STT Magazine (Issue 5, 2010 January)

January 2010 Volume 4 Issue No.
1
The Official Magazine of Couples for Christ Foundation, Inc.
SOUND the TRUMPETS
KIDS PRAY AND RALLY FOR THE ROSARY
AN HONORING FOR OUR GHANA MISSIONARIES
CFCFFL IN THE LEADING EDGE OF MARCH FOR LIFE 2010
CFC INTERNATIONAL CORE OF SENIORS RE-AFFIRMS CHARISM &
DIRECTIONS
FAMILY DAY UKAY & T.R.O.O.P
CBCP GIVES RECOGNITION TO CFCFFL
LIFE IN THE SERVICE OF GOD
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CONTENTS
1 UNDER THE FIG TREE
CENTERED ON CHRIST
EVANGELISTIC & MISSIONARY
FOCUSED ON THE FAMILY
BEING COMMUNITY
LIVING A PREFERENTIAL OPTION
FOR THE POOR
14
22
32
64
AN HONORING FOR OUR GHANA
MISSIONARIES
CFCFFL IN THE LEADING EDGE OF MARCH
FOR LIFE 2010
CFC INTL CORE OF SENIORS RE-AFFIRMS
CHARISM & DIRECTIONS
FAMILY DAY UKAY & T.R.O.O.P.
EXERCISING SERVANT LEADERSHIP
82
BEING A SERVANT TO THE CHURCH
74 GODS WHEEL
6
2 INSIGHTS
KIDS PRAY & RALLY FOR THE ROSAY
DEPARTMENTS
CFCFFL
VISION
We are an evangelistic and missionary community committed to become
families empowered by the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth.
MISSION
We strive for holiness of life, as we commit to renew the temporal order
through our work with the poor, our work for justice, and our work for life.
We are a servant of the Church, working to renew her children through every
generation and throughout the world, until the Lord returns once again.
COVENANT
Trusting in the Lords help and guidance:
1. I shall live as a follower of Christ.
Pray and read the Bible daily.
Strive for holiness and Christian perfection.
2. I dedicate myself to the task of building a strong family for Christ.
Invest myself in time and effort for home and family.
Live out and defend the culture of life.
3. I shall be a committed and active member of Couples for Christ.
Faithfully attend meetings and participate in offcial activities.
Give generously of my time and fnances for the furtherance of our
mission.
Undergo all formation courses and participate in community events.
Relate in love, loyalty and respect with all members of the CFC family.
4. I shall be a witness to the world of Gods love.
Actively evangelize and do mission.
Love and serve my parish.
Love and care for the poor.
May the Lord Jesus Christ, with the intercession of our blessed Mother Mary,
help me to faithfully live this covenant, for His greater honor and glory and for
the good of my brothers and sisters.
68
CBCP GIVES RECOGNITION TO CFCFFL
Frank Padilla
overseer
Nonong Contreras
editor in chief
Mimi David
Mye Menguito
associate editors
Efren & Flor Aguirre
Edwin & Nila Andrews
Joanne Angon
Raymond Arguelles
Kris Bayos
Bonjie Bonjibod
Pepe Buenavides
Nanette Custodio
Mimi David
Dada Doble
Manny Estrella
April Frigge
Kai Garcia
Margie Hermano
Cocoi Javier
Chloe Loquias
Elvie Macalandag
Mye Menguito
Cel Montilla
Bob & Reena Murga
Ed Ocampo
Pat Oconer
Xavier Padilla
Frank A. Padilla
Ado Paglinawan
Alyssa Palos
Marie Relucio
Mar Reyes
Debbie Nakpil-Rodrigo
Giella Sanchez
Fr. Justin Sequeira, sss
Arvin Serra
Laya & Imelda Victoria
contributors
John Leo Burgoyne
Manny Estrella
Pat Frias
Robert Lim
Cel Montilla
Ed Ocampo
Pat Oconer
Cristy Querido
Mar Reyes
photographers
Manny Estrella
graphics/layout artist
SOUND
the
TRUMPETS
under the fg tree
*Being under the g tree
is a symbol of messianic peace.
(Nations) shall beat their swords
into plowshares, and their spears
into pruning hooks; one nation
shall not raise the sword against
another, nor shall they train for
war again. Every man shall sit
under his own vine or under
his own g tree, undisturbed
(Micah 4:3b-4). Our ultimate
goal is to bring the peace of Christ
into the world to all.
By
FRANK
PADILLA
1
e Almighty!
Just and Righteous Is He
The Almighty and Omnipotent God
O
ut of the north
comes golden
splendor; God is
clothed with awesome majesty.
(Job 37:22, RSV). e north is
a symbol for Gods mysterious
abode. God dwells in the heav-
ens above and on high.
How do we describe our God?
Golden splendor! Awesome majesty!
Omnipotent and Almighty! We can
say all the superlatives and we would
fall short in doing justice to describing
who God is. In the end, we can only
exclaim: e Almighty!
We cannot nd Him. We cannot
discover Him. No matter how wise we
are. His ways and thoughts are vastly
dierent from ours (Is 55:8-9). He is
the holy God. He is great in power and
justice and righteousness (Job 37:23).
Our response
How then do we relate to such
a God?
erefore men fear him; he does
not regard any who are wise in their
own conceit. (Job 37:24, RSV). Our
proper posture, as feeble creatures
before their majestic Creator, is awe
of God and humility.
ough we are nothing, to God
we are everything. He loves us, blesses
us, raises us up. e Father sacriced
His own Son for us. We must be in
awe of such a God. And we must be
humbled by such a privilege.
Just and righteous is He
Awe and humility allow us to
fully accept Gods will in our lives
even as we cannot understand fully
His ways. He is Father and He
knows best. Our human wisdom is
what gets us into trouble. We desire
to have our own way, oftentimes
contrary to Gods ways.
What we are called to is
unquestioning obedience to God. We
are called to die to self, manifested in
total detachment, total selessness,
and self-sacricial love. Now that is
very dicult. In fact, on our own,
it is impossible. But Jesus has shown
us the way. And the Holy Spirit
empowers us.
We just need to rest assured
Our theme for 2010:
that God is a God of justice and
righteousness. God gives to everyone
what is his due, and as a beloved child
of God, we can have it all, even as the
path is tortuous and painful. God
upholds righteousness, being a holy
God, and desires that His children
be holy as well. In justice we receive
what is our due; in righteousness we
become what God intended from
the very beginning.
We are truly blessed. We can
only exclaim: e Almighty!
Just and righteous is He.
Our theme verse for 2010
Job 37:23
e Almightywe cannot
nd him; he is great in
power and justice, and
abundant righteousness he
will not violate.
(Revised Standard Version,
Second Catholic Edition)
Gods power is so great that
we cannot come near him;
he is righteous and just in his
dealings with us.
(Good News Bible)
insights
2 SOUND THE TRUMPETS JAN 2010
When Bad ings Happen to a Good Person:
Or Nobody Suered More; Nobody Deserved It Less.
---Jobs Battle
R
eading through the
book of Job makes one
recall the literary epics
that have been timeless but still
relevant in our times: Homers
Iliad and Odyssey and the epic
hero Beowulf. Not that they
have the same content but from
a purely literary standpoint, it
stands out as a beautiful piece of
work that has
survived the
ancient world.
Its prose is
poetic as it re-
lates captivat-
ing scenes of
catharsis, the
inner purga-
tions of hu-
man emotions, the intense pas-
sion.
is dramatic poem can qualify
as a morality play akin to Everyman,
a 15th century novel about the clash
of good and evil or John Bunyans
Pilgrims Progress and ought to be
staged or made into a movie because
it remains relevant and meaningful
to our times, particularly after the
string of calamities which have
brought the country to its knees. To
think that the night before Ondoy
struck, the Servant General himself
announced our 2010 theme based on
the book of Job. at message now
stands out as a prophetic warning,
a portent of things still to come, but
with an equally redeeming thought
and consolation that at the end, if we
trust God enough, God is sovereign
and supreme over Satan and our very
own suerings. us, going through
our themes, Lamentations became
our prologue, Joy and Trust, is the
dialogue and Gods ascendancy
through Job is our epilogue.
And the Walls Came Tumbling Down
If one were to recall one of the
late Frank Sinatras hits, Jobs travails
and misfortunes could be entitled
Everything Happens to Me.
ese lessons we learn through the
experiences of one man: Job. He is
introduced to us as an upright man,
straight as an arrow, unparalleled
in piety. He was blameless and
upright, and one who feared God
and shunned evil (Job 1:1). In fact,
the verses which follow explain the
extent of his piety extended to that of
his family and his home life. In other
words, Job could well exemplify
Gods greatest gift to mankind who
deserved all emulation. We are also
told that Job was a man of great
prosperity which turned out to be
the kink in his armor that the Devil
saw he could exploit.
Like Conan Doyles Sherlock
Holmes, Jobs episodes read like a
detective story in which the readers
become riveted to the book because
we know far more than the central
characters, including Job himself.
What follows is a great catastrophe
that could happen to a man
undeserving of all the misfortunes
which befell him. First, raiders stole
all his belongings and killed all his
servants. en re from the sky
burned up his sheep, and a strong
mighty wind destroyed his house
and killed all his sons and daughters.
Finally, Job came down and was
stricken by a horrible and painful
disease with fetid sores and ended
up with a face only a mother could
love. e nal blow came when
his wife, mother to all his children,
deserted him.
The Battle
Unknown to him, Job became
unwittingly involved in a cosmic
test, a contest hatched in heaven,
parlayed between God and the devil
and played out on earth. Satan had
claimed that people like Job love
God because of all the good things
God provides. Remove these perks
and privileges, Satan challenged, and
Jobs faith would melt away along
with his wealth, health, friends and
family.
Now this was a classic case of
a test out of a class in eodicy---
a course dealing with the justice of
God in his dealings with men. In
eect, Gods reputation was put on
the line. Would Job continue to trust
in Him even if his life was falling
apart? e crucial question was
placed: Would Job eventually lose
faith and turn against God?
e person expected to stick to
her spouse through thick or thin,
none other than his wife, derided
him and said, Are you still holding
on to your integrity? Curse God and
die! ( Job 2:9). Even close friends of
Job blamed him for his misfortunes.
ey indicated that perhaps, God
was punishing Job because he
deserved it. Worse, they even hinted
that Job was a terrible sinner! e
faulty eology of his friends lies in
the belief that since God is just and
holy, anyone who transgressed His
will merits punishment. While Job
stands rm against the accusations,
he obviously has lost all support
systems of family, relatives and
friends.
3
Job On the Line
is is where the usual cycle of
human emotions reach its ebbs,
the neutral state and a cathartic
point when people face mockery
and desertion, and almost
simultaneously, terrible losses. Job
is disheartened by the accusations,
undergoes the periods of denial and
rejection. While he agreed with his
friends that God was both righteous
and sovereign and that blessings
and not aictions should follow
faithfulness, there was a deeper inner
turmoil in the depths of Jobs soul:
he was convinced that he has never
veered away from the straight and
narrow path and absolutely nothing
warranted the suerings that have
befallen him.
At this point, Job begins to
question God, but there is no total
rejection. Jobs lament reect a faith
in struggle, but it remains to be
faith nonetheless and not derision
and rebellion against God. In the
meantime, more tragedies befell
him. He fell into some state of
despondency, hurts himself with
shards of pottery, mourned the day
he was born.
Here is where the tables are
turned in this stirring courtroom
drama. Whereas Job was the
defendant staunchly parrying the
accusations of his wife and friends at
the beginning, Job now becomes the
reluctant accuser and God becomes
the defendant. But herein lies the
dilemma. While he felt he needed to
argue with God, He simply realized
that he could not. He asked for
an audience with the only Being
who could give him a rational
explanation for his miserable fate-
--God Himself. When God broke
His long silence and nally spoke,
no one, not even Job was prepared
to refute the answer of his Maker.
Job Clearing the Hurdle
Gods reply came in an oblique
manner but resplendent in its awful
truth. Will the one who contends
with the Almighty correct Him? Let
him who accuses God answer him.
(40:2). And nally the coup de grace:
Do you want to try running the
universe for a while? Go ahead, try
designing an ostrich, or a mountain
goat, or even a snowake. (42:3).
Job felt satised, albeit humiliated
by the simplicity and the reality
of the answer. He had no right
whatsoever to question his Maker.
Surely, I spoke of things I did not
understand, he confessed.
Finally a rude
a wa k e ni ng
and a late
r e al i z at i on,
that little did
he realize that God
spoke about things too wonderful
for me to know (42:3).
Jobs travails in the rage and
darkness of night was followed by
the dawning of a new day. He had
triumphed over his suerings. Job,
who had complained, raged and
cried out, is given twice as much
blessings as he had ever before. And
so he died, old and full of years.
Points To Ponder, Lessons to be Learned.
1. Suering may come as the
result of conict in the spiritual
world. It is clear that there is spiritual
warfare between God and Satan.
Satan is hard at work to keep man
away from God. e irony of it all,
as dramatically depicted in the case of
Job, is suering came not because of
unfaithfulness to God but precisely
because our constancy to God has
drawn enemy re. God has taken
the challenge of Satan once again to
prove beyond reasonable doubt that
He can silence Satan by means of a
suering worshipper. us, we may
become the means of vindicating
God before Satan.
e lives of the saints and
martyrs are replete with cases of
a similar nature as that of Jobs. In
suering, God has allowed Satan to
come after us so that by Gods nal
victory, He would have shown His
Majesty and Almightiness. e
eternal question that may well be
asked is Why? e answer lies in
us to realize that suering could be a
result not because of our sinfulness
but precisely because we have been
faithful. Job was the suering soul
used to shame Satan and to give
honor and glory to God.
e lesson is when all is said and
done, our suering makes sense for
it has served the noblest and highest
purpose.
2. e realization that our
niteness does not allow us to
appreciate the relevance and meaning
of suering. Perhaps, this is the
realization, though hard to accept, is
the bitter pill to swallow. And we
may never be told the reason why
suering has to occur. is is why
our theme for 2009 of TRUSTING
in the Lord assumes signicance.
ink about it, your BOC and
SG never made themes out of deep
intellectual reasoning and the use
of logical processes. emes come
by divine inspiration.
e lesson here is asking
ourselves if we can nd a reason for
not trusting Him even when we do
not see His purposes.
3. God reigns supreme and
sovereign over Satan and is above all
our suering. at is the constant
reminder that despite a seeming
dry spell, a spiritual drought, a
parched soul, God is not absent.
is may well explain that people
lose their minds or take their own
lives out of despair if they lose the
sense and presence of God. But
equipped with the eternal truth of
a constant and faithful God whom
we should trust unconditionally,
is there any trial or tribulation
we cannot face and overcome?
