Mission Programs on Air!

Everyone is invited to listen to the Mission Radio Programs at DYAF radio station hosted by our very own, Jack Pamine, the coordinator of the Columban Partners in Mission. The radio programs are the following:

1. Wednesday Forum on Air (every Wednesday at 4-5 pm )
2. Ang Aton Simbahan (every Thursday at 4-5 pm )

I have listened to these programs and I assure you, they are very interesting and informative.

Thank you very much angkabankalanon.org!

Thank you very much angkabankalanon.org for posting our blog address in your website!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CHRISTIAN BROTHER?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CHRISTIAN BROTHER? I am a Christian Brother. What does it mean? In the Catholic Church there are many Religious Congregations of men. Fr. Doohan and Fr. Gore belong to a Congregation called Columban Fathers. Our Bishop belongs to a Congregation called Salesians. My Congregation is called Christian Brothers. Fr. Doohan and Fr. Gore are priests. I am a Brother. Fr. Rembert River does not belong to a Religious Congregation. Rather he belongs to the Diocese of Kabankalan and has made a promise of obedience to the Bishop. There are also many Congregations of Sisters in the Catholic Church. They cannot be priests. Brothers choose not to be priests. The man who began our Brothers is Blessed Edmund Rice. He lived 200 years ago in Ireland. Some of his Brothers came to Australia nearly 140 years ago. Three years ago, four of us Brothers came from Australia to the Philippines to work in Kabankalan Diocese, assisting the Bishop in Education. We hope to share with you what it means to be Brother and we hope to share in your faith in God. Being Brother means being equal – walking with others. It means not being important in our own eyes. It is about being supportive, helping others to grow to become what God wants them to be. Sometimes it means taking risks and going to places others cannot go or don’t want to go. It means living without knowing exactly what will happen in our life. Being Brother means being prayerful and reflective about what God is saying to us in the things that are happening in today’s world. I believe that without Brothers the church is incomplete. Being a Brother involves full time commitment to God through Religious vows. It involves trying to live simply. It involves a loving relationship with God, trying to make God the center of our lives. We have a vow of celibacy so we can give almost all our time in serving Him. Just as Jesus was not married because God was enough for him in his life, so we say ‘No’ to marriage as our way to God. We try to become welcoming and loving to everyone. Being Brother involves a deep listening to what God is saying to us in our lives, in the things that happen and especially in the people we meet and interact with. I would like to invite young Filipino men to join our Brothers. Brothers have an important role to play in the church. We are different from priests. Not better, not worse, just different. Blessed Edmund Rice, the man who began the Christian Brothers, was moved by God’s Spirit to hear Christ appealing to him in the cry of the poor. We Christian Brothers try to do that too. We have come to Kabankalan Diocese to try to be like Jesus and to listen and respond to the cry of the many poor people we find here. We have been made to feel very welcome. It is good to be here among you. May God bless you all. Br. Rod Ellyard

Mission Talk at Cabarrus Catholic College

Grades 4, 5, and 6 pupils of Cabarrus Catholic College Elementary Department attended the mission awareness talk held in their school last July 22, 2008. Miss Lucy Chavez, a Columban partner in mission, assisted the speaker in the said talk. During the mission awareness talk, the pupils were introduced to the Pontifical Missionary Societies, especially the Holy Childhood Association, its history and objectives. The pupils were familiar with this association since Cabarrus Catholic College is one of the beneficiaries of the Holy Childhood Association. This association encourages children to help their fellow children materially and spiritually. After the talk, the pupils were very glad because they can contribute in the missions despite their tender age.

Your Posts are Welcome Here!

Greetings! If you have mission reports in the Diocese of Kabankalan, you are very much welcome to post here. Just send your reports via our email ad: kabankalan_mission@yahoo.com and they will be posted here. Thank you very much and God bless!

