It is that time of the year where we celebrate the National Laity Week!

Our CBCP ECL (Episcopal Commission on the Laity) Vice Chairman Archbishop Jose Palma mentioned these three things on the banner. And let me jump off from those three phrases:

We truly are beloved. Beloved by God. And by the people we are here to serve. All of us Laity! If we are focused on Him, and we have servant hearts, then that is the reward we are looking for. To hear God say that we are also His beloved, and He is well pleased with us.

We need your fervent prayers! All our events and plans will only happen if it is in God’s plan. And if we are aligned to what He wants to happen. We can do all the preparations, but if they are not done in prayer, then why do we do them? We need to focus on the conclusion: to get everyone to Heaven!

And let’s have a meaningful celebration of camaraderie, learning new things, and growing in our mission to proclaim the Gospel!

Hope to see you in the different events coming up!

Pope Francis marked 2024 as the Year of Prayer, in preparation for the 2025 Jubilee Year. Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas, together with the Diocese of San Pablo and the Diocesan Council of the Laity of San Pablo, organized a Conference on Prayer.

Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara gave the main session, with Fr. Thor Villacarlos facilitating the Listening in the Spirit workshop.

It is always a good reminder to spend time with the Lord! How can we celebrate the Jubilee, and even the 75th year of LAIKO, in 2025, if we do not take the time to listen to Him.

Bishop Mylo gave the WHY, WHAT and HOW of Prayer in his session, and we are attaching the video below:

Here is the Laity’s News for August from the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas (Council of the Laity of the Philippines). The Regional Lay Leaders Conferences continued with 3 more last month, and we held the Conference on Prayer as the Year of Prayer was marked by Pope Francis for 2024.

Greater Service

Laiko ‘to (August 28, 2024)

We just wrapped up our 6th Regional Lay Leaders Conference, and this time it was for the Ecclesiastical Province of Caceres. It was held at El Palacio, Legazpi, Albay – which is the former home of the Bishops of the Diocese of Legazpi. Just across the street from The Albay Cathedral.

We gathered the Dioceses from the Ecclesiastical Province, and presented them ways to re-evangelize the Catholics. Especially the nominal and lapsed Catholics. We see so many who are “Catholic in name only” and we need to reach out to them and explain again the beauty of our Faith. And once they feel that again, then we can expect even more to come back to serve the Church.

Truly it is a call to greater service. We are doing much, but we are called to do even more! Not just to our surroundings, but to the greater Church. Thank you Monsi. Crispin Bernarte for the reminder, and the same time, the challenge to do more. Serve more. All for the greater Church.

Bring hope for Jubilee 2025

LAIKO ‘TO! (August 23, 2024)

We just completed the 5th Regional Lay Leaders Conference, and it was hosted (very efficiently and professionally) by the Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on the Laity in Iloilo City.

We had delegates from both the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Jaro and Capiz come attend, and again, it was a learning experience for everyone.

Monsi. Sinforoso Padilla encouraged the participants and challenged them as well by saying there is a need for more and active lay leaders. That is true! We need to involve more and more people in the work of the Laity, especially in the Church, and as we encourage and re-evangelize more Catholics to go back to active Church service.

And Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo, of the Archdiocese of Jaro, messaged after the event saying that it is good that we are “bringing hope for the Laiko come Jubilee Year 2025”!

It is not only a Jubilee year, but also the 75th year of LAIKO next year, and we aim to celebrate both with active lay participation in the Church, in all Dioceses around the country!

Our Regional Lay Leaders Conferences continue! We have had 4 so far – Calbayog, Davao, Dipolog and Butuan – with two more during the next two weekends in Iloilo and Legazpi. With more in the coming weeks! We hope your Diocese is able to attend one of these Conferences.

Last weekend in Butuan, Bishop Cosme Damian Almedilla mentioned that the “renewal of the lay is the renewal of the Church” and that “we are here to complete, not to compete.”

These echo the messages we have been broadcasting not only during the Regional Conferences, but as LAIKO in general. We are not here to compete! As you see in the current composition of the Board, it is made up of representatives of Dioceses and Organizations – and that is a testament to not competing with one another! We are completing LAIKO to do more for the Church, and to do that, we cannot waste time fighting each other.

And when we work on the renewal of the Laity, making us more Catholic in our everyday lives, then definitely we will see a renewal of the Church. As the Church will also see societal transformation due to Catholics ACTUALLY BEING CATHOLIC everyday! What a thought, but the reality is it does not happen. But it will happen soon enough, once we all get our acts together!

Let’s go and renew the Church, by renewing ourselves!

SCADoosh! – LAIKO ‘TO (August 7, 2024)

I have 5 children, and even though 3 of them are already teenagers, they were all young when the first Kung Fu Panda came out. Now over 4 movies, we have watched them all. And one secret weapon that he had was the Skadoosh! Where he just flips his fingers and makes a power move over his enemy.

It is very apt for the battle we have now as well. The battle to save marriages and defend the family. Congress after Congress, we see bills being discussed and passed that have no desire but to destroy marriages and the family. And in this current Congress we have the Divorce Bill. Already passed in the Lower House, and being prepared in the Senate. With only a few months to go before the close of the Session, the pro-Divorce lobbyists are on overtime.

And so are we. We will not sit idly by and let them win. We got together, trained and readied our own SCADoosh! The Super Coalition Against Divorce. And this is the not-so-secret weapon that will keep us active, inspired and energetic in the battle to defend faith, family and life!

LAIKO has also teamed up with Live Life to go around and educate more people about the Catholic Church’s stand on marriage, family and life. And also the implications and effects of the Divorce bill on all Filipino families, regardless of faith. If you need a speaker, PM us.