NONONG CONTRERAS
Editor in Chief
C
C
entered

hrist
C
C
on
In everything that we are and do, we look
to Jesus, who is our Savior and Lord.
Jesus is our model in our obedience to
the Father, in our faithfulness to His call,
and to total submission to His divine
will. And as He who called us is holy, we
ourselves will strive for holiness of life
(1 Pt 1:15-16), and look to exhibiting the
fruit of the Spirit in our day-to-day lives
(Gal 5:22-23).
O
n October 17, 2009,
the 11th Childrens
Rosary Rally was
celebrated at the Silver City,
Frontera Verde, Pasig City. It
was attended by over 200 kids
from all over Metro Manila
who came together to fulll
the theme of the Rally: One
Mission, One Family, One
Mother.
It started with Ms. Claudine
Zialcita of the Childrens Rosary
Movement telling the kids the story
of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Juan
Diego. is was followed by the
praying of the Missionary Rosary
led by the children themselves, with
a specic intention oered for a
certain continent for each decade.
It was a living rosary, as each bead
of the rosary was led by one of the
kids, so there were more than 50
kids participating in leading the
rosary. It ended with a Mass, again
with readings and the prayers of the
faithful led by kids.
What also made the event extra
special was that the exact replica of
the Tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe
was present. It was brought in for this
special event. e Mass (in Spanish)
was celebrated by the Rector of the
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
from Mexico, Msgr. Diego Monroy.
It was concelebrated by Fr. James
Phalan (International Director of
Family Rosary International) and Fr.
Roque DCosta (Spiritual Director
of Family Rosary Crusade).
e Childrens Rosary Rally
is the project of the Childrens
Rosary Movement (a personal pet
project of Jaime Cardinal Sin),
Couples for Christ Foundation for
Family and Life, the Archdiocese
of Manila, and the Family Rosary
Crusade. Kids came from CFC Kids
for Family and Life, Restoration
Villages from Marilao, Remarville
and Graezar, St. eodore School-
Pasig, St. Paul College-Pasig,
Holy Family Catholic School,
Lourdes School of Mandaluyong,
Bagumbayan Elementary School,
Angeli Dei and Angels Institute,
and Libis Elementary School.
KIDS PRAY AND RALLY
FOR THE ROSARY
Contributed by Xavier Padilla
CFC Kids for Family and Life International Coordinator
CENTERED ON CHRIST 7
FAITH ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
C
hildren who have not
yet been baptized
youth who do not
know Jesus in a personal way
adults who are not aware of
the Sacraments. ese brothers
and sisters were forefront in
the heart of CFCFFL as it
conducted its Faith Enrichment
Training, through the
CFCFFL Education Ministry.
e participants - volunteers
who signed up to become
Faith Session facilitators in
parishes, Restoration Villages
and Mission Areas - came
from Quezon City, Bulacan,
Contributed by Myra M. Menguito
CFCFFL Education Ministry
Paranaque, Las Pinas, Taguig,
Muntinlupa, and Laguna.
Aside from learning about the
Ministry of Facilitating Faith
Sessions and the Qualities of
a Faith Session Facilitator, the
participants likewise learned
how to develop their session
plans. Further, the assurance
that Faith Session materials
and resources abound gave
them the eagerness to initiate
the program in their respective
areas. One Hope International,
a partner of the CFCFFL
Education Ministry, donated
several copies of their reading/
comic book materials which
will surely interest the young
and old alike as they learn
more about their faith. Wilbert
and Joy Lojo of One Hope
International provided inputs
on how to make each Faith
Session fun and meaningful.
PRISON ENGAGEMENT
Contributed by Manny Estrella
T
he intricacy of security
arrangements of the
National Bilibid Prison
(NBP) has made our involve-
ment interestingly complicated.
Caution is required in choosing
what items to bring. Cameras
and cell phones are not allowed,
even USBs are banned. We
have to secure a permit for the
things we want to bring inside.
In selecting talks, discernment
is needed. Value formation is
standard oering in prisons.
e proliferation of religious
organizations that provide a
constant barrage of analogous
topics are dulling the senses of
the inmates, making them un-
receptive to additional spiritual
fare.
On August 29, 2009, the
Education Ministry of CFCFFL
adopted a dierent tack by conducting
Needs Assessment sessions with the
NBP personnel and inmate-teachers
of the Maximum and Medium
Security compounds. Facilitated by
Manny Estrella, a fulltime pastoral
worker, this bottoms-up approach
intended to identify the specic
skills needed by inmate-teachers
to be eective mentors in prison
environment. e NBP personnel
tabulated the results and sent it to
the CFCFFL Education Ministry.
Topping the needs are interpersonal
skills as taking leadership roles
and resolving conicts rather than
personal skills as listening, organizing
and communicating. In this conned
and controlled environment, it
seemed that socialization is preferred
to personal development.
e CFCFFL Education
Ministry is now developing these
topics with a generous sprinkling
of the centrality of Christ in their
lives, the primary core value of
CFCFFL.
Anchored on GOD
W
ith conviction,
Romy arms,
Mahirap pala ang
mangarap na walang Diyos
na sandigan (It is dicult to
dream if your dreams are not
anchored on God). His bitter
experiences in the past taught
him this.
Born in La Libertad, Negros
Oriental and into a very poor family,
Romy had to stop going to school
at Grade 3 at the age of 13. After
his mother gave birth to her 11th
child, she got sick. Romy was tasked
to take care of his newborn brother.
He clearly recalls the almost sleepless
nights he had to feed his baby brother
a bottle of water-milk and how he
used the oil lamp to keep it warm
against the cold mountain winds
that would enter through the holes
of their old, patched, and tattered
house. ey had no thermos to keep
the water warm, but he did not mind
because he loved his mother so dearly.
He also knew he would not be able
to go back to school, but he never
gave up on this dream. He thought,
Someday, yes, someday... He never
gave a serious thought about God.
Years passed and nothing was
ever said about his going back to
school again. Life became even more
dicult for Romy and his family
when the NPA (New Peoples Army)
arrived unexpectedly in their barrio.
Fighting with the military caused
many farmers to die in the crossre.
Two years later, Romy fell in love,
married at 23, and had a child. To
his delight, he was able to go back to
school and nish grade 5 because his
wifes place was near a barrio school.
However, before Romy could
proceed to Grade 6, his schooling
was cut short when tragedy again
struck the barrio. is time the NPA
attacked a nearby PNP (Philippine
National Police) camp and the
military intervened. Unfortunately,
Romy was accused of being an NPA
informantall because, as Romy
alleged, he went up to the mountains
from time to time. Fearful of the
militarys retribution, he ed further
into the mountains with his family
where he was forced to join the
NPAjust to survive. But the
military caught up with his group
and life became bleak. Fleeing from
one place to another, they hardly
knew what path to take until fatigue
and exhaustion wore them outbut
ran they did. ere was very little to
eat . . . almost none at all. Not too
long, his child died of malnutrition.
Romy could not understand
why life was so mean to him. First,
he wanted very much to go to school
but circumstances did not allow him
to do so. Now that he had a family to
call his own, life took his only child
away and all their belongingswith
all their dreams. Why is life so cruel
to me? What have I done to deserve
all these? he cried. God was far from
his mind, and he simply thought that
someday his fate would
change.
Wanting to escape
chaos and start a new
life, Romy and his wife
Contributed by Laya and Imelda Victoria
CFCFFL Ministry for Restorative Justice
A Story from Prison
CENTERED ON CHRIST 9
ed to Zamboangaonly to nd
themselves caught in another battle
between the NPA and the military.
Disillusioned and tired, they ed
back to their hometown in Negros
where he found his family displaced
from their home and untitled land.
Having no work and no place to
go, he decided to seek his cousin
who worked in a huge plantation.
ere he became a peasant leader
and worked for agrarian reform.
He succeeded but caught the ire of
capitalist leaders who accused him,
rst, of extortion. When this case
against him did not prosper, he was
then accused of rape and was later
sentenced to life imprisonment. He
rebelled and tried to escape from his
hometown prison but he was caught.
e guard shot him point blank on
the head but the gun misred. Again
the guard tried to shoot, but this
time he shot Romy on the leg. Romy
was brought to a nearby hospital and
later transferred to the Maximum
Security Compound of the National
Bilibid Prison (MSC-NBP). Full of
anger, he vowed revenge. He thought
of exterminating all those who falsely
testied against him, and this was
what kept him alive. With shattered
dreams, he despaired. What became
of his wife, parents, brothers, and
sisters he would not say. All he said
was he lost a child, a wife, a mother,
a father,and all those dear to him.
His heart cried in anguish, What is
there to live for? To call on God
was far from his mind.
Today, we meet a new Romy with
a ready smile on his face, livened even
more by a cheerful disposition. At
45, he reminds us of a child, mindful
only of what is pleasing and kind.
Playful and makulit (teasing) is an
apt description of him. With pride, he
claims that through the prodding of
Ed Cabuat, a CFCFFL prison guard
then, he took to heart his Christian
Life Program (now Christian Life
Seminar) in 2004. Now he says that
he has nally met his God in prison,
who taught him that suering is
a gift, and forgiveness is freedom.
His only regret is not being with
his parents in their old age and in
deathbut even this has its reasons,
he exclaimed. His prayers are full of
pasasalamat (thanksgiving). He says
that God is now his priorityday
and nightbecause God is always
generous and true to His promise.
True enough, he lost his mother
but gained Mommy Zenny, who
adopted him as her son. An elderly
lady and a generous Church donor
inside the Bilibid, she recommends
Romy as the best candidate to replace
the former Church Administrator,
Philip Miranda, one of the convicts
in the Galman Case and now a free
man. She also assured him of a home
once he is given pardon and released
from prison. He lost his brothers but
gained CFCFFL brothers in Christ.
With the help of Ed, currently in-
charge of the Alternative Learning
School inside the Bilibid, Romys
dream to nish school is now fullled.
He is a graduate of the school and is
pursuing another course.
For one who has experienced
the lashes of a cruel and bitter life,
Romys cheerful disposition can
only be attributed to Gods gift of
contentment to himfor not all
receive this grace from the Holy
Spirit. Today, Romy continuously
smiles and says, Diyos ko ang aking
sandigan (God is my anchor).
Other inspiring
stories of life in prison
and lives transformed
can be found in Stories
from Prison by Frank
Padilla.
is book is now
available at the
CFCFFL Shoppe.
M
E
vangelistic
&
issionary
M
E
We are called to proclaim the good news
of Jesus to the whole world (Mk 16:15).
We are his witnesses (Lk 24:48). Every
CFC-FFL member is an evangelizer, in the
normal day-to-day environments of our
lives. We look to doing mission beyond
our own environments to the very ends of
the earth.
CRISTO EN LATIN
AMERICA
Contributed by Edwin & Nila Andrews
CFCFFL Latin America Regional Coordinator
W
e just got back
from Argentina last
November 18 at 2:00
AM. It took us 12 hours to get
to LA with a stop in Panama.
From Ecuador, it took us 24
hours to get to Argentina with
a 10-hour stop at the Airport
of Panama. Argentina was just
wonderful. Oscar and Josena
Altamiranda really did a good
job of caring and supporting our
brothers in MPC (Matrimonios
Para Cristo), Argentina. All were
are and were looking forward
to the MPC Conference in
2011.
ere were 40 people who
attended the SVC (Seminario de
Vida Cristiana CLS) we gave on
November 15 at the Parish of Our
Lady of Lourdes. e Parroco,
Padre Mario, has always been very
supportive of us.
ere are 70 kids in the feeding
program of Oscar Altamiranda in the
Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes. With
a team of youth and children of our
members, Teny Mardo (CFCFFL
Missionary) plans to start the KFL
with the 70 kids and possibly a youth
camp too.
Padre Mario initially thought
that we had abandoned his parish,
but when we came to see him for the
SVC, he was assured that we did not.
He has been very helpful with us in
connecting with the local Bishop.
e Clergy have been very
supportive of our work in MPC. e
Superior of the SVD, Padre Enrique,
wants us to bring MPC to his 17
capillas. He is also in charge of the
youth. e former Parroco Padre of
the Sacred Heart of the Don Orione
brought us to Argentina to bring
it to his 72 capillas. Padre Coqui,
has been given a dispensation and
has gotten married and now has
two children. He is helping us nd
a place for our Conference in 2011.
Padre Martin, also of the Don
Orione Cottolengo, will assist Teny
Mardo with the youth and will also
bring her to the Consulate of the
Philippines whom he meets once a
month, as a good opportunity for
evangelization.
We plan to continue our
evangelization work in Buenos
Aires. We initially had one SVC with
seven couple graduates at the Don
Bosco Church. We will once more
connect with Padre Raul Acosta,
the priest who translated some of
Frank Padillas book. We have so
much work to do in this part of the
world for the youth. So many young
people are into drugs, making the
streets unsafe.
e work continues..
EVANGELISTIC AND MISSIONARY 13
CFCFFL MALAWI
HOLDS FIRST
FAMILY DAY
Contributed by Efren and Flor Aguirre
CFCFFL Missionary Couple
T
he rst ever Family
Day of our brethren at
CFCFFL Malawi was
held on October 18, 2009 at the
Our Lady of Wisdom School.
It was really a joyful one, as the
Malawians witnessed this kind
of activity.
e CFCFFL community from
Limbe, Lunzu, St. Pius Parish enjoyed
the tomato dance, balloon throwing
(with water), paper dance, sack race,
obstacle relay, paddle relay, father-
son games, and mother-daughter
games! e children had their share
of kiddie games such as hitting the
pot, apple-eating contest, Simon
Says, and hephep hurray. We are very
thankful for all those who supported
us during this event: the Filipino
community from the Seventh Day
Adventist and the Volunteers Service
Overseas (to whom we gave a retreat
cum Christian Life Seminar last
Christmas season)!
An Honoring for
Our Ghana
Missionaries
Contributed by Frank Padilla
CFCFFL Servant General
I
honor our missionaries --
Mike, Kweku, David who
suered an accident while
on mission in Ghana. ey gave
of themselves, experiencing
diculty and discomfort while
on mission, and now being
deemed worthy by the Lord to
suer gravely for his sake.
I mourn the death of their
driver. May the Lord reward him for
being part of this mission and for
serving His missionaries. I rejoice
that the Lord spared the lives of our
three brothers. It was a very serious
accident, and they suered serious
injuries. But they are alive!
It certainly could have been much
worse. Our brothers, Ben Donato
and Jun Frias, died as missionaries
in a car accident in Vanuatu, almost
12 years ago. ey are our very rst
martyrs, having given their very lives
for the sake of the mission. Some
time before that, also in Vanuatu,
I myself almost lost my life, when
I was swamped by a Pacic Ocean
wave while standing on a reef. I was
bloodied all over, and had to be on
crutches for the rest of our mission.
Again, I praise God that He spared
the lives of our brothers.
