Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Diocese of Tagbilaran to come up with its own catechism

An article published on the blog of Bishop Leonardo Medroso of Tagbilaran, Bohol, which I am now reposting on this blog "as it is", without corrections:

Cantoral from Baclayon, Bohol. (Photo source.)
Birthing of a Boholano Catechism Book 
To prepare for the forthcoming Diamond Jubilee of the Diocese of Tagbilaran the priests, the religious, and the lay faithful have decided to publish a catechism that is peculiarly their own. Its purpose is not to deviate from the traditional doctrine of the Catholic Church contained in the official “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, nor, to satisfy that fanciful pride to show off to the world that they have finally reached the age of maturity in faith, capable of producing a catechesis out of their own human resource, effort, and creativity. It is rather to meet the particular needs of our people, the BEC, our clusters, our parishes, our Diocese. The journey in faith together for the past seventy or so years, following faithfully the Sacred Scripture, traditional doctrine of the Church, and the Magisterium has formed within us a spirituality and culture that is uniquely Boholano. Because of its particularity the universal teaching of the Catholic Church cannot fully satisfy their cultural and spiritual needs. It is along this context that the publication of a Boholano Catechism is conceived.

To accomplish this, the writers tasked to draft the project have to contend with questions relevant to the work. What is the level of faith of our people? How profound is their knowledge of God; how deep is their love for Him and how broad and encompassing is their concern for others, the environment, and other God’s creation? Has this faith been translated into human values that guide the day-to-day interrelationships of the community of people, the neighborhood, the family? Has it thoroughly influenced the culture of the Boholanos? Confronted with challenges of modern paradigms of thought , of new ideologies, of the advances of science and technology, of the materialistic way of living, secular thinking, relativistic and cafeteria manner of following the norms of law and dictates of conscience, the post-modern view of human person whose concept of freedom is to be limitless, not to be constrained by external authority and objective laws, how strong is their faith to parry all these? Have they learn good lessons from them, incorporating them in their way of Christian living, instead of being carried away by these dangerous teachings? Are our people mature enough in their faith to be a beacon of light to the world of today, even to the point of questioning many of their assumptions and biases? Is there a new fresh new way of reaching this people, telling them with authority about Jesus and His answers to the deep longing of modern man? What method in catechism should we use today to reach our people sophisticated in the ways of the world, effectively proclaiming to them the Word of God, teaching them the content of the faith, leading them back to genuine Christian living, and, ultimately, bringing them back to God, to the true worship of Him, to prayer? 
It is within this context that the writers came up with a Boholano catechism book – a modest volume, seemingly insignificant to demand a place in any library, or, be displayed in the National Bookstore. But we are sure that in no time it will become a priceless possession of our BECs and clusters, for it contains the content of our faith. However, it is so sequenced in accordance to traditional way of presenting our universal catechism that it may be mistaken as a mere reproduction of the same. But a keener study of the catechism book would yield the existence of an inner yet subtle logic that makes it unique in style and presentation. It starts with the study of the Trinity to show that our life is communitarian in origin and therefore communitarian in its nature, activity, and purpose. It ends with the presentation of the Kingdom of God to inculcate the lesson that we are not headed nowhere. As we come from God as a community so we return to him as the community of the redeemed. The style too is unique. It has adapted the process called ORID – a method that is behavioral and inductive. Its purpose is to engage actively the listener in the presented content of the faith. 
However, the catechism book would remain lifeless when left on the table. It acquires life only when the trained formator-catechists pick it up, go to the BECS of the parishes, present to the faithful the catecheses contained in the book, facilitate the conduct of the seminar, and together with them actively listen and pay attention to the Lord who teaches. Through this the content of the message becomes alive because the catechists and the participants are engaged in a lively dialogue, preparing them to listen together to the God who speaks to them. Here, the people hear the words of the Scripture and catecheses no longer from the formator-catechists alone. They hear the words from each other. And, hopefully through this dynamic process they would finally recognize their true identity; that they realize that they are not just a group of people that is amorphous, individuals of different directions and prejudices, clinging to each other due to some organizational set-up in the parish, but a community chosen by God as uniquely His own, a community bound together by that divine love that calls them together in the act of evangelizing and catechesis.

