Lineamenta on Catholic Schools

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

God calls every one to participate in His Life and to be one with Him because of His great love for us. Initially He manifested this call to the people of Israel and sent His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ to make His call more explicitly for everyone. Eventually Jesus established the Church from His followers who became the New People of God and sent His Holy Spirit to guide and sanctify her and commissioned her to spread the Gospel “to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Lk 24:47). In fulfilling this mandate “to proclaim the mystery of salvation to all and to restore all things in Christ, Holy Mother the Church must be concerned with the whole of man’s life, even the earthly part of it insofar as that has a bearing on his heavenly calling. Therefore she has her role to play in the progress and spread of education.” (Gravissimum Educationis [G.E.], Introduction)
The Educational Mission of the Church or Catholic Education encompasses the whole aspect of human life, physical and spiritual, and includes all peoples, even those outside the fold of the Church, because all are called to participate in God’s life and to enter the Kingdom of God. Everyone “has an inalienable right to an education corresponding to his proper destiny and suited to his native talents, his sex, his cultural background, and his ancestral heritage.”(G.E., 1) Every Christian has “become a new creature by rebirth from water and the Holy Spirit...called what he truly is, a child of God, is entitled to a Christian education.”(GE,2).
Vatican II declaration on Christian Education underscores the role of parents in Catholic Education (GE, 7). “Parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children. Their role as educators is so decisive that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it.”(GE, 3) While it stresses the role of the family in educating the children, it also recognizes the role of the civil society and the school whom parents entrust a share in the work of education (GE, 3, 5 & 6). Moreover, the Council states, “the office of educating belongs by a unique title to the Church, not merely because she deserves recognition as a human society capable of educating, but most of all because she has the responsibility of announcing the way of salvation to all men, of communicating the life of Christ to those who believe, and assisting them with ceaseless concern so that they may grow in the fullness of that same life.”(GE, 3)
The Church has shown great consideration for the Catholic School System (pre-school, elementary, secondary and tertiary) “to promote effectively the welfare of the earthly city and preparing them to serve the advancement of the reign of God.”(GE, 8) Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle points out in his talk at the CEAP National Convention in Davao City on September 14-16, 2005: “Catholic education has a triple purpose: First is the development of the human person…second is to contribute to the welfare of the society,…and third, the advancement of reign of God through faith and the life of the church.”(Most Rev. Luis Antonio G. Tagle, DD, Renewal and New Directions in the Catholic Church: Implications to Catholic Education in Perspective [CEAP, September 2006], p.27) The aim of Catholic education is to advance higher culture and to mould students so that they may become people who are “truly outstanding in learning, ready to shoulder society’s heavier burdens and to witness the faith to the world.”(GE, 10) Education should form “the whole person, so that all may attain their eternal destiny and at the same time promote the common good of society.”(c.795). Hence, the Catholic School is an important center in educating Christians who form a truly Committed Christian Community where each one experience love, freedom, justice and peace.
In our Diocese of San Carlos, Catholic schools, whether they are administered by the diocese or by religious congregations, perform a task in integral education and that is to teach and live the Gospel of Christ in all aspects of formation and cultural development. The service of the Catholic school is carried out in various forms such as catechetical ministry, campus ministry, adult literacy program, educational apostolate of the laity and education for peace, justice and integrity of creation. In the school apostolate, members of the catholic school community have an active participation in the saving mission of the Church through integral evangelization and all forms of relevant and liberating formation activities in all strata of society with special concern for the poor and the underprivileged.

Questions for small group discussions:

How can we make Catholic education in our schools share the priorities of the wider Church and promote Filipino values that resonate with the values of the Kingdom of God?
How can we make our Catholic education system a potent force in transforming our society into a truly human, Filipino and Christian society?
What can we do to have a collaborative effort of all our educational institutions to realize our goal for a qualitative Christian education and at the same time serve our poor constituents of our Church?