Our mission is going very well in
Ghana. is is due to the perseverance
and persistence of our brother Kweku
(Deks), who has held his ground
for many years. en our brother
Mike went there as missionary and
Country Coordinator. In a few
days, they had accomplished much,
helping consolidate our members.
ey inaugurated our mission house
in Accra, the capital
of Ghana. ey met
with many clerics,
and were to meet
many more. Do
we need to wonder
why the enemy
raged and attacked?
eir accident
is a measure of
their eectiveness
in assaulting the
dominion of the
enemy.
Now they have
shed blood for
the cause. Now
they have resisted
the enemy to the
point of shedding
blood (Heb.
12:4). Now they
have earned their
stripes. Because
of their sacrice,
our mission is
stronger.
Brothers Mike,
Kweku and David,
persevere in the mission. Continue
to oer your physical pains for the
sake of our work. And proudly wear
your scars as your badge of honor.
We pray for your full healing.
May the Lord bless you and
your loved ones in every way.
CFCFFL Young Ministries
Training
O
n November 14 and
15, a gathering of 50
people from around
the USA attended the CFCFFL
Young Ministries Training held
at Hillside, New Jersey. e team
from the Philippines joined the
delegates from Washington,
Nevada, California, Texas,
Maryland, Virginia, Illinois,
Missouri, New York and New
Jersey.
With the new structure and
servant-leaders being put into place
in America, it was but right to begin
the mission by equipping those
serving in CFCKFL, CFCYFL and
CFCSFL with the right tools to
move the ministries forward.
Aside from the talks, training,
presentations, discussions, debates,
and meetings, the question posed
to them was: What do you see
happening in the USA because of
CFCFFL?
e answers were:
Stronger Evangelization
More Committed and Pro Active
Advocacy for Pro-Life
Good Witnessing by CFCFFL
Stronger Church
Better CFCFFL and Stronger
Families
Positive Media Innuence
It was a blessed weekend which
saw the new Young Ministries
(CFCKFL, CFCYFL and CFCSFL)
National Coordinators and National
Core Teams put into place and given
the right mindset and skills to lead
the ministry they were assigned to.
Indeed, the CFCFFL Young
Ministries - USA is ready to
evangelize!
CFCYFL ROCK FEST
Contributed by Kai Garcia
CFC Foundation for Family and Life
M
embers and leaders
of the Couples for
Christ Youth for
Family and Life gathered
for the Rock Youth Fest on
November 8, 2009. Held at
the Don Bosco Technical
College in Mandaluyong City,
the event was anchored on
CFCYFLs theme this year,
iTrust. Bearing the tagline,
Who Rocks Your World?, it
emphasized the word ROCK,
pertaining to Jesus Christ, who
is trustworthy simply because
He is steady, strong, dependable
and is our sure foundation.
e word ROCK also
implied gathering to dance and
celebrate Gods goodness to His
children.
Inspired by the theme verse from
Isaiah 12:2 which says, My Lord is
my Savior, I will be condent and
unafraid, the activity reminded the
youth that God is worthy of trust
because He is constant, near, seless,
and merciful.
Contributed by Arvin Serra
CFC Youth for Family and Life
A
t least 1,500 members
of the CFC Youth for
Family and Life and
CFC Singles for Family and
Life braved the heavy and
terrible trac to attend an
evangelization rally, held at the
SM City North EDSA Cinema
9 last June 13, 2009.
From 5:30 to 10:30 PM the
CFCFFL members gathered for the
event entitled E-Project, anchored
on the biblical verse Acts 1:8: but
you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you; and you shall
be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and
in all Judea and Samaria, and even to
the remotest part of the earth.
e letter E stands for
Evangelization, making the E-
Project a life-long commitment of
CFCYFL and CFCSFL to evangelize
in their schools, colleges, universities
and work places, through the power
of the Holy Spirit, by witnessing
Gods love to the people they are
with.
e evangelization rally began
with the celebration of the Holy
Eucharist presided by Rev. Fr. Arlo
Yap of the Society of the Divine
Word (SVD). An opening worship
led by Jo-I Villas, a junior marketing
student from San Beda College,
followed immediately after.
e main talk was given by
Enrik Aguila, an incoming medical
student from Ateneo de Manila
University. Jepoy Meneses, a
CFCYFL missionary, led the Praise
Fest which capped the evening.
e participants, who came
from Metro Manila and nearby
provinces, enjoyed the dierent fun
booths, learning and empowering
sessions, life-changing testimonies,
inspiring presentations and powerful
worships.
e ROCK YOUTHFEST
was another exciting and remarkable
event for all CFCYFL members
which provided not only a venue
of fun and enjoyment, but also a
means to make them recognize Who
ultimately rocks their world amidst
all the merriment and festivities.
CFCFFL YOUTH & SINGLES
RALLY TO EVANGELIZE
CFCFFL and YOUTH
PINOY
Y
outhPinoy, a project of
the CBCP Episcopal
Commission on Youth
(ECY) and the CBCP Media
Oce, envisions the Catholic
Filipino youth working together
through a medium most
relevant today: ONLINE.
CFCFFL was privileged to be
invited to a YouthPinoy gathering.
e engagement is very much
anticipated, considering our
powerful service through the Family
Ministries.
(Editors note: Xavy Padilla was
tasked to be the External Vice-
President of YouthPinoy)
With the Regional Coordinators oI the Episcopal Commission on Youth and Abp.
Palma oI Palo (Standing leIt to right: Fr. Jun (Naval) representing Central - Eastern
Visayas. Fr. Kune oI ECY. Peter (Pasig) representing NCR. Eilleen oI YouthPinoy.
Toyang oI ECY. Jet (Bangued) representing Northern Luzon. Janice (Lingayen-
Dagupan) representing Northern Luzon. Badette (Chiro) representing FNYO.
RB (Butuan) representing Mindanao-Sulu. Dan (Calapan) representing Southern
Tagalog. Noel oI DLSU (Facilitator) and Fr. Manny oI Palo. Kneeling leIt to right:
Fr. Glenn (Kalibo) representing Western Visayas and Xavy Padilla oI YouthPinoy)
With Archbishop Palma With Bishop Mallari of San Fernando
and Bishop Bactol of Naval
With Regional Coordinators of Episcopal
Commission on Youth and Bishop Mallari.
teachers. As shared by the teachers
of Bagumbayan Elementary School
located at Brgy. Bagumbayan in
Quezon City, which CFCEFI
adopted in November 2006, e
sessions reminded us to perform
our duties as a teacher and mentor
well. ey enlightened us on how we
should respond to the tasks we were
entrusted with, and the talks helped
so much in terms of the proper ways
of handling children at risk. We
likewise realized the meaning of our
call as educators. IMPACT formed
in us the heart to genuinely love our
students. On the other hand, San
Vicente Elementary School (SVES)
in Quezon City, another school
CREATING A
CULTURE OF CARE
IN SCHOOLS
A
dopting is embracing.
Adopting is touching
lives.
ese are what CFC Educational
Foundation, Inc. learned as it took
on adopting public schools, by
virtue of the Adopt-
A-School Program of
the Department of
Education, of which
CFCEFI is a service
provider. ese were also
the learnings gained as
the ministry conducted
values formation
sessions for parents and
teachers of the B.A.T.A.
(Biyayang Aral, Tanging
Alay) Program which
oers community-
based and values-based
pre-school program in
Restoration and Mission
Villages of the Couples for Christ
Foundation for Family and Life.
Teachers were touched
To teach is to touch. As educators
touch learners lives, they need to be
inspired, motivated, and armed.
e act is achieved through the
ministrys IMPACT (Empowerment
and Mentoring Program for Parents,
Caregivers, and Teachers) sessions
which has touched and armed
adopted by CFCEFI, remarked that
the values content of the sessions
created a tremendous positive attitude
among the teachers. According
to them, each session encouraged
the teachers to freely express
their views which
enlivened the activity,
as well as enhanced
their trust and
condence towards
their colleagues.
For teacher-
volunteers of
BATA Centers, the
formation sessions
were something they
looked forward to, as
these taught them not
only skills in handling
children, but armed
them as they heeded
the call to serve and love
the children entrusted to their care.
Parents as learners
Each session with the
parents elicited warm response.
ey thirst for such formation
sessions and activities which allowed
them to meet and
interact with fellow
parents, as well as
be armed of their
valuable role in their
childrens lives, and
learn eective parenting practices.
Parents of Bagumbayan Elementary
School shared how important it
is for them to learn lessons about
parenting, as these enabled them
to properly address their
childrens concerns and be
of help to the teachers. e
IMPACT sessions, they
said, led them to discover
how unique and talented
their children are, and
that these gifts need to be
nurtured. e talks further
reminded them to love their
children for who they are.
Aside from parents
of students from public
schools, parents from BATA
Centers are benetting from
the IMPACT sessions as
well. ey shared how the
sessions enlightened them
as they realized what the
call of parenting is all about.
Student Formation
is year, CFCEFI,
with the help of the
CFC Youth for Family
and Life and CFC Kids
for Family and Life,
will embark on student
formation for its adopted
schools. e program,
which takes its form as a bi-
monthly club meeting, involves
values/virtues-based activities, as
well as chastity forums very much
needed by those in Grades 4 to 6.
Advocating Collaboration
School adoption suggest the
concept of collaboration. It is a culture
which rids the school community of
blaming and seeing the weaknesses
of the parents and teachers. It is
one which advocates productivity
through mutual support between
the school, home, and community.
rough the ASP, CFCEFI noted
that the way the school regards the
parents either motivates the parents
to be actively involved or not. At
the same time, parental involvement
contributes much to the school
atmosphere. When parents decide
to be actively involved in their
childrens education, it does not
only refer to their concern over their
childrens academic performance/
achievement, but it also refers to their
eorts in showing their children that
they have a keen interest in what is
happening to them (children). Such
collaboration between home, school
and community has its rewards. is
was particularly noted by Ms. Emely
Pelobello, SVES Principal. She shared
how, through the IMPACT sessions
conducted and through the reading
intervention program,
the recent National
Achievement Test result
revealed that the said
school now ranks 62 from
among the 98 schools in
Quezon City, a far cry
from the previous years
result which showed the
school among the 10 least
performing schools in the
division. Cleofe Castillo,
Values Department Head
of SVES added, I
believe this is because the
formation sessions created
in us a commitment
and dedication to work,
which led our students to
have a sense of direction
and purpose. is also
allowed them to see
how each of them was
created for a purpose
in the image of God
and that they are called
to live victorious lives.
Aside from San
Vicente Elementary
School and Bagumbayan
Elementary School, CFCEFI
recently adopted Malaya Elementary
School and Libis Elementary
School, both in Quezon City. Since
July 2008, IMPACT sessions are
likewise conducted for the Guidance
Department of the Department of
Education, Division of Quezon City.
For the B.A.T.A. Program on the other
hand, IMPACT sessions are regularly
conducted in Restoration/Mission
Villages in Navotas, Malabon,
Novaliches, and Caloocan.
Our life and mission is founded on strong
families in Christ. We recognize that
the future of humanity passes by way
of the family. We defend and strengthen
Christian marriage, we raise our children
to be the next generation of Gods people,
we establish our homes as pieces of
Kingdom ground. In our defense of the
family, we are called to a strong advocacy
and defense of the culture of life.
ocused
on the
amily
F
F
CFCFFL IN THE LEADING EDGE
OF MARCH FOR LIFE 2010
C
FCFFL will again
be in the lead of the
ProLife Movement in
the United States as we have
been given the assignment by
Archbishop Donald Wuerl to
organize for the Archdiocese of
Washington and its Association
of Ecclesial Movements and
New Communities, the Adult
Rally and Mass on January 22,
2010, pre-staging the March
for Life.
is is the rst time that the
United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops is having an adult equivalent
of the Youth Rally and Mass held
yearly at the Verizon Center. e
Archdiocese of Washington has
been swept for the past two years
by demands for a parallel event
from overow crowds that have
been turned away from the Verizon
Center by the re marshals.
Chosen as the venue for the
maiden adult event is St. Stephen
Parish Church at Pennsylvania
Avenue, nine blocks west of the
White House. As St. Stephen can
only accommodate 800, giant screens
Contributed by Ado Paglinawan
CFCFFL USA
are being considered to be placed on
the street outside the church for the
overow.
A satellite of churches within
three miles radius of Verizon
Center will also oer masses for the
marchers. It is also being studied
whether a broadband link could be
staged so that the rally proceedings
at St. Stephen can be simulcast on
a large screen at the other churches
before mass.
It appears that David Bereit,
Founder and Director of 40 Days
for Life, will be one of the main
speakers. For those of you who
missed him at the CFCFFL Prolife
Summit in Baltimore last July 2009,
this will be your chance to hear this
explosive speaker.
FOCUSED ON THE FAMILY 23
PRO-LIFE WORKSHOP
AT THE CFCFFL EUROPEAN
CONFERENCE
M
y husband, Mike,
and I were privileged
to conduct a Pro-Life
Workshop during the CFCFFL
European Conference held
in Marseilles, France. e
workshops had originally been
scheduled for three hours, but
on the day itself, we only had
less than an hour! us, we
were unable to get as in-depth
as we would have liked, but
Mike and I felt that it was very
Contributed by April Frigge
CFCFFL Europe Pro-Life Coordinator
fruitful, despite the brevity. We
were able to get a much better
sense of where people are at,
regarding pro-life.
About 45 people attended
our workshop. Given that there were
over 600 people at the conference
meant that there were less than 10%
who decided to discuss pro-life! I
gave a very quick talk about the
reluctance of many to get involved
in pro-life, despite the fact that most
people (at least in America) do not
feel that abortion on demand is a
good thing. After the talk, we divided
into smaller discussion groups to talk
about What holds you back from
being active in pro-life? and What
do you think CFCFFL should be
doing regarding pro-life?
It was such a meaningful
conference and workshop, which
armed that the next step for our
community is to provide more
teachings on pro-life issues. Our
Lord is arming us that this is
His appointed time to promote,
uphold and defend life.
F
ather Frank Pavone
dispatched Priests
for Life International
Director Bob Lalonde to the
Philippines to strategize with
pro-life leaders and Church
authorities over the proposed
Reproductive Health Bill and
Population Development Act
(House Bill 5043) threatening
to erode this strongly pro-life
country.
Abortion is a crime in the
Philippines where the Constitution
equally protects the life of the mother
and the life of the unborn baby
from the point of conception. e
Reproductive Health Bill will legalize
abortifacient birth control as well as
impose mandatory sex education
beginning in the fth grade, fund
promotion of contraception and
sterilization, and weaken the right
of health care workers to consciously
object to providing such services.
Ultimately, the goal is to depopulate
this Catholic nation.
In response, the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines
(ECFL-CBCP) together with lay
leaders has formed a coalition of
groups that will vote as a bloc for
only those candidates who are really
pro-life and pro-family. e Catholic
Church has tremendous inuence in
the country and intensely opposes
the bill.
