Pope Francis described them.
Today there are about 60,000 members belonging to more than 200 secular institutes in the world. In the Philippines there are 10 to 12 Secular Institutes including the Servitium Christi. The others are: Associates of Notre Dame (AND), Secular Institute of Daughters of St. Anne (SIDSA), Fils de Notre Dame de Vie (FNDV), Madonna della Strada (MDS), Missionaries of the Kingship of Christ (SIM), Notre Dame de Vie Institute (NDV), Prêtres de Notre-Dame de Vie (PNDV), Secular Institute of Volunteers of Don Bosco (VDB) and Regnum Mariae.
O God Most Loving Father,
with your priests and those who consecrated their lives to you,
may we be fully and ever united to Christ.
May they be our constant guides in this oneness with you
through prayer, the Eucharist and personal conversion.
We have sinned and we have failed in so many ways.
There are many brothers and sisters in our midst who continue to suffer.
They hunger for truth and justice, for charity and solidarity.
We pray that we may become bearers of the Gospel
that transforms lives as we reach out to our suffering brethren.
We pray that the Gospel may urge us to action,
to witness to charity and compassionate service.
Together may we all be renewed and learn how to be
Servant-Leaders for the Gospel of Christ.
Like him who rose from the table to wash the disciples’ feet,
may we too rise up to the challenge to take care
of the poor and the weak, to be always approachable
rather than untouchable, and “to imbibe the odor of the sheep.”
May our young people who are discerning the gentle call
of the Lord to serve, be filled with courage and determination
to follow you in service with humility and love.
With Mary, Star of the New Evangelization,
may we continue to be instruments of the Gospel
in our country and in the world. Amen.