Pilgrims for Peace and 1SAMBAYAN Online Forum on Electoral Issues for May 2022, held on June 2, 2021, 2-5 PM. Watch and learn about the history of the GRP-NDFP Peace Talks since the time of the late President Corazon Aquino and how important it is to continue the peace talks. Published on Sangguniang Laiko You Tube channel with permission from 1Sambayan.
One Ecumenical Family
A Unity Statement of the Christian Churches on the Occasion of the 500th Year of Christianity in the Philippines
As we commemorate the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines, we, the Christian Churches, give thanks and praise to our loving Triune God for the grace that sustained the faith. We are thankful for the countless men and women who offered their lives in fulfilling the mission “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Mt. 28:19-20).
We believe in the Lordship of Jesus Christ, our Savior, expressed in the Nicene Creed. We declare that we are one Ecumenical Family committed to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in words and way of life.
Continue readingA Weekly Study on Amoris Laetitia
God with Us, God Like Us
by Bp. Broderick Pabillo, DD
Laiko’s Special Diocesan Conversation: The Mindoro Power Challenge
CBCP releases prayer for June 12 Nat’l Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
By CBCP News
May 25, 2021
Manila, Philippines
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines on Tuesday released the prayer for the upcoming National Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Shortened and directed to the country’s present context, the prayer was adopted from the “official act of consecration” written by St. John Paul II himself for the Feast of the Annunciation in 1985.
According to the CBCP, the prayer was meant to be offered by the pope himself and all the bishops of the Church.
During that time, Cardinal Jaime Sin of Manila and Cardinal Ricardo Vidal took official part of the solemn act of offering in the Vatican.
March 25 of that year was also the day that Vidal and 27 others were elevated to the College of Cardinals.
The bishops, during their 108th plenary assembly in January 2014, approved that the consecration to the Immaculate Heart Mary be renewed every year on her feast day in every diocese until the Jubilee Year of 2021.
This year, the feast day will be on June 12.
The national consecration will be led by Archbishop Romulo Valles, CBCP President, and will be live streamed from the Davao Cathedral at 9:45 a.m.
The Mass in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary will then follow at 10 a.m. in the different cathedrals and parish churches led by the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Valenzuela City.
Bakuna, Bakuna, Magliligtas Ka Ba?
As part of our COVID-19 information campaign, we are pleased to share with you our second information, education, and communication (IEC) material on the COVID-19 pandemic entitled, “TUNGO SA PAGHILOM: “Bakuna, Bakuna, Magliligtas Ka Ba? Mga Katotohanan at Impormasyon Hinggil sa mga Bakuna para sa COVID-19”. This is available in Tagalog and Cebuano languages.
The National Council of Churches in the Philippines aims to make reliable information on the COVID-19 vaccines more accessible to the communities. Churches, organizations, and families can use this comprehensive briefer on COVID-19 vaccines to hold discussions within their households and communities. NCCP hopes to encourage communities to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and to become allies in ensuring accountability and transparency in the national response to the pandemic.
Download the attached files or Access the digital copies here: https://bit.ly/3uSy3gO
For inquiries and updates, please coordinate with us at nccp.actalliance@gmail.com
Padayon!
Program Unit on Faith, Witness and Service
National Council of Churches in the Philippines
Caritas Philippines Academy Re-opens as the Philippine Church’s Learning and Teaching Institute
Caritas Philippines
May 7, 2021
Caritas Philippines Academy, formerly the Center for Resiliency, Empowerment and Integral Development (CREED) of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace, re-opened today as CBCP’s social action teaching and learning institute.
“We are very proud of our Caritas Philippines Academy. During the last six years, we are able to serve 507 scholars from 45 dioceses in the country. This means that during these periods, notable positive changes in our diocesan social action centers were observed, especially on how we implement our humanitarian, development and advocacy services and programs,” Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo mentioned during the opening of the virtual class.
In 2016, Caritas Philippines started with the Lead to Heal Transformational Leadership Program through a 14-month certificate course in partnership with the Development Academy of the Philippines and the Future by Design Pilipinas.