Only then will this Boholano catechism book serves its purpose and justifies its existence.

UPDATE 8/24/11: Msgr. Medroso has published another essay discussing the Boholano Catechism:

 Katesismo Bol-anon
Katesismo Bol-anon is a catechetical book conceived and given birth primarily for the Bol-anon faithful who desire to deepen their knowledge and love for the God they have been worshipping. Its purpose is not to deviate from the traditional doctrine of the Catholic Church contained in the official “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, nor, to satisfy that vain feeling to show off to the rest of the world that Bol-anons have finally reached the age of maturity in faith, capable of producing a catechesis out of their own human resource, effort, and creativity. It is rather to meet the particular needs of our people, for them to be able to adapt more and more to the ways of God vis-avis the ways of living in a world that has become secular, technological and digital in its orientation. The journey in faith together as a Diocese of Tagbilaran for the past seventy or so years, following faithfully the Sacred Scripture, traditional doctrine of the Church, and the Magisterium has formed within the Bol-anons a spirituality and culture that is uniquely Boholano. Because of its particularity the universal teaching of the Catholic Church can no longer fully address their social, cultural and spiritual needs. It is because of these needs that the Katesismo Bol-anon is born. 
To accomplish this, the writers tasked to draft the project have to contend with questions relevant to the work. What is the level of faith of our people? How profound is their knowledge of God; how deep is their love for Him and how broad and encompassing is their concern for others, the environment, and other God’s creation? Has this faith been translated into human values that guide the day-to-day interrelationships of the community of people, the neighborhood, the family? Has it thoroughly influenced the culture of the Bol-anons? Confronted with challenges of modern paradigms of thought , of new ideologies, of the advances of science and technology, of the materialistic way of living, secular thinking, relativistic and cafeteria manner of following the norms of law and dictates of conscience, the post-modern view of human person whose concept of freedom is to be limitless, not to be constrained by external authority and objective laws, how strong is their faith to parry all these? Have they learn good lessons from them, incorporating them in their way of Christian living, instead of being carried away by these dangerous teachings? Are our people mature enough in their faith to be a beacon of light to the world of today, even to the point of questioning many of their assumptions and biases? Is there a new fresh new way of reaching this people, telling them with authority about Jesus and His answers to the deep longing of modern man? What method in catechism should we use today to reach our people sophisticated in the ways of the world, effectively proclaiming to them the Word of God, teaching them the content of the faith, leading them back to genuine Christian living, and, ultimately, bringing them back to God, to the true worship of Him? 
The Katesismo Bol-anon is born out of this cognitional process, a rigorous and disciplined exercise of the mind and the will that the writers have willingly undergone for a purpose that is noble. In their heart, however, beats that longing and that prayer that the catechism they have helped to see the light of day would indeed be a relevant guide to usher the Bol-anons to the process of assimilation to God. As observed well by the great German author Goethe “eye could never recognize the sun were it not itself sunlike,” so the faithful can only know God if deep within them is sown and nurtured the initial knowledge of Him through catechism. 
Of course, the writers of the Katesismo Bol-anon are fully aware that faith is a gift. But they also know that this donum fidei can only be received and assimilated by the individuals through tedious process of evangelization and long catechesis as well as their willingness to cooperate in listening and accepting the Good News of salvation. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI who described the role of catechesis to the life of the faithful: “Catechesis aims at coming to know Jesus concretely. It is theoretical and practical initiation into the will of God as revealed in Jesus and lived by the community of the Lord’s disciples, the family of God.” (Gospel, Catechesis, Catechism, Ignatius Press, 1997, p. 56). 
After so much straits and travails in giving birth to the Katesismo Bol-anon, however, the writers have that consolation in that they have contributed a little to prepare the faithful to know God, help them to adapt to His ways and, hopefully, to again fall in love with this God.

