July 25, 2019, VP- Academics Conference Room – The Parish Priests, Chaplains and Campus Ministers from UNO-R, Colegio de San Nicolas de Tolentino-Recoletos, Talisay, Sto. Tomas-Recoletos, San Carlos, San Pedro Academy-Recoletos, Caidiocan, Valencia and San Pedro Academy, Valencia; a total of 20 participants gathered for a meeting in UNO-R at the VP-Academics conference room to discuss the proposed programs and activities for the Celebration of the Extraordinary Missionary Month in October 2019. The meeting was presided by Fray Edgar Tubio, OAR, President of the Secretariat for the Apostolate of the Province of St. Ezekiel Moreno. The meeting started with a prayer, followed by a short getting to know of one another. Then Fr. Tubio discussed to the group the call of the General Secretariat for the Apostolate of the Order of Augustinian Recollects to mobilize the whole OAR St. Ezekiel Moreno Province in launch initiatives for the great occasion, the Extraordinary Mission Month in October. The Highlights of the meeting were Promotion of Missions, through short video clippings, that may be played in schools and parishes; familiarization with the Guidelines for the Mission Apostolate of the Augustinian Recollects (OAM). Promotion of monthly celebration of the Mission Day in the parishes and schools with some target in mind, like Fund the Mission Project; Creation of mission groups in the campus ministry and in the parishes. They can serve as anchor groups for any mission-related activities; Holding events, such as cultural (concerts, competitions), sports (fun run, tournaments or matches), commercial (garage sale) and religious (missionary vigil, jamboree, pilgrimage, mission-sending ceremonies for volunteers, mission groups and missionaries encounter); launching of the Extraordinary Mission Month per parish and school; Recoletos de Bacolod will have it on August 27, 2019, then it will be re-echoed to the UNO-R community sometime after August 27, 2019; and Celebration and promotion of the World Mission Rosary.
“At the heart of this initiative, which involves the Universal Church, will be prayer, testimonies, and reflections on the centrality of the mission ad gentes as a permanent state of being sent out for the first evangelization (Mt. 28:19) The obligation of personal and communal conversion to Jesus Christ crucified, risen, and alive in the Church, will renew the fervor and the passion for giving witness to the Gospel of life and the joy of Easter, through both word and actions (Lk. 24:46-49)”, says Fernando Cardinal Filoni, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and President of the Supreme Committee of the Pontifical Mission Societies, commissioned by the Pope to spearhead the celebration of the Missionary Month 2019.
Present during the meeting were Fray Cristituto Palomar, OAR; Joey Jolito; Jamicha Trujillo; Aura Mae Salanap (UNO-R CMO); Robit Cuevas and Reymar Macatual (CST-R, CMO); Fray Jay Parilla, OAR (Apo Island, Neg. Or.); Fray Randy Castillo, OAR; Fray Emilio Jaruda, OAR; and Fray Nino Ruiz, OAR (San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish, Talisay); Fray Roderick Deguit, OAR and Melinda Cabaguing (Parish of Our Lady of the Abandoned and San Pedro Academy, Valencia, Neg. Or.); Fray Excel Saycon, OAR and Christian James Tindog (SPA-R, Caidiocan, Valencia, Neg. Or.); Fray Cirilo Andan, OAR (our lady of Lourdes, Ayungon, Neg. Or.). (news by Aura Mae Salanap)