We Have Moved......

The Blog for the Redemptorist Students in Davao has been moved to:

http://rfcdavao.wordpress.com/

Sea,Sun....Just a Day to Rest and Relax.

After another month of hard studies and activities, both pastoral and community, the students had an opportunity to gather together as a student community to have fun and just relax.

Some spent the day bonding over Videoke or Card Games.

Whilst others took the opportunity to just chill.

Solemnity of the Most Holy Redeemer

Today the Redemptorists around the world celebrate the

Feast of the Solemnity of the MOST HOLY REDEEMER: July 17, 2011.

This feast has been celebrated by the Redemptorists on the third Sunday of July since 1749.

O JESUS, THE MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Have Mercy on us!
OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP, Pray for us!
ST. ALPHONSUS DE LIGOURI AND ALL REDEMPTORIST SAINTS
, BLESSEDS, VENERABLES AND SERVANTS OF GOD, Pray for us!

Feast of St Benedict

The St Alphonsus Theologate and Mission Institute (SATMI) here in Davao have the great privilege of having a very gifted Benedictine Sister as the Dean of Studies and resident professor of scripture. Sr Miriam Alexandrino, OSB holds a SSL (Biblicum) as well as a STD (Gregorian).

On the feast of St Benedict, she invited the Redemptorist Community to the Benedictine Convent in Ulas to join in the celebrations with her community.

We are very grateful for the gift of the Benedictine Vocation in Sr Miriam and may St Benedict always intercede of Sr Miriam and the Benedictine Sisters of the Eucharistic King.

With the People

In the Vocation stories of alot of Redemptorists, it is very common to hear that one of the things that touched them when they were discerning their vocation was how close they saw the Redemptorist Priest and Brothers were in their ministry to the very ordinary people. That they were with the people, among them and one with them.

Here in Davao, one way in which the brothers express this is through their weekend apostolate work with the local BECs (Basic Ecclesial Communities) or in the local language GKKs. They spend their weekends in the BECs, to be with the people, among the people.

Through the sharing of the stories of the people, the brothers are able to better understand the issues and problems that are faced in the everyday lives of the ordinary people and as one missionary put it, to see how God is already present with the people even before the brothers came. Jesus came to be with us as one of us, to be really present to us. God is with us. Emmanuel. Let us all take the challenge to be present to each other as how God is present to us.

For Service

Besides the orders of bishop. priest, and deacon, which are sacramental and instituted by Christ as degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, in the early Church there were different ministries that quickly developed and men specially entrusted with these ministries by the Church. Over time, these ministries--or "orders" as they were called--became reserved to those preparing for the priesthood.

In the first year of entry into the studendate, the newly professed brothers are installed into the minor orders of Lector and Acolyte. This allows them to be of greater service to the congregation and to the communities in which the congregation serves in particular reading at Masses and Novenas as well as the giving of Communion.

This year, Bros Mhel, Jerome, Jose, Bombit, Francis and Robin were installed by Fr Ariel Lubi CSsR, the Vice Provincial Superior of the Vice Province of Manila with the Redemptorist Formation Community of Davao as withnesses. May our God Lord, the Holy Redeemer continue to bless these young men in their journey and vocation.

For Mission

"The Redemptorist Congregation follows the example of Christ in the apostolic life, which comprises at one and the same time a life specially dedicated to God and a life of missionary work..” Constitution no 1.

In the third year of the Redemptorist studendate formation program here Davao, the junior professed take a year off the strict demands of the academic  program to be sent out and to participate actively in the missionary activities of the congregation. In a word, to put what they have studied and learnt in the classroom and to apply that knowledge in the real and active mission situation of the congregation in themselves.

This year, Bros Bond, Bank, Pui, Jun, RJ, Bong and Morris were commissioned to be sent out to Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and South Africa in front of the parish community of OLPH to be living witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in those countries last Sunday. Fr Ariel Lubi CSsR, the Vice Provincial Superior of the Vice Province of Manila was the main celebrant and Fr Brenden Kelly CSsR, the professor for Missiology in SATMI was the homilist. We wish them well in the upcoming months that they may truly follow Christ the Redeemer in bringing the message of plentiful redemption to the people and places that they encounter.

Let Those Bowling Balls Go!

The very first community recreation for the Redemptorist Formation Community here in Davao was a fun filled afternoon at the local bowling alley at NCCC Mall. So excited were the students to have some fun together that all were ready at 1.30p.m, the agreed departure time. Along with the students were Fr Pio Makabenta CSsR, one of the student prefects, Sr Miriam Alexandrino OSB, the dean of studies and Ms Portia Awayan FLARE, the pastoral directoress and professor in pastoral counselling.

The whole reason for the recreation was for the students to have fun, unwind and to bond with each other hence there was no competition and everybody was just invited to just let loose the bowling balls. It was a definitely a welcome break after all the meetings and schedules of the first few weeks. Altogether we occupied 8 lanes in the bowling alley. With the constant cheers and claps, anyway passing nearby would have thought that there was really some serious bowling going on but it was all in the name of fun.