UPDATED: An important announcement regarding the Manaoag Shrine

Originally posted early in the morning of June 22, 2011. Revised in the early morning of July 26, 2011:


The Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Manaoag. Photo source.

This is re-posted from the website of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan. The emphasis is mine:

June 13, 2011

Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua

Circular 2011/20

RE: Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Manaoag

My dear people of God:

I am pleased and proud to inform you that the Cardinal Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome has granted to the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag a special bond of spiritual affinity through which the pilgrims who visit the said Marian Shrine are assured of the blessings of the Lord as if they actually visited the said major basilica in Rome. The Manaoag pilgrims are assured by the Sacred Penitentiary of a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions of the Church when they visit the Shrine Our Lady of Manaoag.

The papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major was one of the first basilicas built in honor of the Blessed Virgin in order to highlight her being Mother of God as defined by the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD.

In order to commemorate this singular honor granted to a sanctuary within the Archdiocese of Lingayen Dagupan, the Eucharist will be celebrated at the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag on July 22, 2011, Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene, at ten o’clock in the morning during which the appropriate documents from the Holy See will be formally announced to the Catholic faithful. I am cordially inviting you to this solemn Eucharistic celebration.

Let us avail of this grace filled occasion before us to gather in faith and proclaim our love for the Virgin of Manaoag. I am looking forward to your presence. Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS

Archbishop of Lingayen Dagupan

UPDATE (7/26/11): The Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan has published more details about the "special bond of spiritual affinity" between the Manaoag Shrine and the Liberian Basilica (St. Mary Major) in Rome. The indulgences newly granted to the Shrine of Manaoag are as follows:

By virtue of the Spiritual Bond of Affinity on 20 April 2011, the Apostolic Penitentiary granted in perpetuity that Plenary Indulgence may be obtained from the Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Manaoag, provided that in addition to living a virtuous Christian life, they comply with the conditions required, namely: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion and prayer for the intention of the Pope with the rite having been completed by the truly repentant faithful in the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Most Holy Rosary. 
Those who wish to receive the plenary indulgence must participate in the following: 
1. On the Feast day of the titular Liberian Basilica, namely on 5 August;
2. On the Feast day of the titular church itself, (1st Sunday of October and 3rd Wednesday during Easter Season);
3. On all the Solemnities of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God;
4. In the same year, on the day freely chosen by each of the faithful;
5. As often as a group of pilgrims go there for reason of devotion. 
Indulgences remit temporal punishment due to sin which is already forgiven. An indulgence, according to Can. 992, of the Code of Canon Law, is “the remission before God of temporal punishment for sins whose guilt is already forgiven, which a properly disposed member of the Christian faithful gains under certain and defined conditions by the assistance of the Church which as minister of redemption dispenses and applies authoritatively the treasury of the satisfactions of the Christ and the saints”. 
Indulgences do not forgive sin, but remit punishment due to already forgiven sin. The indulgences do not eliminate the need for or substitute for Confession, but rather presuppose that one has already received sacramental absolution in Confession (for those who were in a state of moral sin). Hence, one must be in the state of grace to receive indulgences. 
Plenary and Partial Indulgence 
A plenary indulgence is a complete remission of all temporal punishment due to sin. A partial indulgence frees a person from some of the temporal punishment due to sin. 
Indulgences do not eliminate the requirement of restitution, but should be obtained in addition to making restitution. For example, if someone were to steal an item from another, he should go to Confession ( and receive sacramental absolution), restore the item (or otherwise make full restitution), and obtain indulgences.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Tagbilaran ordinations tomorrow

I've just been informed that two deacons of the Diocese of Tagbilaran, Bohol will be ordained to the priesthood tomorrow, while 3 more deacons will be raised to the priesthood come December. Let us keep them in our prayers. Kudos to Bishop (and blogger!) Leonardo Medroso and the clergy of the Diocese of Tagbilaran, which is one of the Philippines' leading dioceses in terms of priestly ordinations per number of faithful. 