Lineamenta on Catholic Schools

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

God calls every one to participate in His Life and to be one with Him because of His great love for us. Initially He manifested this call to the people of Israel and sent His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ to make His call more explicitly for everyone. Eventually Jesus established the Church from His followers who became the New People of God and sent His Holy Spirit to guide and sanctify her and commissioned her to spread the Gospel “to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Lk 24:47). In fulfilling this mandate “to proclaim the mystery of salvation to all and to restore all things in Christ, Holy Mother the Church must be concerned with the whole of man’s life, even the earthly part of it insofar as that has a bearing on his heavenly calling. Therefore she has her role to play in the progress and spread of education.” (Gravissimum Educationis [G.E.], Introduction)
The Educational Mission of the Church or Catholic Education encompasses the whole aspect of human life, physical and spiritual, and includes all peoples, even those outside the fold of the Church, because all are called to participate in God’s life and to enter the Kingdom of God. Everyone “has an inalienable right to an education corresponding to his proper destiny and suited to his native talents, his sex, his cultural background, and his ancestral heritage.”(G.E., 1) Every Christian has “become a new creature by rebirth from water and the Holy Spirit...called what he truly is, a child of God, is entitled to a Christian education.”(GE,2).
Vatican II declaration on Christian Education underscores the role of parents in Catholic Education (GE, 7). “Parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children. Their role as educators is so decisive that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it.”(GE, 3) While it stresses the role of the family in educating the children, it also recognizes the role of the civil society and the school whom parents entrust a share in the work of education (GE, 3, 5 & 6). Moreover, the Council states, “the office of educating belongs by a unique title to the Church, not merely because she deserves recognition as a human society capable of educating, but most of all because she has the responsibility of announcing the way of salvation to all men, of communicating the life of Christ to those who believe, and assisting them with ceaseless concern so that they may grow in the fullness of that same life.”(GE, 3)
The Church has shown great consideration for the Catholic School System (pre-school, elementary, secondary and tertiary) “to promote effectively the welfare of the earthly city and preparing them to serve the advancement of the reign of God.”(GE, 8) Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle points out in his talk at the CEAP National Convention in Davao City on September 14-16, 2005: “Catholic education has a triple purpose: First is the development of the human person…second is to contribute to the welfare of the society,…and third, the advancement of reign of God through faith and the life of the church.”(Most Rev. Luis Antonio G. Tagle, DD, Renewal and New Directions in the Catholic Church: Implications to Catholic Education in Perspective [CEAP, September 2006], p.27) The aim of Catholic education is to advance higher culture and to mould students so that they may become people who are “truly outstanding in learning, ready to shoulder society’s heavier burdens and to witness the faith to the world.”(GE, 10) Education should form “the whole person, so that all may attain their eternal destiny and at the same time promote the common good of society.”(c.795). Hence, the Catholic School is an important center in educating Christians who form a truly Committed Christian Community where each one experience love, freedom, justice and peace.
In our Diocese of San Carlos, Catholic schools, whether they are administered by the diocese or by religious congregations, perform a task in integral education and that is to teach and live the Gospel of Christ in all aspects of formation and cultural development. The service of the Catholic school is carried out in various forms such as catechetical ministry, campus ministry, adult literacy program, educational apostolate of the laity and education for peace, justice and integrity of creation. In the school apostolate, members of the catholic school community have an active participation in the saving mission of the Church through integral evangelization and all forms of relevant and liberating formation activities in all strata of society with special concern for the poor and the underprivileged.

Questions for small group discussions:

How can we make Catholic education in our schools share the priorities of the wider Church and promote Filipino values that resonate with the values of the Kingdom of God?
How can we make our Catholic education system a potent force in transforming our society into a truly human, Filipino and Christian society?
What can we do to have a collaborative effort of all our educational institutions to realize our goal for a qualitative Christian education and at the same time serve our poor constituents of our Church?