Priests for Life is well-suited to
support these activities because it
continuously links up the clergy
and the lay faithful on such critical
eorts. In fact, we are rushing
copies of PFLs breakthrough video
showing in stunning imagery the
development of an unborn baby to
the Philippines right now.
More on-the-ground live
updates from the Philippines will
follow. In the meantime, Fr. Pavone
asks all to pray for the defeat of the
Reproductive Health Bill and also
for the Filipinos who have been
devastated recently by deadly tropical
storms, landslides and oods.
Bob Lalonde arrived in Manila
on the rst Sunday of Advent and
began our pro-life work by attending
Mass at St Francis of Assisi Parish.
Fr. Pavone wanted Bob to help the
Philippines by taking along the
latest pro-life weapons with him,
including his new prayer book Pro-
Life Reections for Every Day
and a new video e Biology of
Prenatal Development. By using
embryoscopy, a rare technique
involving a tiny camera the size
of a pen tip, scientists were able
to get breathtaking, real footage
of the unborn, which shows how
pre-born babies have a heartbeat
at three weeks, make spontaneous
movements at six weeks, and have
90% of the anatomical structures
found in adults at eight weeks. What
a powerful demonstration of the life
of a pre-born child.
Bob met with Frank Padilla,
President of the international
organization Couples for Christ
and a Member of the Pontical
Council for the Family. He also
met with other pro-life leaders from
Manila concerned with the current
attempt by the government to pass
a devastating Reproductive Health
bill. Among the prolife leaders were
Maria Isabel Fara Descallar, Couples
for Christ; Fr. Melvin Castro,
Executive Secretary of the Episcopal
Commission on Family and Life;
and Lito and Evalina Atienza,
Founders of Home for the Angels,
a child care center for abandoned
and abused infants. Lito is a three-
time Mayor of Manila (running and
winning on a prolife platform) and
Secretary of the Environment and
Natural Resources.
e Philippines is one of the
countries left in the world where
abortion is still illegal and pro-death
advocates are desperate for a victory.
After getting a good tour of the
city by friends of Fr. Pavone and
PFL on November 30, it was time
to head to Antipolo City and the St.
Michael Retreat House for the start
of the Episcopal Commission on
Family and Lifes 2009
National Conference.
e theme was e
Family Serving the
Church and Society.
Over 200 priests, nuns
PRIESTS FOR LIFE
FRONTLINES
!
ON
THE
http://www.priestsforlife.org/frontlines/
trip-home.aspx?tripid=416
and lay delegates from more than
40 dioceses and PFL were invited to
take part in the proceedings and to
make available some of our support
materials.
e conference began with
Fr. Castro quoting Fr. Pavone
saying, Were not just working
for victory. We are working from
victory! Fr. Pavone is well-known to
conference participants who are all
fans of EWTN dutifully watching
our Defending Life series.
Philippine pro-life leaders, including
Maria Isabel Fara Descallar, Fr. Melvin
Castro, Bob Lalonde, Lito and Evalina
Atienza, Jose Sandejas, Jr., Tony Arlaha
Chito and Maribel Liban
of Couples for Christ gave
a good tour of the city
and delivered us to the
conference
Frank Padilla,
shown here with
his grand daughter,
is a member of the
Pontical Council
for the Family
and President of
Couples for Christ
Foundation, Inc.
who hosted our visit
First stop in Manila
was St. Francis of
Assisi Parish on
the First Sunday of
Advent
THE YOUTH AND THEIR PASSION
FOR LIFE
I
f you build it, they
will come. - Field of
Dreams.
We are always wondering if there
are youth out there who are Pro-Life.
We see the surveys and statistics
pummeled out by the Social Weather
Station saying that the youth are not
as Pro-Life as we would like to think.
Media also shows the youth being
valueless.
However, we know that the
youth who love life, live life and
defend life are out there. We just
need to tap and revolutionize them.
And thats what inspired the Pro-
Life Youth Congress: gather the
youth to listen to what it
means to be pro-life, learn
more ways to promote
the cause of life, and live
out that message in their
day to day lives. More
than 450 youth came to
the Congress, and were lled with
knowledge, conviction and passion
for the cause of life!
I emceed the event with Chinka
Sarmiento (CFCFFL leader who
is working as a teacher at the Holy
Spirit School and School of the Holy
Spirit).
We started with an opening
prayer from Tony Kosca (Chairman
of Pro-Life Philippines, VP and
COO of Meralco Foundation, and
Head of the Family and Life Ministry
of the Diocese of Pasig) and opening
remarks from Secretary Lito Atienza
(President of Pro-Life Philippines
and Secretary of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources,
among others). Sec. Atienza stressed
the importance of the environment,
the importance of life, and the inter-
connection between the two.
e rst session on HUMAN
SEXUALITY was given by Ed
Sorreta. He is the Vice President
of Pro-Life Philippines and ardent
Pro-Life warrior who has the passion
to speak to the youth about the
importance of life.
e second session was made
up of three people sharing their
conviction on life issues: JC de
los Reyes (Ang Kapatiran Party,
Olongapo City
Councilor, and
P r e s i d e n t i a l
Aspirant) shared
on POPULATION
C O N T R O L
and the DEATH
BILLS; Lance Katigbak (16 year
old Pro-Life advocate, CFC Youth
for Christ, and Southridge student)
spoke about his battle against those
who are PRO-REPRODUCTIVE
HEALTH on Facebook (Lance is
the creator of the I OPPOSE THE
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL
group on Facebook); and Jeremiah
Belgica (Chariman and Founder of
Kabataang Bagong Buhay - awardee
of the 2008 Ten Most Accomplished
Organizations in NCR, and Radio
Broadcaster) who spoke on SEX
AND MEDIA and the eects it has
on people, especially the youth.
ere were two workshops for
the last session, which equipped the
youth with the capabilities to go
and speak up. e rst workshop
was on RELATIONSHIPS AND
PEER COUNSELING given by
Francis and Debbie Rodrigo (young
married couple with ve boys, and
leaders of CFCFFL). A debate
on Sex and Marriage capped this
workshop. e second workshop
was on ADVOCACY given by the
Ang Kapatiran Party. is workshop
culminated with a presentation of a
conviction-based masquerade.
ere were delegates from
Ang Kapatiran Youth, Manila
Muslim Youth, Our Lady of the
Pillar Catholic School, University
of the East, St. Marys College of
QC, General Hope Youth, Manila
Youth, St. Paul University, New Era
High School, Holy Spirit School
Cubao, Mt. Carmel School of
Infanta (Quezon Province), St. Rita
College and Agustinian Recollect
Sisters, St. John the Baptist Parish,
Tanglaw University Center, CFC
Singles for Family and Life, CFC
Youth for Family and Life, Catholic
Praise Project, and the Pasig River
Rehabilitation Commission.
e afternoon ended with
the youth committing to the
COVENANT OF A PRO-LIFE
YOUTH and a concert. e whole
event was endorsed by the CBCP
Episcopal Commission on Youth,
and will be brought to the dierent
areas around the Philippines.
FORTY DAYS FOR LIFE
CAMPAIGN
Contributed by Margie Hermano
CFCFFL USA Pro Life Coordinator
P
EP (Prayer & Fasting,
Education, Participation)
has been our action cry in
CFCFFL USA since the start of
our Pro-Life ministry four years
ago. is has been our thrust
in leading our members to
grow in mind, heart and spirit
in responding to this most
challenging call of our time -
being Pro-Life. Although Pro-
Life should really be integral
in the lives of Catholics, many
Catholics are still inuenced by
the onslaught of materialism,
hedonism, secularism in the
world, and thus have also
become calloused to accept
liberal views in their own lives,
and even developing a tolerance
for something as downright evil
as abortion.
Our Founder and Servant-
General, Frank Padilla, has time and
again indicated that our community
has been raised by God for this third
millennium to ght the culture of
death. We believe that in this pro-
life work, we are called to be the faces
and voices that will multiply many
times over to lend support to the
otherwise ragtag few faithful, now
predominantly senior folks who,
since Roe vs. Wade in 1981, have
persistently taken to the sidewalks
in front of abortion clinics to try
to dissuade mothers and save their
unborn babies.
It is in this spirit that CFCFFL
USA has committed to partner with
the local 40 Days for Life Campaign
in the dierent areas where we are
present in the US to add to the
numbers of those who are visible
in standing in defense of life. is
community-based campaign, which
was launched initially in the Fall
of 2007,
has three
components:
prayer &
f a s t i n g ,
constant vigil
in front of
an abortion
clinic, and
c ommuni t y
outreach. It
parallels our
very own
action call
in our Pro-
Life ministry:
First, to PRAY and fast not only
for the massacred babies and their
ill-informed parents, but for the
abortionist, clinics employees, and
for the end of this evil. Secondly,
to EDUCATE ourselves and others
especially as we draw attention of
the public to what is happening
in their very own midst. Lastly, to
PARTICIPATE in the ght against
the culture of life that each person
adds to the numbers that will make
a dierence.
David Bereit, founder of 40 Days
for Life, inspired the community
when he addressed CFCFFL at
the Pro-Life Summit during our
CFCFFL Conference in MD in
2009. He said, it is NECESSARY
to ght the culture of death that
has permeated in our society; it is
POSSIBLE to make a tremendous
impact and save lives and bring back
the culture of life in our midst, IF
we are faithful and we trust in Jesus.
It is ME, i.e., all of us and our
respective roles and contributions in
this work that will make it possible.
It is WORTH doing whatever we
are called to do to protect life, and
the time is NOW now is the
moment to pray like we have never
prayed before. Now is the time to do
the right thing to stand up against
the injustice and the aronts against
human life.
During the 40 Days for Life
campaign in the fall
of 2009, CFCFFL
members were visibly
standing in defense
of the sacredness and
dignity of life - virtually
Forty Days. . . from page 27
holding in spirit the hands of the
defenseless babies, as they gave their
last breath, their death perpetuated
by their own mothers.
Many of our brethren
from Michigan, Minnesota,
Wisconsin, DC, New York,
Las Vegas, Phoenix, as
well as our Youth, Singles,
Handmaids, Servants, and
Couples have experienced
Gods awesome workings
throughout this 40 Days for Life
Prayer Campaign. It denitely
made us acutely aware of the need
to stand up, speak out, and witness
to the truth of the evils of abortion
and destruction that it brings to all
peoples not only those directly
involved in it, but to all of mankind.
e Lord has blessed us in the
CFCFFL community. With our
eyes, we have witnessed conversions,
babies saved, mothers helped, and
even clinic workers nally breaking
Satans stranglehold in their lives.
Weve heard about abortion clinics
that have been in business for many
years and are now closed. On the
other hand, weve also experienced
rst-hand the anger and ugly
manifestations of the
evil one in the actions
of some people who
objected to our prayer
vigils at these abortion
clinics. No matter how
Seattle, WA CFCFFL
joined the 40 Days for Life vigil
in three dierent sites for one hour
every week. About 30 members
experienced what it was like to
stand up for life. Cars passing by
showed their support for us by
honking while those with opposite
views shouted invectives. But we
were not deterred by any of their
tactics. We prayed the rosary, the
stations of the cross, and other
prayers. e participants took
turns in leading the prayers. We
all felt the peace and serenity in
what we were doing praying
for an end to abortion.
Chicago, IL CFCFFL IL,
has for the third straight year been
one of the ve organizers of the 40
Days for Life in Chicago, together
with the Archdiocese of Chicago
Respect Life Oce, Pro-Life Action
League, Knights of Columbus and
the Womens Center. Continuous
24-hour round-the-clock vigil
was maintained at the Planned
Parenthood Clinic on Elston
Avenue during these 40 days.
CFCFFL was there 24 hours for
ve Saturdays rain or shine, 30
degree or 60 degree weather. ey
prayed, sang, shared with other
pro-lifers, and led in the singing of
songs and recitation of the rosary.
is years vigil found CFCFFL
members more challenged and
courageous.
NorCal -- In San Jose, about
11 of our CFCHFL sisters gathered
in front of the Planned Parenthood,
an abortion clinic, despite the
rain and chill. ey stood tall
and unwavering despite jeering
from passers by. Cold evenings did
not deter our sisters from praying.
Although we may have not been
totally aware of what impact we
had on the people who saw us,
some staring and even glaring at
us, several of our CFCHFL sisters
were quite conscious of the choirs
of holy angels hovering over them,
heralding the presence of our Lord
Jesus who showed His pleasure
in our CFCHFL sisters love for
Him.
daunting a foe the anti-life forces
are, the Davids of today are ready
to stand in the gap to uphold life
(yes, starting with David Bereit, the
founder of this movement).
Houston, TX Twenty-two
CFCFFL pro-lifers experienced
the power of praying in front of
a Planned Parenthood abortion
clinic for nine days in last Falls
40 Days for Life in Houston.
SoCal In LA, God showed
how His mighty hands empower
those with humble and willing
spirits. At the end of the 40Days
for Life training sometime in
the summer, Maghoy, with Nini
& Tony Mejia, area Pro-Life
coordinators, were challenged
when the local organizers
requested for volunteers to take
on another abortion clinic for
the Fall campaign. ey made
announcements after each mass
in several neighboring parishes
surrounding the abortion clinic,
conducted sign-ups, and scheduled
the vigils. Our CFCFFL brethren,
numbering about 120 people, kept
vigil from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM
every Saturday.
New Jersey One brethren
in CFCFFL saw himself in the
front page of the local Catholic
paper carrying the procession cross
on the opening day of the 40 Days
for Life. He was a regular at
that abortion clinic, spending an
hour almost everyday after work
in prayerful vigil with several
people sharing the same passion
for defending life. CFCFFL
NJ signed up for three 12-hour
Saturdays and had a good turnout
of about 130 members.
D
allas, TX

CFCFFL-
Dallas
volunteered
12
hrs
(7:00AM
- 7:00 PM
) on October
27 in front of Robinson Abortion
Center.
irty brothers and sisters
participated. Our Dallas brethren
also participated in the W
inter 40
Days for Life which started on the
Feast of our Lady of Guadalupe
on December 12.