In 2018, a masteral degree on Social Services and Development was offered with the Asian Social Institute, and in 2020, eight short courses were offered covering topics like resource mobilization, communications, safeguarding and protection mainstreaming, ecology protection and advocacies, and social enterprise development.
“The academy was established mainly to instill professional competence within the Social Action Network, and among the partners of Caritas Philippines, as emphasized by Pope Benedict XVI in Deus Caritas Est. We also want to develop the academy as the national repository of important social action documents, best practices and studies which will make sure we have the needed baseline data to inform and improve our program implementation,” Fr. Antonio Labiao, Jr., Caritas Philippines Executive Secretary, added during the opening program.
“The Caritas Philippines Academy is our legacy, our contribution to the on-going formation and development of the social action works in the Philippines. As the mandated arm of the Catholic Church to form the social conscience of the country, we hope that our academy will be able to firstly help form the heart and improve the competence of our social action and development workers,” Bishop Bagaforo said in closing.
This year’s introductory course on Pastoral Management is availed by more than 70 social action directors, workers, and partners. The course will run for 14 days before the specialization courses that will be offered for the remaining of the school year.
An Open Letter to the Filipino People
March 10, 2021
QUO USQUE TANDEM, CATILINA, ABUTERE PATIENTIA NOSTRA
(How long, O Catiline, will you abuse our patience?)
A Statement of Concern of the Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace on the Killings in the Philippines
Dear fellow Filipinos, our brother Bishops, and our political leaders,
I was unable to sleep last night fully disturbed by the killings on Sunday, March 7, 2021, and the arbitrary executions before that. Then, I was alarmed by the realization that violence, which was incited at first by harmful, pervasive and deeply damaging rhetoric of the government’s highest officials, has become a daily fixture in the Philippine society.
Everything seemed to be fixed by the barrel of a gun. Insurgency and terrorism are equated to activism, defense of human and nature’s rights, and the call to respect freedom of speech, and the right to selfdetermination.
We have seen no government, after the Marcos dictatorship, such as this one urging openly and repetitively the military and the police to “kill, kill, kill.” But what is more dangerous to my mind is the fact that seemingly, we have grown to be accustomed to tolerating this blatant disregard to the rule of law, by disrespecting the integrity of public office.
For almost five years we have let our leaders take command of our collective silence. They interpreted our inaction and passive nature as explicit permission to stir unlawful behavior as long as it is covered by legal orders and memorandum.
The quote from Cicero’s first speech against Catiline in 63 BC detailing conspiracy, abuse of power and reign of impunity still holds true in our present political environment: “When, O Catiline, do you mean to cease abusing our patience? How long is that madness of yours still to mock us? When is there to be an end of that unbridled audacity of yours, swaggering about as it does now?”
But we must also be asking ourselves: “Quousque nos tacemus?” How long will we be silent in the face of threats and harassments, of enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings, of red-tagging and arbitrary detentions.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights have spoken for us. The farmers in Negros, the Tumandok IP leaders in Capiz, and the activists in Southern Tagalog have died already fighting for their cause. So what about us? What is our conscience telling us? If you are disturbed as much as I was, now is the time to create a culture of peace. Let’s start within each Filipino family.
May the Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede for us. Amen.
Continue readingWakasan Na! Movement
Dear Friends,
On June 3 at 5 p.m., we are launching Wakasan Na!, a movement to end President Duterte’s rule and his legacy of failed and detrimental policies. This will be an online event via Zoom, livestreamed over various social media platforms and covered by the press.
Wakasan Na! is an offshoot of the “Save the Nation! Duterte Resign!” petition initially signed by 500 personalities and which has gathered more than 69,000 at the change.org site. It aims to hold Duterte accountable for his failed leadership and usher in a change in leaders and policies if not now then by the 2022 elections. It is an effort to help the nation out of the rut and spur us into recovery (please see attached concept note).
In this light, we would like to invite you to be part of Wakasan Na! by joining our online launch on June 3 at 5 p.m. (please register using this link: https://bit.ly/2QTEdhX) and by clicking the “Like” button at the Wakasan Na! Facebook Page (https://tinyurl.com/pckacm6p).
Continue reading