MISSION AWARENESS TO YOUNG CHRISTIANS

Diocese of KABANKALAN - July 18, 2008, grades 4, 5 and 6 pupils from Saint Columbans Academy - Cauayan gathered in the school’s multi-purpose hall to attend the mission awareness talk conducted by the Diocesan Commission on Mission. Pupils were introduced to mission works and were encouraged to participate in the missions. They learned that their age is not a hindrance in participating in the missionary works in the diocese. They can do small and simple things that can support and promote mission. These pupils were also introduced to the Holy Childhood Association. This association takes care of promoting mission awareness to children and teaching children that they can help their fellow children in their little ways.

MEMORIAL MASS FOR FR. WILLIAM HEFFERNAN

Diocese of Kabankalan – July 19, 2008, Fr. Terence Benet, MSSC and five diocesan priests offered a memorial mass for the late Fr. William Hefernan, MSSC. Friends, parishioners and visitors joined the said service. Fr. Hefernan was born in Ireland in 1922. He entered the Columban Seminary in 1944. After his ordination, he was sent to China. When communists took over China, Catholics were either executed or expelled from the country. The Columbans left China and soon after, they opened their mission in the Philippines. Fr. Hefernan is one of the first Columban missionaries who were sent to Negros. It was in Ilog where he first started his mission in Negros. He served as superior of their congregation in Negros for three years and later he was assigned in the parish of Aguisan, his last assignment. He joined our creator last July 6, 2008 at the age of 86.

Commission on Mission NOW ON-LINE!

DIOCESE OF KABANKALAN - The Commission on Mission is now ON-LINE! With the rapid growth and development of technology, when the days of messages in the bottles and telegrams are history, the Commission on Mission copes up with the trend.

After many experiments and trial-and-error seesions with the modern monster called "computer", people can now reach the Commission on Mission through the internet. You can send us your e-mails to our e-mail addresses, kabankalan_mission@yahoo.com and kabankalan.mission@gmail.com. You can see us and share your thoughts in our blogspot http://kabankalanmission.blogspot.com/

Little Way Group Established in Kabankalan City

Finally, Little Way Group has been established in Kabankalan City. Seven new members from Saint Francis Xavier parish had signified their full support to the Little Way Group last July 15, 2008. These seven are active officers and members of Gratia Plena praesidium of the Legion of Mary-Kabankalan.

The Little Way Group is a group of people with strong devotion to Saint Therese of the Child Jesus. This group promotes the "Little Ways" of Saint Therese and it is also the core group of the Diocesan Commission on Mission.

Little Way Group was established to answer the challenge of continuing the 50-year old mission of the Columbans here in Negros. It already exists in the parishes of Sipalay City, Isio and Cauayan. The members of this group strongly advocate that little things can make great things possible.

KABANKALANONS REJECTED “PINK CARD” ORDINANCE

KABANKALAN CITY – July 3, 2008 is a spectacular day for the Kabankalanons. On this day, the faithful from different religious denominations amassed in the function hall of the city to uphold women dignity and preserve family by strongly denouncing a proposed ordinance that encourages prostitution in the rapidly growing city. The city council was surprised when a large number of Kabankalanon attended the hearing of the proposed ordinance. The proposed Reproductive Health and Wellness Ordinance for the City coined as the “Pink Card” ordinance was enthusiastically promoted by its author, SP Anecito D. Villaluz, Jr. This will impose mandatory medical check up on the prostitutes practicing their trade in the city. SP Villaluz stressed that in a developing city, prostitution is inevitable and that the issuance of pink card will regulate prostitution and the diseases that go with it. This stance of SP Villaluz has angered many residents of the city especially the religious sector. Priests, pastors and concerned Kabankalanons stormed logical and ethical questions which staggered the author. Finally, Mr. Eugene Lucerna, Sr., a father of a newly ordained priest, motioned for the rejection of this ordinance and suggested the city council will make a new ordinance mandating the closure of establishments with prostitution activities. The crowd unanimously seconded and applauded.