C
We are part of the larger family of CFC-
||Iag|c|a|jani|ucjnanu!icrcni
nationalities and cultures but all sharing
brotherhood and sisterhood in Christ. We
desire to move forward together in our life
inincIcr!prcti!ing|ctcarnaiicn
friendship, support and healing. We are
ccnnic!icincgcc!cjcur|rcinrcn
always living the truth in love (Eph 4:15).
eing
ommunity
B
C
CFC INTERNATIONAL
CORE OF SENIORS
RE-AFFIRMS CHARISM
AND DIRECTION
FOR THE COMING
YEARS
CFC Kids for Family and Life International
Coordinator
T
he Couples for Christ
International Core of
Seniors re-visited the
Charism and Direction of
CFCFFL. ere were many
discussions on CFC, the Core
Values, the Vision and Mission,
and many other aspects of CFC.
ere were also cultural shows
and fellowship dinners.
e International Core of
Seniors is composed of CFC leaders
from dierent countries around the
world and top leaders within the
Philippines. Aside from the Servant
General Frank Padilla, the Body of
Counselors and other top Philippine
leaders notably present as well were
George and Ambrose Mbekeani
(Malawi), Tony Correia (India),
John Peter Vui (Vietnam), Mike
Frigge (Iceland), Moises Evangelista
and Martin Dorfner (Austria), Ado
Paglinawan (USA), Dante and
Morphelia de Leon (Canada), Edwin
and Nila Andrews (Matrimonios
Para Cristo Latin America).
Also on hand were members of
the Clergy, composed of Fr. Justin
Sequierra, Msgr. Montfort Stima of
Malawi, Fr. Francis Gustilo, SDB,
Bishop Gabriel Reyes of Antipolo
and Archbishop Tarcisius Gervazio
Ziyaye of Blantyre, who celebrated
Mass everyday and provided input
on ecclesial movements and other
aspects on the life of CFC.
At the close of the three-day
meeting, the International Core of
Seniors re-armed the Charism of
CFC, and strengthened the direction
of the community for the coming
years.
BEING COMMUNITY 33
Contributed by Mimi A. David
UP THE MOUNTAINS
OF ANTIPOLO
T
he cool and windy
weather of Antipolo
beckoned CFCFFL fam-
ilies to the Assumption College
of Antipolo for the CFCFFL
Family Day in December 6,
2010. Along Sumulong High-
way en route to the venue, one
could see a convoy of cars, vans
and even tourist buses bringing
families, whole households and
chapters from the Districts of
Novaliches, Cubao, Manila,
Caloocan, Paranaque, Pasig,
Antipolo, and the provinces of
Bulacan, Laguna and Cavite.
As in all CFCFFL activities, the
day started with the recitation of the
rosary. It was immediately followed
by the Eucharistic Celebration. It
was a celebration indeed, as the
processional was accompanied
by joyful singing and led by a
procession of beautiful and creative
lanterns from the dierent districts
and provinces. e Main Celebrant
was Rev. Fr. Sandy Enhaynes, Parish
Priest of the Immaculate Heart
of Mary Parish of Antipolo, and
concelebrated by our very own
Rev. Fr. Justin Sequeira. Being a
celebration of the second week of
Advent, our Servant General, Frank
Padilla and his wife, Gerry, lighted
the Advent candle.
Fr. Sandys homily was a very
timely reminder for all of us as we
prepare for the birth of our Lord.
He enjoined all of us to pray and
ask the Lord to Disturb us. It is in
disturbing us that we are made more
sensitive and aware of people and
events around us. It is in disturbing
us that we are called to action and
to respond. As we prepare for the
coming of our Lord, our Lord of
love and hope, we too are called to
be instruments of love and hope to
others.
Our Servant General, Frank
Padilla, gave the community his
message of hope as we near the end
of the year and look forward to the
year ahead. As we look back with the
posture of gratitude and joy to all the
great things God has done for our
community, we are also called upon
to plan forward and look ahead. We
are all called upon to look forward
to the work God has planned for us.
is plan of God for our community
can be summed up as evangelization,
renewing families, and defending life.
e whole day was made more
exciting and fun with outdoor and
indoor games for each member of the
family. e cool breeze of Antipolo
and the Christmas carols sung by
the dierent choirs of the dierent
districts made us feel and smell
Christmas in the air. e fellowship
among brethren, the good food and
the good company, and the Ukay
Ukay sponsored by our Work with
Poor completed the day of fun and
revelry.
e lantern-making contest
which challenged the districts to
create their own lantern from purely
indigenous materials was won by the
Province of Laguna. eir lantern
was made of corn husks, so creatively
and ingeniously crafted.
It was truly a time of love
overowing among brethren and
among members of the family. It
was a time of rest and a time of
renewal. It was a time of looking
back with gratitude and a time of
looking forward with hope.
It was a day well spent up
the mountains of Antipolo.
THE ROAD OF
RETURN (Jeremiah 31:1-10)
W
hen the trumpets
were sounded, my
wife and I responded
to the call for restoration with-
in CFC. We were among those
who felt that over the years, we
were doing more social work
than enriching our spiritual
life.
At the crossroads of our
discernment, we realized that the
solution was simple: know the truth.
Indeed, the truth has set us free.
Road Map to Pampanga
When we were called to serve
in Pampanga, I was the reluctant
servant who just wished to assist in
reaching out to a family friend,
no less than the Archbishop of
San Fernando, Pampanga Paciano
B. Aniceto, D.D., and introduced
to him CFCFFL. Eventually, I
was asked to serve as the CFCFFL
Provincial Coordinator
We sounded the trumpets in
the two cities of San Fernando and
Angeles in 2008, but only a remnant
were restored and remained faithful
to their covenant thru CFCFFL.
Four (4) couples faithfully conducted
their household meetings despite
personal persecutions and attacks. As
their coordinator, there was a point
when I personally wanted to give
up on Pampanga, BUT the reading
from Isaiah 12 convicted me further
to simply Trust in Jesus.
Distress Call
e rst restoration of the leaders
took place in December 2008 in
San Fernando, Pampanga, and was
attended by the CFC leaders from
Masantol, a third class municipality
known as a shing area. e leaders
said there was a veering away from
the CFC mission. ese leaders
all agreed to attend the CFCFFL
Leaders Conference in Baguio in
January 2009.
The Great Intervention
e intervention of the Holy
Spirit could not be stopped.
Hastened by our consecration to
Mary Mediatrix of All-Grace, we
attended the CFCFFL Weekend
in Baguio City last January 2009
with the theme, Trust is Jesus: God
indeed is my savior; I am condent
and unafraid. My strength and my
courage is the Lord, and He has
been my savior (Isaiah 12:2).
After losing spiritual anchors of the
community from within, after failure
in coming up with agreements and
nally, receiving the nal blow of
being terminated from service in the
community, we also had to cross our
own road. From that time on, the
determination to serve anew became
an enduring course, and we were
determined to restore the original
charism of CFC.
In 2009, it became apparent
that Gods hand was upon CFCFFL.
e decisive pace from motivation
to will power involved a
crucial shift and unconditional
commitment among the CFCFFL
brethren.
The Call to Holiness
God raised CFC in 1981 precisely
to defend and strengthen His work.
is call has not changed and this is
one of the many reasons why we had
to take the road of return. Now, with
CFCFFL, we are in the thick of the
ght. Our life and
mission is founded
on strong families in
Christ. We recognize
that the future of
humanity passes by
Contributed by Ed Ocampo
CFCFFL Pampanga Provincial Servant
BEING COMMUNITY 35
way of the family. We defend and
strengthen Christian marriage. We
raise our children to be the next
generation of Gods people. We
establish our homes as pieces of
Kingdom ground. In our defense of
the family, we are called to a strong
advocacy to defend the culture of
life.
The Restoration Phase
We need to move on. e
world is in turmoil. Many dening
moments await us along this journey.
It is indeed a test of taking either the
right or the wrong way. We took the
Road of Return. We serve a God who
restores us. It was in February 2009
when CFCFFL Servant General,
Frank Padilla, guided us once again
to full restoration at Masantol (Sto.
Nino Chapel). His sharing on
the many crossroads faced by the
community emphasized the original
and authentic charism of CFCFFL,
which is being the evangelistic army
of God. God is merciful to us, and
we want to become His tools of
mercy and love to others. We need
to prepare by becoming righteous
men and women. We need to act on
our mission with a passion, giving
selessly of ourselves for the sake of
others. No matter what we face, no
matter how extreme the aggressions
of the enemy in opposition to us, we
will not be troubled. Here I Am,
Lord!
Proclaiming the Good News
e rst Christian Life Seminar,
headed by Dominic and Jenny
Sunga, was conducted in March
2009 at the San Miguel Academy in
Masantol. It harvested 19 couples,
ve Handmaids and four Servants.
We believe this CLS was providential.
Virgin Mary, alongside St. Michael,
stepped on the dragons head.
Masantol is under the District of St
Michael, the Archangel!
e Masantol CLS was followed
by another one held at the San Isidro
Anac in May 2009, where the whole
mission team had to cross brooks
to reach the venue. Bien Viray, and
Resty and Cel Balingit headed the
team. It was indeed a powerful
and spirit -lled mission.
Further, the CLS in Sua in July
2009, led by Orlan and Luisa Viray,
was also a success. It was really a
winning moment for the faithful
servants of God.
e CLS in Bebe Anac in
September 2009 was another
triumphant work of God, as it
harvested 20 couples, 19 Handmaids,
and ve Servants. e team, led by
Chito and Ruena Layug, weathered
the calamity and catastrophe that
struck our country. e mission and
service went on, as everyone placed
their hope and trust in Jesus!
e restoration of the servants
under the headship of Bien Viray
gave vibrancy to conduct another
CLS for the CFC Servants for
Family and Life last October 2009.
It was a great experience as the SvFL
Manila Council facilitated the over-
all presentation of the activities from
beginning to end. It was a strong
move for the SvFL.
e last CLS for the year was held
in Palimpe, with 70 participants.
Roy and Jane Manansala headed this
CLS the sixth in a row for this year
alone!
e CFCYFL Pampanga had
their share of restoration. eir rst
Youth Camp was held last December
2009. Dom and Jenny Sunga,
CFCYFL Couple Coordinator, were
inspired by the strong message of
CFCYFL Fulltime Pastoral Worker
EJ Aguila, who visited last September
at the St. Michaels Parish Function
Hall. CFCYFL Pampanga is now
ready to serve!
Gods work continues. CFCKFL
Pampanga will have their rst
gathering during the rst quarter
of 2010. Truly, God is an awesome
God as we see the whole family
restored through the dierent
ministries. May God be Praised!
17th ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATION OF
CFCFFL BOHOL
Contributed by Elvie V. Macalandag
CFCFFL Bohol
C
ouples for Christ Foun-
dation Inc. (CFCFI)
celebrated its 17th An-
niversary on August 22, 2009 at
the Sports Center, Municipal-
ity of Jagna, Bohol with the at-
tendance of over 1,000 servant
leaders and members. e par-
ticipants came all the way from
the towns in the Diocese of
Talibon such as Mabini, Anda,
Candijay, Guidulman, Jetafe,
Danao, Duero and Jagna, and
from the Diocese of Tagbilaran
like Valencia, Dimiao, Loay,
Tagbilaran, Dauis, Panglao,
Maribojoc, Loon and Sagbay-
an.
e celebration began with a
Holy Mass celebrated by Rev. Fr.
Jonathan Pacudan, Parish Priest of
Sto. Nio Parish, Anda, Diocese
of Talibon with three other co-
celebrants, namely, Rev. Fr. Jun-
Jun, Rev. Fr. Dondon and Rev. Fr.
Christian - all from the St. Michael
Parish of Jagna. e homily centered
on the Queenship of Mary.
In the afternoon, CFCFFL
members paraded around the plaza.
e occasion also witnessed the
installation of Servant Leaders and
members of the Core Team in the
Diocese of Talibon.
e entire event was joyful and
spirit-lled. One member said: God
showed another miracle. His presence
was strongly felt. It was one of the
most heart-warming celebrations I
have attended. e healing session
was great and unforgettable.
CFC-Bohol started in 1992
with only 36 members through a
Christian Life Program held at the
St. Joseph Formation Center. As
God increased its membership every
year, many families were renewed
and freed from the bondage of sin.
Many received the joy of salvation
and restored relationships. Families
and individuals have become
instruments of bringing good news
and glad tidings to the poor.
God continues to pour out His
Spirit and blessings!
BEING COMMUNITY 37
GODS
WAKE UP CALL
Contributed by Dada Doble
CFCYFL Coordinator St. Francis Vicariate, District of Antipolo
W
hat happened in
Marikina was truly
devastating! I live in
San Mateo, Rizal, a municipal-
ity adjacent to Marikina City,
one of the communities heavily
devastated by Typhoon Ondoy.
ough our subdivision sits on
a higher plain, we were isolated
for two days because of ood-
ing outside the village. We had
to make sure that our potable
water, food, fuel, and candles
would last for at least three
days or until the oodwater
subsided. We used rainwater
for washing dishes, ushing the
toilet, and bathing. ere was
no power, no telephone lines,
and cellphone batteries were
slowly depleting. I would turn
o my cell phones from time to
time to save its remaining two
bars in case I need to really call
for emergency.
I was sleepless the whole Saturday
night because my 19-year old son, LK
(Vicariate CFCYFL Head) left for
school very early that morning and
was out of contact. Together with me
at home were my two daughters. My
husband went to Botolan, Zambales
to rescue my mother-in-law. us,
coping during such trying moments
was dicult. I would cry inside the
bathroom so that my daughters
would not see me breaking down. I
had to show them that I was strong
for them. But what really made us
stronger was the praying of the Holy
Rosary every hour and singing songs
of praise and worship. LK and my
husband nally got home on Sunday
afternoon.
When I reported for work
after the typhoon, LK insisted to
accompany me. He must have
developed a phobia with rain
because it was drizzling that time.
He reminded me that I cannot swim
well, so he has to be with me to
rescue me in case ooding occurs.
He said he was sure his father would
do the same for me if he was there.
Passing through Marikina was like
passing a ghost town. e banks,
the supermarket, the wet market,
restaurants and fastfood centers, as
well as the pews inside the church
were all muddy. What was painful
was seeing a middle-aged lady
walking by while asking people if
they saw her child.
rough it all, this experience
left me a message that God really
saves! He protected me, my family,
and all my brothers and sisters in the
community from that devastating
typhoon. I believe Typhoon Ondoy
was a WAKE UP CALL. Let us all
contemplate on Gods message for
us...let us all listen to what God is
saying...LOVE ONE ANOTHER
AS HE HAS LOVED US AND LET
US BE FAITHFUL TO GODS
CALLING FOR HE WILL NOT
FAIL US! LIVE A SIMPLE LIFE.....
NO MATTER HOW MANY CARS
OR HOW BIG A HOUSE YOU
OWN, HE CAN TAKE IT AWAY
FROM US IN JUST A BLINK OF
AN EYE! LOVE GOD ABOVE
ALL AND YOU CAN NEVER GO
WRONG.
In times like these, we can only
hold on to prayers and there is no-
where we can run to but GOD!
sharing
WHEN THE LORDS MERCY FLOWED
T
here are a lot of people
out there who suered
more than we did. In
fact, my family and I have
somehow recovered from the
only, and the worst, calamity
we have experienced. Yet, I will
not let this opportunity pass
without sharing how Jesus and
Mother Mary protected our
household.