Is the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod at hand? And will Cebu be the site of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress?

From an article in today's edition of Sun Star Cebu:

Another news, which came from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome, is that the canonization process of Visayan martyr Blessed Pedro Calungsod is in its final stages. 
Theologians 
“There is development in the canonization process of Blessed Pedro Calungsod, (the investigation) has passed the level of medical doctors. It has also passed the level of theologians,” the prelate (Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu - CAP) said at a press conference yesterday afternoon in his residence. 
“The next step is the (review at the) level of cardinals. Probably his canonization may be announced late this year,” he added. 
It was Blessed Pope John Paul II who beatified Beato Pedro on March 5, 2000 in Rome. The teenager was martyred in Guam in 1672 with a Spanish Jesuit priest, now Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores. 
Archbishop Palma also said the International Eucharistic Congress might be held in Cebu. 
Palma and Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal had lobbied for the event to be held in Cebu with the International Eucharistic Congress president during an earlier trip to Rome. 
Manila 
The last time such a gathering was held in the country was in Manila in 1937.

The 50th International Eucharistic Congress will be held in Dublin, Ireland next year. At present, IEC's are held every four years (the last IEC was held in Quebec City, Canada in 2008). 

The International Eucharistic Congress held in Manila was the 33rd. 

(Please refer as well to my earlier blog post on Blessed Pedro Calungsod's possible canonization.)

Friday, July 1, 2011

Ordinations in Cebu

Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu ordained 11 new priests on June 21, 2011 in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Cebu, continuing the recent trend of the Archdiocese of Cebu ordaining the most number of diocesan priests among the dioceses of the Philippines. (See also this article.) Last year, Cebu had 16 new diocesan priests, 3 of whom belonged to the Society of the Angel of Peace (SAP), a new monastic congregation with its sole monastery in the city of Talisay in the province of Cebu.

Cebu also witnessed the ordination (in May of this year) of five Filipino priests for the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. They were ordained in the FFI-run Church of the Co-Redemptrix (Brgy. San Jose Talamban, Cebu City) by the Archbishop Emeritus of Cebu, His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal. The ordination rites were celebrated according to the "Ordinary Form" of the Roman Rite, unlike the FFI's sacerdotal and diaconal ordinations (all held in Italy) in 2009 and 2010, which were celebrated according to the liturgical books in force in 1962. 

The Fandango Mass?

The Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, which has begun implementing elements of the new translation of the Roman Missal ahead of other Filipino dioceses, is now promoting what I take to be the first Philippine-made musical setting for the new English translation of the Roman Missal (emphasis mine):

I am pleased to share with you this repertoire of Mass Songs entitled “MASS OF SAINT JOHN THE BELOVED” written by Professor Ryan Cayabyab, a native of San Carlos City. The lyrics of the Mass songs use the latest translation of the Roman Missal. With a typically Filipino pandanggo rhythm, the compositions also deliberately avoid repetitious refrains in order to encourage singing them at Mass without unduly prolonging the liturgy.
...This repertoire contains the easy to sing melodies of I Confess, Glory to God, the Creed, Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation, Our Father and Lamb of God... 
As we make the musical scores and compact disc copies of these songs available to you now, we also hope that by February 2012, when we launch the year long preparations for the 50th year of our archdiocese and the 85th year of the creation of our diocese, all the parish communities and schools would have become familiar with the songs. 
I trust that you will exert every effort to encourage the learning of these songs and their use in our parish liturgies. This repertoire is uniquely ours, composed for us and made by one of us. Let us unite to spread what is beautiful in our Church...

Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu receiving the pallium from Pope Benedict XVI