After 2 hours of bowling, the sign boards above the lanes flashed that the time limit had passed. All in all, everyone had an afternoon of good fun.

I’m Yours. “Songs Reflect the Feelings of the Heart”

On the morning of Jun 13 marked another significant event here in Davao. It was the day in which two former students of SATMI and members of the Davao community were finally ordained into the Sacred Order of Presbyters. It was graced by relatives and friends of the ordinandi with the students and representatives from different Redemptorist units of Asia Oceania. Jose Arnel Rallos (Arnel) and Joseph Ryan Parantar (Ryan) was ordained by the Most Reverend Bishop Ireneo Amantillo CSsR, bishop-emeritus of Tandag. It was really a meaningful liturgy in which there was a solemn and yet a joyful celebration of vocation and commitment.

Both the old and new senior community members of Davao were there to witness the event. Fr Cruzito Manding CSsR, the former Student Prefect now Provincial Superior of Cebu, was the one who presented the candidates to the bishop and the people. It was also graced by other former students of SATMI now all ordained priests. It was also another inspiring event for the students both old and new to be part of this momentous event. Yet the most visible was Fr Jetana Kitcharoen CSsR (Bird), who was also ordained last May 27, 2011. Before the final blessing the Provincial Secreatary of Cebu, Fr Bing, announced the assignments of the newly ordained. Fr Arnel will be assigned on Iloilo while Fr Ryan will be assigned in Cebu.

 

After the liturgy in the church there immediately followed a fellowship at the covered court. The guests and friends were graced with a sumptuous meal from a catering service. Then the students rendered them songs that were done by units. Each unit was able to bring meaningful messages through their own rendition of songs in their own languages.  There were also presentations and messages from family, friends and conferrers. Yet the most eye catching was the rendition of “I’m Yours” by the newly ordained, Fr Arnel with the RFC band. As the program ended there were still surprise numbers from the students and other members of the congregation. Even Fr Cruz was able to give a couple of his favorite songs to the crowd with the help of RFC band. It ended with the song “Viva Forever" and the Salve Regina by some selected students. It was truly a blissful event. Finally Fr Arnel and Fr Ryan will now really tell to the people and to God “I’m Yours”.- Bro Rufino Macasaet Jr CSsR (3rd Year Theology)

Silsilah

The end of Summer saw all the first years heading to South West Mindanao, to Zamboanga City for the Intensive Course on Christian Muslim Dialogue of the Silsilah Dialogue Movement. The course was held in Harmony Village on the outskirts of Zamboanga City and the participants were from all over the Philippines, from Manila to Basilan, as well as from around Asia, from China, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

The Silsilah Dialogue movement was started by an Italian PIME priest, Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra, to help in the peace process in the region. To help begin a dialogue between Christians and Muslims to help build peace between and amongst the peoples in the region. Hence the course was open to all and including catholics, religious and lay, protestants and muslims. During the course, the participants were introduced to both the christian and muslim faiths, with a catholic priest from Italy who is a close friend of the movement and the community being the resource person for the christian faith and a muslim professor who was the resource person for the muslim faith. In many ways, it was an eye opener for many of the participants who until now only had a very limited view or knowledge of the faith of their christian and muslim brothers and sisters. In addition, it was very heartening to see everyone both muslims and Christians sit togther and interact both in and out of the classroom as well as in the refectory.

In addition, everyone was also highly encouraged to pray everyday in his or her own faith for the courage and strength to be open to dialogue. At the end of the course, all the participants pledged their commitment to work for peace in dialogue with their muslim and christian brothers and sisters. Padayon!

Process Retreat

Immediately after our year end evaluation, the first year students were packed off to Cebu for our annual retreat accompanied by none other than our Student Prefect, Fr Ben Ma CSsR and our pastoral directoress, Ms Portia Awayan FLARE. This is just one simple example of the great amount of care, concern and dedication that is generously poured into the Redemptorist Formation Program. Both of them had put aside their busy schedules as both considered that this time, this retreat was for the first years, of utmost importance and priority.

At the Redemptorist Holy Family Retreat House, we were allowed a day to rest and relax after the endless activities of the previous weeks. It was a welcome break to have nothing to do but just to be with oneself, one’s community and the one God.

The next day, we started our process retreat under the direction of both Ms Portia and Fr Ben. It can be said that for some of the first years, it was the first time to discover a part of themselves which they had never known or named, to discover and name components or areas of their personalities in the context of the MBTI. In addition, it was the first time that personal stories and sharings was done as a complete first year batch. Over the next 5 days, under the professional and compassionate guidance of both Fr Ben and Ms Portia, all of the first years were processed and guided through to discover more of the unique gifts and talents and personalities which each possess and to help each student own it.

At the end of the retreat, we discovered more of ourselves, our batch mates and more importantly of the Redemptorist vocation to which the Holy Redeemer himself has called each and everyone of us to.