When God Used Our Son
My husband and I were preparing
to leave early that Saturday morning,
September 26, 2009 I, for a school
meeting, while my husband for work
- when my 6-year old son Joaquin
woke up with slight fever, vomiting,
and stomach pains. at delayed our
morning preparation as we observed
our sons condition and planned to
bring him to the emergency room.
While praying for my son to get
well, I got word from my classmate
that the meeting was cancelled due
to Typhoon Ondoy. Eventually,
Joaquins condition improved, so
there was no need to go to the
hospital. Alas, its going to be a free
Saturday to be spent at home.
The Lords Adrenaline
Soon, heavy rains started
pouring. Anticipating a power
failure, I was prompted by the Holy
Spirit and Mama Mary to cook
our dish for Sunday adobo! True
enough, there was brown-out before
lunch just in time for my adobo
to be cooked! By then, there was
already knee-length ood outside!
Since our home was elevated, I was
condent that the waters will not
enter our home. However, when I
saw that the water level on the street
has reached thigh-level, my helpers
and I began placing small appliances
and important papers on the dining
table, just in case ood waters entered
our home. eres no way that the
water level will reach waist-high at
home, I thought. When Mom was
alive, she anticipated ooding in our
ood-prone village, that was why she
saw to it that our home was elevated
at one meter when built. at was
also why I began palpitating when
I saw ood waters slowly creeping
under our doors! It was the Lords
adrenalin which allowed me and
our two petite helpers to bring up
the second oor everything that we
can carry. What were left downstairs
were the refrigerator, piano, antique
platera, bed frames, dining table,
and sofa set.
By late afternoon, water level
at home reached four feet. I was in
shock to see how the ood rose so
quickly. Like everybody else, I was
in a state of disbelief. Immediately,
our household prayed the Holy
Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet
for protection.
My Prayer Partners
In the middle of our prayer, we
were startled by frantic screaming
from our neighbors helper. She
was in panic because she was with
an elderly woman and her 40-year
daughter with Downs Syndrome.
ey had no second oor. We told
her to go over the re wall so they
could stay with us. Shivering, the
three of them got to us safely.
My fervent prayer partner was
my 11-year old daughter, Paola. We
could no longer recall how many
rosaries and chaplets we prayed. Every
time we prayed, the rains stopped,
giving us hope that the ooding will
subside. When the rains would pour,
Joaquin would hand us our rosaries
and say, Its time to pray again!
I knew several others prayed for
us, as I began sending text messages
to Tita Mimi David how fearful I
was. If not for these voices which
stormed the hearts of Jesus and
Mary, I would not know where to
draw strength.
My Longest Night
From time to time, Paola sobbed
out of fear and desolation. I perfectly
understood her because that was
exactly how I felt. By 7:00PM,
the ood was 5 steps away from
the second oor! Aside from some
candles and cellphone light, we relied
on the moonlight to determine the
water level.
My hopes ebbed when my
husband, Bubut, texted that it was
impossible for him to get home
because of the ood and the current
that went with it. at meant I was
by myself to gure out means to save
those placed under my care should
the ood reach us at the second
oor. I began preparing by opening
the emergency exit windows, by
asking Paola and our helpers to start
inating the life savers, by having my
children t the life-savers (my 1-year
old Tanya seemed to enjoy tting
hers!), by preparing the blankets
which Ill tie myself with and my
children, by explaining to everyone
the save-ourselves-plan, and most
importantly, by praying non-stop
for the Lords mercy and for our
Blessed Mothers intercession, along
with begging St. Pio of Pietrelcina,
the Holy Souls in
Purgatory, our guardian
angels, and all the saints
I could think of to pray
for us, especially my
three young children.
We also prayed hard
sharing
BEING COMMUNITY 39
for all the other people in peril. After
every prayer, Joaquin asked, Why
is Jesus not answering our prayer?
Where is He? Doesnt He hear?
All I could answer to such dicult
questions was, Let us just keep on
praying.. and wait.
In between prayers, Paola and
I slept. We had to rest. We needed
energy in the event that we had
to climb up the roof! Sleep was
abrupted, however, whenever there
was heavy downpour. Paola and I
would immediately check the water
level. She would once more cry. Id
hug her. Wed pray. Id cry silently. I
had to be strong, because if I let the
tears ow, it would be hard to stop
them. At one point, Paola asked,
Mom, why are you so calm? I
found myself saying, Its because we
pray, and I know Jesus and Mama
Mary are with us. I must admit,
though, there was a point when I
got so frustrated with God, because I
could no longer comfort nor explain
things to my children.
It was indeed a sleepless night.
It was sleepless because I had to be
alert, and it was sleepless because
my begging to Jesus, Mary, and the
saints turned to endless THANK
YOUs to them for being with us.
Meanwhile, Bubut decided to
go back home to my in-laws. Like
Paola and I, he tried his best to sleep
in preparation for the long haul the
next day. Indeed, Sunday turned out
to be a very exhausting day.
The Much-Awaited Morning
e morning of September 27
was greeted with more ank Yous
to God that nothing untoward
happened in the middle of the night.
Meanwhile, after borrowing a rubber
raft, Bubut and his cousin embarked
on their rescue plan. After receiving
a text message that they were on
their way, my children and I waited
with anticipation. Lunch time
came, they were still not around.
Mid-afternoon came, there was still
no sight of the two. We ran out of
cooked rice, so we simply feasted
on the adobo and some biscuits.
Worry and tremendous fear crept
once more. ere must be a way to
get the children out before darkness
came, and before there would be any
heavy downpour which will once
more cause water upsurge. I had no
idea where our rescuers were.
By 5:00PM, Bubut and his
cousin arrived safely. ough they
were soaked with mud water, they
were a sight to behold! Finally, theyre
home! e neighbors had their eyes
on the two, thinking that they were
rescue teams! ey had with them
butane gas which we used to cook
noodles and canned goods. It was
the most sumptuous dinner so far.
Bubuts Ordeal
It was not easy for him to be
away from us during such calamity,
when there was no certainty if each
of us were going to be all right. He
and his cousin braved through the
wild currents, hanging on electric
posts and dead wires, and plants.
Along the way, they had diculty as
people latched on to their raft. Upon
reaching the gate of our village,
his heart sank. It was like seeing
an ocean with strong waves! How
will they reach us with just a raft?
e emotional turmoil was great
for a father and husband separated
from his family at a time of great
distress. He was still shaken when
he contacted friends for help for
a bigger and sturdier raft. However,
at that point, all rescue vessels were
already deployed. e next plan was
to walk through the ood slowly but
surely. Along the way, he saw both
helplessness and hope etched on
the faces of the residents eagerly
awaiting rescue.
What would normally take 15
minutes of walk from the village gate
to our place took them an hour. Cars
swept away by the currents strewn
the streets. e current was great in
intersections, wherein they had to be
extra careful, lest they be swept and
nd themselves at the Buli Creek,
down to Manggahan Floodway,
and nally at the Laguna de Bay!
Seeing the sight of familiar roofs,
passing through familiar roads until
they reached ours, was a journey
fullled.
Heavens Protection
We experienced the Lords and
our Mothers protection during that
calamity. If Joaquins stomach did
not act up, I would have left early
that Saturday morning, leaving
our children and the helpers by
themselves. Our cars were not there
that day (one was in the repair shop,
while Bubut used the other one), thus
were spared from being submerged.
Tanya was content with my breast
milk, therefore there was no need to
make formula milk and we saved on
some drinking water.
We are recovering from that
nightmare. Together with some
brethren, Bubut and I are helping
Paola overcome the trauma. As a
family, we have learned in a deeper
way the meaning of love for one
another, centered on Christ guided
by our Blessed Mothers love.
Cleaning up after the ood,
detaching ourselves from items
by nally deciding to dispose
them, investing on a rubber raft,
contemplating on transferring to a
safer place for the sake of our children
are all part of another story.
GODS MISSION
WITH THE KIDS
F
rom the time I said YES
to the Lord, He has never
failed to amaze me every
day, as I journey with him in
my fulltime missionary work in
CFC Kids for Family and Life
(CFCKFL). Every experience
is Gods armation that He
chose me to be with him to
be with His children.
Last summer was a blast!!! We had
mission trips, summer workshops,
and the World Kids Conference
(WKC)! I realized that greater things
are yet to come in our ministry
for the youngest members of our
community. During the WKC, I felt
extreme emotions I was so nervous,
so hyper, so excited and so amazed!
Once, I caught myself looking at
the crowd. I was so touched at how
Contributed by Joanne Angon
CFC Kids for Family and Life
God put those wonderful smiles on
our kids faces and I told myself that
more of these will be seen in 2010!
e WKC turned out to be
Gods send-o party for me. Days
after, all my bags were packed and I
brought those wonderful smiles with
me to my new mission area: Visayas!
I was so excited and nervous. e
greater challenge was that I would
be traveling by myself, considering
that members of the CFCKFL Team
already had their respective mission
areas. I believe God really enjoyed
anointing us to do His work and
empowered us with the Holy Spirit
to evangelize the Philippines.
My trip lasted for a month
and a half, and I had many sweet
experiences with the Lord. God
brought me to Bohol, Cebu,
Bacolod, and Iloilo. CFCKFL is just
starting in most of these areas. God
really dared me to start with zero.
He humbled me. God taught me
that the essential component during
mission trips is to build relationships
with His people. I denitely saw
Jesus in people I encountered. ey
welcomed me in their homes and
took good care of me, treating me
as part of their family. As I work in
Gods vineyard, the Lord assured me
that He is there to guide me every
step of the way. is is how God
works, and Im truly blessed!
I came back to Manila cherishing
all these experiences in my heart.
ese experiences inspired me to pray
more for our ministry. e work has
just begun. I realized that the smiles
I saw during the WKC were the
same sweet smiles I witnessed in the
Visayas. God is really arming me
wherever I go. I am forever thankful
for being part of Gods mission.
sharing
BEING COMMUNITY 41
Contributed by Pat Oconer
CFC Singles for Family and Life International Coordinator
I
t has been an exciting journey
for the singles ministry of
CFC FFL. Two years ago,
we organized ourselves as CFC
Singles for Family and Life
(CFCSFL), with the mission of
proclaiming the name of God,
His goodness, His majesty, and
His greatness to the ends of the
earth, and to bring the CAUSE
of CHRIST to single men and
women around the world.
e past two years has been
an exciting journey, from the call
of being On A High during the
World Singles Congress in 2008, to
the iDentied conference where
we declared and revealed who we
are as a ministry of CFC FFL, to
the 2009 World Singles Congress,
where we committed to live out the
conviction of AMEN..SO BE IT!
We gathered once again for our
rst CFC SFL Leaders Conference,
to claim our birthright, our destiny,
and our purpose of existence that
we are Destined to Worship, Destined
to Serve, and Destined to Witness.
e conference, held in Tagaytay,
was attended by 308 Household
Servants from Metro Manila and
Luzon Provinces. It was a weekend
to acknowledge the goodness,
greatness and majesty of God. It was
a weekend of thanksgiving for the
privilege of being called, formed and
sent, commissioned by God to bring
the Good News to the ends of the
earth. It was a weekend of declaring,
and receiving the birthright of
living a life of worship, service and
witnessing.
e Destined weekend was
anchored on the life verse of
CFCSFL taken from John 15:16,
You did not choose me, I chose you,
to go and bear fruit. Joseph Tesoro,
CFCYFL International Coordinator,
and Lachie Agana, CFCFFL Family
Ministries Coordinator, led us to
a deeper understanding of our
destiny to live a life of worship and
our destiny to serve our family, our
community and our workplace,
respectively. Fr. JP led the workshops
on the Eucharist while Rey Sotelo led
the workshop on our call for parish
involvement. A recommitment and
Praisefest where CFCSFL leaders
declared and surrendered to the
cross their commitment to God
followed. It was a night of letting
go, of giving up a night of denying
oneself and recognizing that this is
all about God.
CFCFFL Servant General,
Frank Padilla, exhorted all the
CFCSFL leaders to speak about
Gods love and goodness. He stressed
that the reason for our existence is
to bring the mission of God to the
ends of the earth, to bring His light
to those in darkness, and to claim
every opportunity to speak and
witness for Him. e work is big,
and the 308 CFCSFL leaders who
attended the conference can make a
signicant contribution to the work
of God. Just like the 12 disciples
who believed and claimed the world
for God, the same Spirit is preparing
each one of us too. e Conference
ended with a powerful Praisefest led
by JC Sarmiento.
We thank the Lord for a wonderful
weekend lled with realizations and
challenges for the single members
of the CFCFFL community. With
God, nothing is impossible! All for
His greater honor and Glory!
CFCSFL DESTINED
IT POURED BLESSINGS,
NOT RAIN
Contributed by Debbie Nakpil-Rodrigo
CFCFFL District of Cubao
I
n a week that was lled with
rain and monstrous trac
jams, the only rain we had
was abundant blessings, and
trac, on the golf course.
Just on its second year, the
CFCFFL Golf Tournament held
at the scenic Eastridge Golf Club
in Binangonan, Rizal on June 18,
2009 was a resounding success. One
hundred and seven players, mostly
non-CFCFFL members, started
registering at 6:30AM, some coming
from as far down as South Cotabato.
Among the players were 13 ladies,
some of whom hailed from ailand
and Korea. Everyone with a remote
interest in golf made sure to invite
players to the event (on a personal
note, even my Mom and her two
golng buddies joined and enjoyed
the course so much that they decided
to go back the following week to
bring the whole gang). anks to
the hard work of the committee
members, and through the generosity
of its corporate sponsors and donors,
each player started the day already a
winner with a bag full of giveaways.
e 18-hole Stableford format
tournament started at 8:30AM
shotgun-style, which means that all
players started at the same time on an
appointed hole,
and proceeded
smoothly with
nary a hitch,
except for one
rookie player
who collapsed
on a hole with
a severe case of
cramps and had
to discontinue
play. However,
he recovered in time to join the post-
game festivities.
Play ended at close to 2:00PM,
and the participants slowly started
lling up the second oor ballroom
for lunch and the program. Bob
Murga, energetic Golf Committee
Chairman, opened the ceremony
with a prayer followed by
acknowledgement of sponsors and
donors, while Oland David gave the
Welcome Remarks. e witty and
entertaining Dennis Marcelo, emcee
for the fun part of the program,
got the ball rolling with the drawing
of names for the minor rae prizes
interspersed with the announcement
of winners of the special prizes:
longest drive, most accurate drive,
and closest to the pin. e highlight
of the program was the awarding of
the prizes to the winners of the golf
tournament. Players competed for
second runner up, rst runner up,
and Champion glass crystal trophies
in ve divisions: Ladies, Guest, Class
C, Class B, and Class A. In addition,
CFCFFL members qualied for the
Over-All Champion award, while
the Lowest Gross award was open
to both community members and
guests. Lastly, a special rae was
held for those who bought Mulligans.
e prize was an overnight stay
at e Lighthouse Hotel in Subic
Bay Metropolitan Zone courtesy of
Deputy Administrator Raul Marcelo.
e major prizes for the most
anticipated rae draw consisted of
a Nokia cellphone, Callaway golf
bag, Coby portable DVD player,
Canon digital camera, and 21 LG
at screen TV. Following tradition,
everyone went home with a prize,
in some cases, even two, as sponsors
and donors ooded the event with
gift packs, certicates, and rae
prizes.