Lineamenta on Organizing

GKK, A NEW WAY OF BEING CHURCH

GKK (Gagmayng or Galagmayng Kristohanong Katilingban, Basic Ecclesial Communities or Basic Christian Communities) is a new way of being Church which gives new life and dynamism to the visible Church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ. As a community of Christ’s faithful who are greatly inspired by the Gospel in their faith, it is sincerely worshipping, prophetically witnessing, generously serving, compassionately caring, progressively consolidating, joyfully radiating to the young and journeying with those in their golden years of life and service. God calls us to participate in His life not merely as individuals but more so as a community as a people of God, who though composed of many members is one, united in faith in Christ and in the service of one another (I Cor 12; Rom 12). In order to nurture constant growth of this community, our Lord instituted a variety of ministries which work for the good of the whole body. He sends forth apostles to proclaim the Good News and willed that their successors, the bishops, should be shepherds of the Church who are one and undivided under the successor of Peter, the Pope. A bishop emulates Jesus the Good Shepherd who did not come “to be served but to serve” (Mk 10:45). A portion of God’s Community is called a Diocese which is to be shepherded by the episcopate with the cooperation of the priests in the parishes and Mission areas. The bishop exercises the legislative, executive and judicial power as an ordinary (Canon 391). To ensure concerted pastoral action under the care of the episcopate, the Diocese is subdivided into Vicariates, and Vicariates into parishes to effectively promote the principle of subsidiarity and equitable distribution of Ministry (Christus Dominus, 30). The parish is subdivided into small groups for effective apostolate and ministry called the GKK (Gagmayng Kristohanong Katilingban) or BEC (Basic ecclesial Communities) or BCC (Basic Christian Communities). This is the “community of disciples” or small communities of disciples of Jesus Christ that effectively brings the work of evangelization up to grassroots level. This new emergent way of being Church encourages participatory pastoral administration as well as renewal and revitalization of the Church at the base level.
GKK as a new way of being church in the Diocese of San Carlos faces the complex reality of our times and manifest herself as the base of the people of God who is both divine and human, transcending social and political limitations but at the same time quietly adapting herself to the dominant socio-political patterns of Negros Island. As a small Church she has on the one hand the character of being supernatural and standing above the passing structures of politics as vanguard of Christian virtues. On the other hand, she is the people of God at the grassroots, in the community of men and women who are social beings and greatly affected by the concrete socio-economic problems like poverty and exploitation and by harsh political situation that sometimes erode the moral fiber of the people living at the base communities. GKK provides the liberating expression of a popular Church that realizes the emergence of a Church that is communitarian and relevant, yet faith-based communities with prophetic stand that responds to the societal problem in the light of Christian teaching. As local, self-governing, self-nourishing, self-supporting and self-extending base communities are federated into a parish, faith-witnessing becomes more alive and the Church truly expresses the action of the Spirit of Christ in our times.

Questions for Small Group Discussion

1. Is your parish actively building GKK at the grassroots level to evangelize the people down to the base level?
2. What are the basic problems encountered by the GKK in your parish? How do you respond to them?
3. How far is your Parish Organizing Committee helping your parish in the building a Church of the poor?
4. What are your education and organizing programs and activities to enrich the small communities of the lay faithful?

Synod Lineamenta on the Laity

EMPOWERING THE LAY FAITHFUL

God’s call to the fullness of life is for all. This call to holiness is addressed to the entire people of God. “Thus it is evident to everyone that all the faithful of Christ in whatever rank or status are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity.”(LG, 40) Every Christian has to strive for this fullness of life “according to his gifts and according to his situation.”(AA, 4) Arguably, all members of the Church share in the common priesthood entrusted to the Church. We are all priests, because we all belong to the people of God which is established in the sacraments of initiation, baptism and confirmation. “Through these sacraments they are made a royal priesthood and a holy people, who can offer everything they do as an act of love for God.”(AA,3) The implication of this common priesthood is the common responsibility of lay people, not only of priests and religious, for the fulfillment of the mission of the Church. This is the common call to the total mission of the Church. “The obligation of spreading the faith is imposed on every disciple of Christ according to his ability.”(LG, 17) This obligation is not to make lay faithful act and live like ordained priests and religious in consecrated life thereby losing the distinct character of being lay people. It is to empower the lay faithful to a special form of evangelization and spirituality where their way of life can truly manifest an authentic witness to Christian faith.
The special form of evangelization entrusted to the laity is not primarily to develop the ecclesial community in a particular sense reserved to ordained ministers. It is “to put to use every Christian and evangelical possibility latent but already present and active in the affairs of the world.”(EN, 20) The lay faithful bears witness to God and promotes salvation of the people in accordance with their state of life which is deeply lived within the world. Living in the midst of the world, they are “called by God to burn with the spirit of Christ and to exercise their apostolate in the world as a kind of leaven.” (AA,2) This apostolate can be effectively exercised if the laity had gone through a diversified and thorough formation in the parish through the efforts of the parish priest which the lay people have the right to demand. (AA, 28; LG, 37) The priests, especially the parish priests, are expected to recognize this and to promote the dignity and responsibility of the lay persons in the Church. (LG, 37). The parish pastors have to bear in mind that lay involvement in the apostolate presupposes a well-rounded and in-depth spiritual formation and solid doctrinal formation in theology and philosophy attuned to the laity’s needs and “adjusted to differences of ages, status and natural talents.” (AA, 29) Properly prepared in the apostolate through that formation and well-informed about the contemporary world, the lay person would be active in his own basic Christian community and should gradually learn how to see, judge and act in the light of faith even as he continue to develop himself along with others through active involvement in integral evangelization.

