· Happiness and perseverance of the majority of the religious – Amidst the many challenges inherent in the pursuant of the SSS Mission and in the specific ministries, majority of the SSS religious in POLA are happy with their vocation and mission. Certainly there is happiness in the Eucharist.
· Relevance of the Ministry – The Eucharist, certainly, will never be outdated. People will continuously be drawn to it for nourishment. Thus, we will continue to be “in business.” Furthermore, people will continue to seek it not only as they individually face the many challenges of life, but also collectively, as a nation, confront the insurmountable mess in the society.
· Openness to go for mission – A number of religious also expressed openness to mission. Currently we have two religious helping in the Province of Saint Ann (USA), and one helping out in La Mure, France, under the Generalate. Others are on loan at other Provinces.
· Ordinations and candidates in seminary formation – In just under 4 years, we have witnessed 11 ordinations to the priesthood in our Province. In addition, we have a good number of seminarians.
· Lay collaboration is very strong – The ocean of responsibilities is not that vast especially when we welcome the contributions of lay people to our ministries. They are many, able and willing, even to the point of sharing not only their time and talents but also their material and financial resources. We should not be threatened by their gifts and capabilities, but rather, use them wisely for the fulfilment of the mission. More importantly, we should take care of their spiritual upliftment as this will enable them to perform with grace and perseverance.
· Continued support of benefactors – Although life is getting increasingly hard, there are still people who are willing to give support especially financially for the operation and projects of our parishes. As long as they are nourished they will become nourishment also to the parish.