Give and it will be given
unto you (Luke 6:38). is must
have been the verse that the golf
LIST OF WINNERS
Overall Champion JUN SARMIENTO
Low Gross RAUL GONZALES
Ladies Div. Champ C. VICHANCEE
Ladies Div. Runnerup AIDA SOTTO
Longest Drive ARSENIO LEGASPI
Nearest to the Pin JUN BOHOL
Most Accurate Drive FRANCIS RODRIGO
Class A Champion ROLLY CASTRO
Class A 1st Runnerup PAUL PRICE
Class A 2nd Runnerup BOB MURGA
Class B Champion VIC REBOSURA
Class B 1st Runnerup DANTE FERRER
Class B 2nd Runnerup ED GARCIA
Class C Champion GOMER PANGAN
Class C 1st Runnerup ART ANDREY
Class C 2nd Runnerup RAUL VASQUEZ
Guest Div. Champion ROY NODALO
Guest Div. Runnerup COCOY VERA PEREZ
Rookie of the Day MS. JOJO CASTILLO
BEING COMMUNITY 43
committee members took to heart
because as they worked to increase
awareness and participation in the
event by both players and sponsors,
they were all rewarded richly with
new friends, fun, and memories
to last at least until this years
tournament.
Proceeds from the fundraising
event are to benet the
evangelization work of CFCFFL.
COUPLES FOR CHRIST 28TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
YNARES CENTER, ANTIPOLO CITY
JUNE 20, 2009
BEING COMMUNITY 45
COUPLES FOR CHRIST 28TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
YNARES CENTER, ANTIPOLO CITY
JUNE 20, 2009
ONDOY BROUGHT OUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER
Dear brethren,
Below is the suggestion of bro Ado for the funds that will be
raised for the ood victims in the Philippines.
I suggest that it be handled per chapter/ministry and
consolidate it into one account (Ondoy Fund) to be transferred
to New Jersey WWP account.
Pls start emailing/calling your members; some may just
be waiting for instructions/direction on how to send their
donation. is will be eective and save us some transfer cost.

thanks and God Bless,
b ray manaloto
From: Ado Paglinawan
ere is no need to drum this up any further. You must have heard it already. From brothers and sisters. From friends.
e pictures seen in TFC are gruesome and morbid.
Before Ondoy came, torrentials rains have already drummed up Metro Manila for days. So the next two days were
deadly. Rainfall caused three dams to overow and to prevent their walls breaking, pressure was released sending a deluge
of sorts from Bulacan in the north toPateros in the south, hitting Marikina and Cainta at its worst.
e density of water from the heavens did not even spare high ground as Antipolo and San Mateo experienced
landslides. ey say the last time this happened was 100 years ago. Never mind the death toll and homeless tally, I have
gotten tired counting.
Alright Amante, here it is, the ocial word. CFCFI has launched the Ondoy Fund. But we will not give directly to
Manila to save on transfer costs. We will gather them together, send them through Jet Defensor to our Work with the Poor
Secretariat in New Jersey who will transmit it to Manila. We raised more than $300 at the St. Edwards mass, we will
collect some more on Saturday, and onwards, then we pool them with Bro. Jet.
ere is word from CFCFFL Texas that a cargo company has oered free shipments to Manila via Balikbayan boxes.
Present access however is only good for South Central (Tecas) and Sputhwest (California) and all states in between. I am
still waiting for the possibility to hook up the east coast. Lets give this our best shot.
Hi Bro. Ado,
anks very much for the active endorsement. Denitely very timely, as other areas inquired as
well.

Hi Kuya Rene,
Are you the CFCFI contact for this eort? Please keep us posted with updates and any further
guidance as well.

Dear CFC-WWP coordinators,
As per below, lets try to organize the respective area relief activities for the Ondoy Fund. Let us
know any feedback, suggestions or questions moving forward.

anks and God bless,
Al & Gertie
BEING COMMUNITY 47
ONDOY BROUGHT OUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER
What is in our relief packs? - you may be asking. Each
of our packs has approximately P250 worth of goods.
Which is VERY GOOD compared (well, we dont
want to compare) to other relief operations. ey have
the following inside:
1 kilo of rice or bread (and spread), 1.5 liters of water,
4- 6 assorted canned goods, detergent and body soap,
candles, alcohol, 6 packs of cookies, 6 packs of noodles.
... and we give them separate packs of clothes.

Here are the latest areas where we have sent the relief goods: Floodway
Areas in Pasig; we cooperated with Ang Kapatiran Party for a soup kitchen
in Pinagbuhatan, Pasig - which is still underwater; San Lorenzo in Pasig;
Muntinlupa; San Mateo and Tanay in Rizal; Taguig; Vista Verde in Cainta;
Calumag in Pasig; Binangonan in Rizal; Our Lady of Light in Cainta; St.
Jude in Pasig and dierent towns in Laguna.
ank you to everyone who keep donating! Many more are volunteering not
only cash and goods, but their time and eort as well. And it is all appreciated.
ank you, too, to more donors: May-Brith P. Slvsberg; Ban Tible; Moreau
Catholic High School in California; Jesse Tabora; CFC FFL Tarlac; SFL
Tarlac; YFL Paranaque; and, CFC FFL Cavite.
From: max and tel dela cruz:
(excerpt of mail)
Dear Sis Mimi,

1. Today, we transferred the equivalent USD...
e amount should be allocated as follows:
Typhoon Relief Program CDN$ 4,500
A LIFETIME CHALLENGE
O
ne of my favorite
pastime as a child was
climbing the guava
tree we had in our backyard.
Hanging on the sturdy
branches was a lot of fun. One
day while I was hanging on a
branch, it broke and I fell to
the ground and hurt myself.
e memory came back to
me when I attended the SFL
iDentied: Planted, Rooted
and Bearing Fruit in Christ
Conference in Mati, Davao
Oriental on May 23, 2009.
I realized that a challenge was
presented before me: to bring His
people closer to Him. In exercising
my life as a Christian, I can say that
I am planted and rooted in Christ.
However, a question remains: Am
I willing to bear much fruit in His
name? Am I a sturdy branch that
will carry His people to Him or will
I suddenly collapse and bring down
His people hurt and wounded?
To this day, I have been
constantly praying for the strength
and guidance to complete this
lifetime challenge that the Lord gave
me and be the strong branch that
will bring His people closer to Him.
I pray that one day I will be identied
not just as a Christian planted and
rooted in Christ but as His child
bearing much fruits as well.
I TRUST
On June 7, 2009, in Polomolok,
South Cotabato we celebrated our
16th anniversary as a community in
CFC. e CFCSFL of Polomolok
and General Santos City had a
team building activity led by Marie
Relucio.
Personally, the most signicant
part of the activity was the Human
Web. e objective of the activity
was to form a single circle out of our
Contributed by Chloe Loquias
CFCSFL General Santos City
tangled selves. My attention was
caught by the fact that as we aimed
to form a single circle, the team
ended up forming two interlocking
circles.
is activity spoke to me clearly:
Trust in the Lord with all your
heart, and lean not on your own
understanding. I realized that God
is far more intelligent than any of
us. His plans for us will always be
greater than our own yearnings.
ough we have our own goals for
our community, the Lord has better
things prepared for us. A single
group of young Christians is good,
but wouldnt it be better if we had
more than one group linked to each
other and serving God together?
In every good thing we aspire
for, God never ceases to provide for
us, His children, with better things
in life. All we need to do is believe
and condently say, I trust.
BEING COMMUNITY 49
CFCFFL International
C
FCKFL - Canada held
its CFCKFL Summit
Conference in July.
Leaders from CFCYFL, CFCSFL,
coordinators, parents and CFCFFL
leaders from the dierent areas of
Canada gathered and spent the
day in the new CFCFFL Mission
Center to better understand and
appreciate CFCKFL. Missionaries
from the Philippines came to give
talks during the sessions. CFCKFL
Canada National Coordinator was
also one of the speakers. Aside from
the inspiring sessions and other
information about the ministry, the
participants enjoyed the workshops
- music, creative and speakers
workshops.
It is just so amazing how serving
in CFCKFL can bring out the child
in us.
CANADA
CFCKFL
SUMMIT
Contributed by Pepe Buenavides
CFCFFL Toronto
TRUST IN THE LORD: REFLECTIONS
AND TRANSFORMATION
Contributed by Nanette Custodio
CFCYFL Coordinator and Pro-Life Coordinator, Canada
sharing
I
was hesitant to attend the
CFCFFL Trust Weekend at
the Hamilton Convention
Centre, Ontario because I just
had a bout of extreme dizziness
and fatigue days before. My
loving husband, my sturdy
companion who provided
support for all my decisions,
and my number one critique
empathized with me and said
that if I opted not to go, he will
stay home with me. However, I
would not allow that.
As has always been my
experience with past conferences,
there was always a feeling of joy and
a sense of belongingness to be with
brothers and sisters. All the gestures
of love quietly provided me comfort
and relieved me from remembering
my condition: MS (Multiple
Sclerosis), an autoimmune disease
in which the bodys immune
response attacks a persons central
nervous system (brain and spinal
cord), leading to demyelization
(Wikipedia).
I was in command. I did not
want this disease to control me. I
did not want to read anything about
it - nor understand its progression. I
had my rundown of medical check-
ups and the last thing I wanted to
hear from my physician was, You
have MS. Upon hearing it from
my doctor, however, I was shocked.
I thought I heard it incorrectly. Yet,
this led me to pray, Lord, be with
me today. Give me courage. I pray
for your healing power, Lord Jesus
Christ.
In my own limited way of
understanding our Lords ways, I
rmly believed this conference was
designed exclusively for me. God
had an upper hand on this. From
the Registration session, Eucharistic
Celebration, and from the talks, I
felt our Lord speak powerfully. It
nourished my heart tremendously.
Our Lord sent His love with
messages of courage, perseverance
and armation through our
brethren, speakers and sharers. I
felt I was having a one-on-one date
with the Lord and that He was there
helping me cope with the challenges
of MS, through sharings of brothers
and sisters who also had health
concerns. ey truly attested to a life
of surrender and trust in God.
One of the speakers, Nonong
Contreras (Country Coordinator for
Canada), gave an empowering talk
on My Strength and My Courage
Is the Lord. e talk made me feel
that the Lord was hugging me! I felt
Him comforting me. Coincidentally,
Nonongs wife, Ding (who was with
him at the conference), was my
former Chemistry professor way back
in my collegiala years. Speaking
with her made me feel that the Lord
was squashing my loneliness, as He
led me to be with people I knew,
especially for someone like me who
has no family nor relatives in Canada.
Ding made me gain strength and
condence in this critical time.
If before the Trust Weekend,
I was denying my condition and
I refused to speak about it, the
Holy Spirit led me to accept it and
share how I felt to others. After the
conference, I shared about my MS
to our CFCFFL brethren. ere
was no more shielding no more
denial. e truth set me free!
BLESSING IN
DISGUISE
Contributed by Alyssa Palos
CFCYFL Markham
T
he communitys conferences
were among the activities
I looked forward to since
I became part of CFCYFL. I feel
privileged to be able to attend these
events, which included the YFL
Joyride and the iTRUST Congress
in Canada. My sibling and I were
so excited because this was our rst
time to travel this far from Ontario.
As we continued celebrating
the congress with other youths and
parent coordinators, God gave me
a strong message: My child, your
family sacriced to celebrate with
Me and with your brothers and
sisters in Christ. As a reward, I will
bless your family. is message led
me to dance, jump, and shout the
Lords name because I knew that
I was holding His word for my
family. True to His word, the Lord
gave us a blessing: my Mom got a
permanent job a year after we settled
in Canada.
We truly saw how the Lord
rewards those who are faithful to
Him. As the lyrics of the song,
Healer read:
You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through re
And heal all my disease
I trust in you, I trust in you
I believe Youre my healer
I believe You are all i need
I believe Youre my portion I believe
Youre more than enough for me
Jesus, youre all i need
Nothing is impossible for you
Nothing is impossible
Nothing is impossible for you
You hold my world in your hands.
BEING COMMUNITY 51
CFC World
Kids
Congress-
the
Champion
League
- A Burst of Yellow!
Contributed by Pepe Buenavides
CFCFFL Toronto
M
ore than 100 kids
came from around
Eastern Canada to
claim their spot during the
CFCKFL Conference the
Champions League. Each kid
and member of the service team,
no matter how old or young
they may be, had a yellow shirt
that stood out amidst the perils
of the world. It was another
day lled with fun, laughter,
fellowship, and strengthening
of faith and deepening of
commitment. Kids had an
amazing experience learning
more about how awesome our
God is, as they played games,
danced and sang-along with
the band. Canada was blessed
to see the value of every child,
and how important it is to
cultivate the seeds of faith and
witnessing the importance of
knowing, trusting, following
and obeying God.
Special thanks goes to CFCYFL-
Canada who supported CFCKFL
for this event. Congratulations to all
the kids for an amazing Congress!
THE ANOINTING IS BACK!
Contributed by Raymond Arguelles
CFCYFL Canada Coordinator
T
he recently concluded
i Tr u s t C F C Y F L
Congress was an
armation that the anointing
of the Holy Spirit is back in
our community. No less than
Dante De Leon, Country
Servant of Canada, and Louie
Untalan, West Region Servant,
could not deny the reality as
they experienced the Spirit-
lled World Youth Congress
(WYC) in August 8-9, 2009
at the University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba. We
were so blessed with this re-
anointing as miracle after
miracle unfolded.
e rst miracle was the
empowerment experienced by the
production team while preparing
for the event. Normally, special
event preparation takes months for
the production team. However, this
iTrust production team was formed
only three days before the event. e
team from Toronto, led by Raymond
& Tess Arguelles and Erwin and Jill
Alvarez, arrived on August 5. ey
immediately met with CFCSFL
Steinbach & Winnipeg to set
plans for the conference. By Gods
grace, the assignments as oor
managers, segment producers, and
stage managers as well as the story
conference were nalized. From
timid CFCSFL members, the Lord
transformed them to be empowered
CFCSFLs dancing in joy and
proclaiming Gods majestic power at
the end of the Congress.One sister
even courageously expressed her
willingness to serve as a full-time
pastoral worker after the conference!