Questions for small group discussions:
What do you think are the role, tasks and functions of the lay people in the parish?
In concrete sense and in the context of the parish, what is meant by lay empowerment?
How can we involve the unchurched and the inactive parishioners in apostolate and mission of the Church?

Lineamenta on Education

EDUCATING THE PEOPLE OF GOD

Jesus Christ “went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach” (Mk 3:13). Leaving everything to follow him (Lk 14:26), this community of disciples undergo a gradual and thorough conversion wherein their actions and thoughts are shaped by him (Mt 12:30). What had been the unique way of formation of the disciples of the Lord (Mk 3:14) and then developed as a catechesis in the early Church is now continued at present as Christian Education and Evangelization process attuned to our times. This work of formation entrusted to the Church, as she is being sustained by the process of being evangelized by God’s presence in the Holy Spirit, “must be an integral Christian initiation open to all the other factors of Christian life” (Catechesi Tradendae, 21). She endeavors to develop every Christian into a person totally immersed in the mystery of the Holy Trinity where one’s attitudes, values, words, concerns, hopes, loves, choices and everything in the person’s life shall be in line with the Gospel of Jesus. As Vatican II states, “The Church must be concerned with the whole of man’s life, even the earthly part of it, in so far as that has a bearing on his heavenly calling” (GE, Introduction). To be concerned with the whole of man’s life, Christian education has the aspect of human and spiritual formation, doctrinal and apostolic formation and reaching to all levels from the individual, to the family, to the base communities and to the parish level.
Human formation enables the person to uphold his/her dignity as created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27) and develop his/her genuine basic values to empower him/her to overcome the brokenness of his/her life and to live his/her Christian faith in our secular world. To be well-informed about the contemporary world, well-balanced in his/her emotions and values, and well-motivated in Christian leadership, his/her education is a “human and well-rounded formation adapted to the natural abilities and circumstances”(AA, 29). The family has a crucial role in this holistic Christian formation. “Even amid the difficulties of the work of education…parents must trustingly and courageously train their children in the essential values of human life” (Familiaris Consortio, 37). The family prepares the Christian for his/her service to the various communities he is passing through towards the fulfillment of his/her life. Since the final fulfillment cannot be found in purely human realities, the Christian needs a spiritual formation as she/he is faced with the complexities of life in order to be attuned to the movements and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thus, a truly Christian education “aims at the formation of the human person with respect to his ultimate goal” (Gravissimum Educationis, 1). Man is looking for guidance in his lifelong process of formation. “The People of God believes that it is led by the Spirit of the Lord. Motivated by his faith, it labors to decipher authentic signs of God’ presence” (GS, 11).
In the Diocese of San Carlos, integral evangelization program is pursued by the ministries like catechesis, family life, mission, mass media, bible apostolate, renewal programs, catholic education and other programs of formation. Imbued with both the doctrinal and apostolic formation, our Christian leaders are prepared to confront the complexities of present day realities with a truly Christian Spirit and discernment based on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Questions for small group discussion:
How shall we improve the education program of our parish and of our diocese?
What are the common problems we encounter in our formation or evangelization program?
How can we involve Christian families in catechesis and evangelization?