New Parish Priest Installed

DIOCESE OF KABANKALAN- On the feast day of St. John de Baptist, Bishop Patricio A. Buzon, installed Rev. Fr. Joseph Vincent Chua as the new parish priest of St. John de Baptist parish in Ilog. The ceremony took place in a makeshift chapel where visitors packed to welcome the new parish priest. Last year, a fire razed the Church to ashes. It is now undergoing construction and is nearing completion. REv. Fr. Joseph Vincent Chua is a native of La Castellana, Negros Occidental. Currently, he is the director of the Commission on Liturgy of the diocese.

From Negros to Africa

DIOCESE OF KABANKALAN - Rev. Bembolio V. De los Santos of the Society of African Missions (SMA), was ordained last May 14, 2008 by Most Rev. Patricio Buzon, bishop of the diocese of Kabankalan. This sacerdotal ordination at the Our Lady of Snows Church, Himamaylan City, gathered diocesan and religious priests, brothers, sisters and lay people in rejoicing as the diocese provides another missionary to the world. In his homily, the bishop expressed that there is a great need of priests in the diocese for the many works that need to be done. "So, why is it that we are sending a priest to work as a missionary in a far and foreign land?" the bishop asked. He then answered the question by quoting the Gospel of Mark 1:35 which was read earlier. "Later Simon and the others went out to find him. They said, 'Everyone is asking for you.' But he replied, 'We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them too, because that is why I came." The bishop also reminded the candidate as well as the concelebrating priests and assisting deacons that priesthood is not a career but a call to mission and a gift of service. After the Holy Mass, a fellowship lunch followed and at 4:30 that afternoon, Rev. Fr. Bembolio V. De los Santos, SMA, offered his first thanksgiving mass.

Lesson Planning on Mission Awareness

Diocese of Kabankalan - Kabankalan Catholic College hosted a seminar on lesson planning on mission awareness last May 7, 2008. This seminar is one of the many seminars conducted by the Columban Missionaries in order to help teachers in Catholic schools integrate mission awareness in their lessons. Principals and teachers from all over the Catholic schools in the diocese, headed by the chairman of the Diocesan Education Commision (DEC) Bro. Rod Elliard of the Christian Brothers, attended the seminar. The seminar commenced with video presentations of missionary works around the world. Fr. Donald Kill, chairman of the mission awareness program of the Misionary Society of St. Columban, was the keynote speaker. He emphasized the importance of integraing mission awareness in the subjects taught in the Catholic schools, not only in Religion Education but also in every subject offered. Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC), another major concern in the missions was briefly yet comprehensively discussed in the seminar by Mr. Jack Pamine, a Columban partner in mission. In this topic, teachers and students are encouraged to take part in building a concerned community of people and taking good care of Mother Nature. Multimedia and electronic resources such as CDs, VCDs, and websites were introduced in lesson planning. With the use of these materials, lessons would be more alive and suitable to the active mind of the students. The participants of the seminar were very grateful for having attended. According to them, they had renewed their strength and upgraded their tools in carrying on their part in the world missions through their humble classrooms.

Flowers of May

Greetings! May is the month we dedicate to Mary, mother of God. In our childhood years, most of us Filipinos have experienced attending Flores de Mayo, we offered flowers to our beloved Mother and we were taught the basic prayers and the basics of our faith. Our younger brothers and sisters need to learn those basic things too. Please invite and send your children, your neighbor's children, your younger brothers and sisters to the nearest Flores de Mayo centers and let them grow as active Catholics. Thank you very much and God bless us always!

Columban Partners in Mission

Good day!

Misyon Magazine promoters in the diocese of Kabankalan are conducting a prayer meeting at Batang, Himamaylan City every third Saturday of the month. This group is not only considered as Misyon Magazine promoters but are now Columban Partners in Mission.

I am inviting and encouraging everyone to join the group in supporting the Columbans and spreading the good news through Misyon Thanks!