Lineamenta on Participation of the Poor in the Church

ACTIVE PRESENCE AND PARTICIPATION OF THE POOR IN THE CHURCH

God calls us all to a universal love that permeates all our actions of transforming our society and to recognize each one’s contribution in building up the Kingdom of God. Christ, the one Mediator, established and ceaselessly sustains His Church as visible structure of that Kingdom that recognizes the importance of the majority who are poor to become principal agents in fulfilling her mission on earth. “Just as Christ carried out the work of redemption in poverty and under oppression, so the Church is called to follow the same path in communicating to men the fruits of salvation”(LG, 8). St Paul points out, “Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty”(2 Cor 8:9). Hence, “Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you—he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works”(2 Cor 9:7-8). This is how to be an active “Church of the poor.” PCP II states: “The ‘Church of the poor’ will also mean that the Church will not only evangelize the poor, but that the poor in the Church will themselves become evangelizers. Pastors and leaders will learn to be with, work with, and learn from the poor.
A ‘Church of the poor’ will not only render preferential service to the poor but will practice preferential reliance on the poor in the work of evangelization”(PCP II, 132). This preferential reliance on the poor in the work of evangelization and mission affirms the capacity and power of the poor to transform a society and to bring qualitative growth in the Church. By no means this position of the Church on preferential option for the poor discriminates and excludes the rich. Rather, this means a deeper immersion of the rich into the saving action of Christ in history that breaks barriers between poor and rich, between marginalized societies and powerful cultures. This is the radical meaning of following the Lord Jesus. When a rich young man asked how to inherit eternal life, Christ said, “Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me”(Mk 10:21). Christ calls for the re-alignment of His Church to a new world order where the deep-rooted causes of poverty, societal violence and injustice are faced firmly with relevant and collective response. Equipped with the proper analysis of these deep-rooted causes, the Church condemns the social order which Pius XI called, the “international imperialism of money” where profit is considered the key motive for economic progress, competition the supreme law of economics, and private ownership of the means of production an absolute right that has no limits or carries no social obligation. In this context, the Church sees the poor and the rich working hand in hand for the transformation of society for the well-being of the Church and humankind. The Lord Himself renews His invitation to all, especially the poor, for active presence and participation in all activities of the Church, to come closer to God and to be His co-workers in various forms and methods of the Church’s apostolate which is constantly attuned to the needs of times (AA, 31).


Questions for small group discussion:

1.How far are the poor actively involved in the apostolate of our parish? Why? Why not?
2. Are there parish programs/activities that make them main agents of evangelization?
3. Are there parish programs/activities that bond the rich and the poor to work together for the well being of the Church and of the people?

Lineamenta on Participation of the Poor in the Church

ACTIVE PRESENCE AND PARTICIPATION OF THE POOR IN THE CHURCH

God calls us all to a universal love that permeates all our actions of transforming our society and to recognize each one’s contribution in building up the Kingdom of God. Christ, the one Mediator, established and ceaselessly sustains His Church as visible structure of that Kingdom that recognizes the importance of the majority who are poor to become principal agents in fulfilling her mission on earth. “Just as Christ carried out the work of redemption in poverty and under oppression, so the Church is called to follow the same path in communicating to men the fruits of salvation”(LG, 8). St Paul points out, “Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty”(2 Cor 8:9). Hence, “Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you—he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works”(2 Cor 9:7-8). This is how to be an active “Church of the poor.” PCP II states: “The ‘Church of the poor’ will also mean that the Church will not only evangelize the poor, but that the poor in the Church will themselves become evangelizers. Pastors and leaders will learn to be with, work with, and learn from the poor.
A ‘Church of the poor’ will not only render preferential service to the poor but will practice preferential reliance on the poor in the work of evangelization”(PCP II, 132). This preferential reliance on the poor in the work of evangelization and mission affirms the capacity and power of the poor to transform a society and to bring qualitative growth in the Church. By no means this position of the Church on preferential option for the poor discriminates and excludes the rich. Rather, this means a deeper immersion of the rich into the saving action of Christ in history that breaks barriers between poor and rich, between marginalized societies and powerful cultures. This is the radical meaning of following the Lord Jesus. When a rich young man asked how to inherit eternal life, Christ said, “Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me”(Mk 10:21). Christ calls for the re-alignment of His Church to a new world order where the deep-rooted causes of poverty, societal violence and injustice are faced firmly with relevant and collective response. Equipped with the proper analysis of these deep-rooted causes, the Church condemns the social order which Pius XI called, the “international imperialism of money” where profit is considered the key motive for economic progress, competition the supreme law of economics, and private ownership of the means of production an absolute right that has no limits or carries no social obligation. In this context, the Church sees the poor and the rich working hand in hand for the transformation of society for the well-being of the Church and humankind. The Lord Himself renews His invitation to all, especially the poor, for active presence and participation in all activities of the Church, to come closer to God and to be His co-workers in various forms and methods of the Church’s apostolate which is constantly attuned to the needs of times (AA, 31).


Questions for small group discussion:

1.How far are the poor actively involved in the apostolate of our parish? Why? Why not?
2. Are there parish programs/activities that make them main agents of evangelization?
3. Are there parish programs/activities that bond the rich and the poor to work together for the well being of the Church and of the people?

Lineamenta on Mission

ANIMATION AND FORMATION FOR MISSION

God calls everyone to the fullness of life and wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (Jn 10:10; Jn 14:6). He calls us to participate in His divine life, not of our own merit but of God’s grace (I Tim 2:4; Eph 1:4; I Thes 4:3). Initially for the chosen people of Israel, God’s call to salvation is for all when at a definitive time He sent His Son, Our Lord Jesus to redeem us and to make us one people in the institution of the new covenant in His blood (Rom 3:22; Jn 3:1). Our Lord Jesus did not only call His disciples to follow Him, He also transmitted His mission to them. Just as He was sent by the Father, so He sent his followers to spread His Gospel to all nations and become His witnesses to all peoples (Lk 24:47; Acts 1:8). He commissioned them to “go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to carry out everything I have commanded you” (Mt 23:19-20; Lk 24:46-48; Mk 16:15; Jn 19:26-27). Based on this mandate, the Church, or the people of God on earth, is by its very nature a people sent to evangelize all nations (Ad Gentes [AG], 5; Lumen Gentium [LG], 34). The Church is sent in mission to proclaim the Gospel of Our Lord and to be the instrument of His grace (PCP II, 104). Thus the missionary responsibility of the Church is an essential part of her nature. The Church exists because of mission and her purpose is no less than the proclamation and immediate inauguration of salvation, seen as a divine gift of spiritual and temporal liberation. Missio Dei or God’s mission to the world is manifested par excellence by Jesus Christ, who was supremely the sent one of God (Heb 3:1). Entrusting His mission to His followers, the missionary people of God is tasked to proclaim the Word of God, to enact his works of justice and compassion and to bring all to a fellowship whereby all experience the beginning of freedom of the children of God and the liberty of His full kingdom proclaimed in His word.
An animation and formation for mission necessarily has these elements: a) the knowledge and proclamation of the message (Kerygma), b) the human service of temporal liberation (Diakonia), and the building up of a fellowship understood already as a sharing in the life of God (Koinonia). All these three elements correlate with one another to point to God’s love and concern and made explicitly present in the world through a missionary activity of the Church where all of us participate because all of us received this mission from God the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit through our baptism. Certainly, the work of evangelization is a basic duty of the whole People of God (AG, 35) and no believer in Christ, no institution in the Church can avoid this supreme duty to proclaim (Redemptoris Missio [RM], 3). As Christians, we must share not only the Gospel of Christ but our very selves in the witness of a holy life and in this way can be real evangelizers (1 Pet 3:15). Hence, the person evangelized goes to evangelize others (Evangelii Nuntiandi [EN], 25). Our mission of evangelization, which flows from the inner nature of mission itself, is one and the same everywhere in all situations but the variety of circumstances and culture affect our way of fulfilling our mission. Inculturation is needed and requires the “evangelizers to immerse themselves in the cultural milieu of those to whom they are sent”(PCP II, 206). As John Paul II pointed out, our basic missionary attitude before a people and its culture is respect (Redemptor Hominis [RH], 12).
In the local Church of the Diocese of San Carlos, we acknowledge the challenge of Vatican II to “send some of the better priests who offer themselves for mission”(Christus Dominus [CD], 35) and that of John Paul II who said, “There is no doubt about it: The Philippines has a special missionary vocation to proclaim the Good News, to carry the light of Christ to the Nations”(John Paul II, Address to the Asian Bishops, February 1981). The lack of personnel in this young Diocese, however, forbids us to answer the missionary call. Even if we are not involved in missionary work ad extra but we do help promote the missionary spirit in our local church through our participation in the programs and activities of the Pontifical Mission Society, the Mission Society of the Philippines and in the mission programs of the Augustinian Recollects, the Franciscans and the Carmelites.




Questions for small group discussions:

How can we promote and animate the missionary spirit in our Diocese?
How can we adapt the new methods, new fervor and expressions in our missionary activity in our Diocese?
How can we involve the lay people in missionary work?