CFCYFL delegates from
Toronto arrived at Winnipeg via two
Greyhound buses. After 32 tediously
long hours of travel, they arrived
safe and tired, but joyful as they
proceeded straight to the University
of Manitoba. e delegates were
treated to a city tour of Winnipeg.
Despite the rain, the CFCYFL spirit
was not dampened as they proceeded
to the evening with the talent night.
e opening worship for the evening
was so vibrant and spirit-lled that
one could not help but anticipate a
very powerful congress.
e iTrust YFL Congress opened
with the Holy Mass and the Trust
parade. Each chapter unfolded their
banners and presented their own
respective trust cheer. e trust parade
theme was I trust my God and can
call Him anytime. To remind our
youth that they can call on God
anytime just like calling a friend
on a cell phone, each chapter was
identied as Brampton Blackberry,
Hamilton LG, Mississauga Motorola,
Downtown Ericson, SNED Philips,
SNWM Sharp, Scarborough South
Siemens, Calgary-Vancouver iPhone,
and Winnipeg-Steinbach Nokia.
e sharing of the CFCYFL
members were so moving that many
CFCYFL members were convicted
as they identied their own personal
experiences and
struggles with the
sharers.
During the
iDiscover session with
the message focused
BEING COMMUNITY 53
on, God is my Savior, I will trust
and will not be afraid, the message
to trust God as our Father convicted
the CFCYFL participants. is was
fortied by the powerful ABBA
experience of Andrew Baduria, who
testied that he simply put his trust
in the Lord for the cancer of her
mom, erese.
Saki Ramos also shared about
how the Lord touched her life. Saki
joined the SFL-YFL iTrust Congress
in Chicago. During the exposition
of the Blessed Sacrament in the
Chicago congress, she received a
sense from the Lord saying, serve
my youth. After an inner struggle to
respond, she nally gave her Yes to
the Lord not knowing what the call
really meant for her. Upon arriving
in Vancouver from Chicago, she
received an email from the CFCYFL
Coordinator, inviting her to be a
speaker for this congress. She did not
waste any time to heed the Lords call
for her to serve my youth. is was
the miracle of the calling.
After the workshop and forum
on True Love Waits, almost all of
the CFCYFL members came forward
and professed their conviction
that true love waits by wearing the
white wristband with true love
waits inscription. Louie Untalan,
the West Region Servant, led all to
hold in our hands the treasure of
the re-anointing of the Spirit in the
community. He exhorted everyone
to take care of this treasure, allowing
no dierences to hinder and stie
the Holy Spirit again.
e exposition of the Blessed
Sacrament gave way to experience
Jesus real presence. e Lords
powerful healing and loving presence
pervaded the evening. Both young
and old, CFCYFL and CFCFFL
members and leaders knelt before His
Holy Presence and experienced joy
and healing. Some even experienced
being slain in the Spirit. Some
simply prostrated themselves before
the Lord in total surrender.
Even the production team
experienced the miracle. As the
Blessed Sacrament was placed on
the altar, a yellow spot light was
directly focused on the Blessed
Sacrament. To the teams surprise,
they found out later that not one
of them switched on and directed
the spotlight towards the Blessed
Sacrament at all. Lo and behold, the
miracle of the light unfolded!
Miracle after miracle was
witnessed from the preparation
stage, down to the nal session and
even beyond. Everyone treasured
the iTrust Congress ID, for in it
was written boldly a PROPHECY.
It stated that, GREATER
THINGS ARE YET TO COME.
is will happen all because
Gods holy anointing is back.
USA PRELATES AFFIRM CFCFFLS
MISSION TO RENEW THE FAMILY
AND DEFEND LIFE
CFCFFL Kids for Family and Life International Coordinator
O
ver the 4th of July
weekend, members
of Couples for Christ
Foundation for Family and Life
(CFCFFL), CFC Handmaids
for Family and Life (CFCHFL)
and CFC Kids for Family and
Life (CFCKFL) gathered in
Baltimore to celebrate the 15th
year of CFC in the USA. It
was a weekend which taught
everyone to Trust in the Lord,
in all aspects of their lives.
e weekend was also the
venue of the CFCFFL Pro Life
Summit, where many prelates of the
Church and Pro Life activists came
and encouraged the community to
keep on renewing the family and
work harder in defending life.
CARDINAL JUSTIN
FRANCIS RIGALI of Philadelphia;
Auxiliary Bishop BARRY
KNESTOUT of Washington, and
Archbishop ANDREW BROGLIO
of the USA Military Services were
among those who were present in the
weekend to give keynote addresses.
Also present were Joe
Scheidler, the National Director
of Pro Life Action League; Christa
Lopiccolo, the Executive Director
of the Department for Life Issues
in the Archdiocese of Washington;
David Bereit, the National Director
of 40 Days For Life and our very
own Frank Padilla, Servant General
of CFCFFL.
Cardinal Rigali summed
up the weekend by saying that
CFCFFLs work is at the heart
of the mission [of Christ] and
at the heart of the Church.
15TH CFCFFL U.S.A. NATIONAL CONFERENCE
JULY 3-5, 2009
Marriott Hotel
Baltimore.
Maryland. USA
(July 3-5. 2009)
VICTORY BALL:
15th CFCFFL
USA NATIONAL
CONFERENCE
Baltimore. Maryland.
USA; Nani Almanza.
CFCFFL USA President
and wiIe Bing (Seatle
WA); Gerry and Frank
Padilla. CFCFFL Servant
General. Standing:
Mar (Nitoy) Hernandez
(Chicago. IL)
Frank and Gerry
Padilla`s Visit
to CFCFFL
INDIANA USA;
(Danny and Beth
Sardon`s residence.
Long Beach. IN
USA-July 9. 2009)
St John. Indiana USA (WAY OF THE CROSS-Frank. Gerry. Mar and Vi)
BEING COMMUNITY 55
T
he Poor of St. Claire
in Lilongwe, Malawi
celebrated their 50th
Anniversary in 2009. We
were blessed to be a part of
the celebration. Together with
George and Rose Mbekeani
of CFCFFL-Malawi, we took
the opportunity to spend time
with some bishops who were
also there. It was denitely a
door opened by the Lord for
CFCFFL-Malawi to work hand
in hand with the Church.
From left to right: Auxiliary Bishop of Lilongwe-Bishop Stanislao Tobias Magombo, Efren Aguirre, Archbishop
of Malawi - Archbishop Tarcisius G. Ziyaye, Papal Nuncio of Malawi/Zambia - Archbishop Nicola Girasoli,
Bishop Emeritus of Lilongwe - Bishop Felix Eugenio Mkhori, Rose Mbekeani, Flor Aguirre, Bishop of Lilongwe -
Bishop Remi Joseph Gustave Ste-Marie, and George Mbekeani.
Contributed by Efren & Flor Aguirre
CFCFFL Missionary Couple to Malawi
A
CELEBRATION IN
MALAWI
CFCKFL THAILAND CHAMPIONS
LEAGUE MINI-CONFERENCE
Contributed by Giella Garcia Sanchez
CFCFFL Young Ministries Missionary for Indochina
I
was amazed to see the status
on Facebook of one of the
mothers of our CFCKFL
(CFC Kids for Family and Life)
participants three days after the
CFCKFL conference. It said:
We were in a mall and my
elder daughter kept on asking
me to buy her so many stu,
when my 6-year old son gave
his older sister a look and said,
You WANT it but you dont
NEED it!. It made my day! My
youngest son learned so much
from the recently concluded
KFL conference! Praise God.
It was a great armation that the
kids truly learned so much during
the Champions League Conference.
Among the many lessons learned by
our children during the conference,
they were empowered to be wise and
rm in their convictions.
The Champions League Mini-
conference of CFCKFL Thailand
took place on November 28, 2009
at the St. Gabriel Foundation.
It was a gathering of 35 CFCKFL
participants, 25 CFCYFL and ve
CFCSFL who served as the service
team for the event. It was a whole
day activity echoing what took place
during the World Kids Congress
(WKC) in the Philippines this
year. e whole morning focused
on activities that included much
singing and dancing using several
kids praise songs, including learning
the conference theme song, Sing,
sing, sing. e children were
divided into groups for the games
and presentations. ere was also a
Kids Praise where the purpose of the
ministry was explained - H.E.A.R.T.
(Honor, Empower, Act, Relate and
Testify). e afternoon was spent on
workshops that focused on the gifts
of the Holy Spirit such as generosity,
patience and self-control.
e main segment of the event
featured the Champions League
Play, reliving the same spirit of
the characters Kuya Jess, Kiko,
Tere, Pio, Agnes and Pedro from
the original play presented during
the WKC in the Philippines. e
famous Champions dance kept
the kids enthusiastic and involved.
e kids were given the chance to
showcase the kids praise dances to
their parents. e day ended with
high energy as the kids were made
to experience a dance concert with
impersonations of their favorite
stars Hannah Montana and those
from High School Musical.
e conference was indeed a
breakthrough for CFCFFL ailand.
It allowed the children to experience
a higher level of honoring God,
empowerment and fellowship. Young
as they are, they learned to open
their hearts to Gods call to live a life
of a champion by growing in their
love for Him, obeying their parents
and making them proud. ey also
learned the call to be instruments of
His love to one another.
is conference was also a good
venue for the CFCYFL members to
bring out their talents, and to give
their all in serving the Lord. It was
their privilege to be kuyas and
ates to the little ones. e CFCSFL
members whose secular work is
in the eld of education, found a
deeper purpose to their calling by
using their skills and passion for the
community.
Indeed, the CFCKFL
Champions League Conference
moved the hearts of many.
BEING COMMUNITY 57
WOMEN AFTER GODS OWN HEART
Contributed by Giella Garcia Sanchez
CFCFFL Young Ministries Missionary for Indochina
A
recent pastoral teaching
given to CFCFFL
Bangkok, ailand,
became a milestone for the
community. It was an opportunity
for deepening at a personal level
for the servants and members,
this time, for women exclusively.
e recent pastoral visit of Mimi
David, together with Oland
David, the CFCFFL ailand
Country Servants, paved the way
for such an opportunity. On
November 23, 2009 around 25
of us women from CFCFFL,
CFCHFL and CFCSFL, came
together with Mimi David to learn
more about our special call from
God as women and our unique
role in the family, the community,
and the whole plan of God for the
country and the world.
One of the things that I have always
appreciated in my 11 years of being
in the community, are these kinds of
teachings that focus on molding women
to live out such beautiful purpose. is
recent teaching once again reminded
me that I am indeed truly created after
Gods own heart.
is was armed through the
example of three holy women, who
fully lived out Gods plans in their lives.
ese three were St. Monica, the mother
of St. Augustine, St. Anne, the mother
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Mama
Mary herself. It was truly a moment of
inspiration and humility realizing that it
is Gods desires for us women to follow
the footsteps of these three beautiful
women.
I would like to sum up the many
lessons I learned that night with the
three Ps that convicted me the most:
perseverance in prayer, patience and
presence. e rst one, perseverance
in prayer was very evident in all three
women. All of them were called by God
for special purpose and the very key to
its fulllment depended greatly on their
untiring commitment to communicate
with God every moment they can
each day. St. Monica tirelessly prayed
for the conversion of her husband and
three sons. St. Anne inspired me to
pray consistently. As women, I learned
that it is our privilege to be the heart
of Gods mission in the family and the
community. Being women of prayer
calls us to deepen our prayer life and our
communication with God. Forming
intercessory groups to pray and intercede
for people, events and concerns of the
community, and learning to listen to the
Lord speak and recording them in our
personal prayer journals will denitely
deepen our prayer life. Mother Marys
at and her complete submission to
Gods will even to the death of her Son,
was drawn from her decision of constant
communication with the Father through
prayer..
e second one, patience, deepens
the rst. It serves as a constant reminder
that things wont happen right away
because God has a plan and a purpose
for everything. To persevere in prayer
means to also be patient to wait on the
Lord and hope in Him all according
to His plan and purpose. St. Monica
demonstrated her patience for her
loved ones conversion. Even when St.
Augustine became a pagan, she still
rooted herself on Gods promises, and
later on, witnessed her son returning
back to God. Her patience and
perseverance in prayer gave her a saint.
e last one, presence, talked
about womens call to simply be there,
to be the source of strength for the
men as they lead their family and the
community. Like Mary, they serve as
the quiet strength in the family and the
community. ey support, encourage,
and step back to listen to Gods direction.
e presence of Mother Mary is best
described as simple, silent, pure, and
consistent. Mother Mary was always
silently present at the wedding feast in
Cana, with the apostles at Pentecost,
and at the foot of the Cross.
e whole night of teaching truly
touched the hearts of the women of
CFCFFL Bangkok. It reminded us
of our special call and purpose. It
also reminded us that we have each
other to lean on, especially during
those moments when we experience
diculties in living out this call. We
were molded to be better women to
the men of community, and men of the
home. It was truly a time to simply feel
Gods embrace among the company of
sisters who share the same passion and
experiences. Denitely, we will all be
looking forward to more moments like
this, to sit down, learn and listen, and
spend time with each other as sisters in
the community. We truly feel grateful
to the Lord for the privilege of being
women after Gods own heart!
FROM JOY TO TRUST
Contributed by Cocoi Javier
CFCFFL Missionary to Europe
E
ach year, the community
takes on a theme quoted
from Scriptures which
becomes the communitys
guiding verse. As the year ends,
we look back to the prophetic
theme being realized in the year
that has passed.
Our theme for 2008 was taken
from Zephaniah, where the Lord
instructed us to keep on being joyful
by xing our eyes on Him after
coming from a year of great trials
and lamentations. As 2008 ended,
the Lord revealed to us that this year,
we have to trust in Him more as
stated in Isaiah 12:2. We praise God
for His great revelation, because as
we trusted Him, we experienced
more of Him and His blessings with
the victories that He has allowed us
to experience.
In 2009, CFCFFL Vienna lived
out the theme on trusting in the
Lord by being more committed to
our communitys core values. We
believe that there is no better way
of showing our full trust in Him
than carrying out our Mission and
Vision of Renewing the Family and
Defending Life, by being faithful to
our seven core values.
We have solidied our being
Christ-centered not only with the
implementation of our formation
tracks through consistent and regular
teachings for members and leaders,
but moreso by institutionalizing the
celebration of the Eucharist before
each General Assembly (GA). We
also have implemented the Adoration
of the Blessed Sacrament every First
Friday just before the GA. Truly, the
community gathers to worship God
not only with our communitys
form of praise and worship, but also
by celebrating Gods presence in the
Holy Eucharist and with extended
adoration of His Real Presence with
the Exposition and Benediction of
the Blessed Sacrament.
We have intensied our being
evangelistic and missionary by
the conduct of our semi-annual
Christian Life Seminar in Vienna and
the strengthening of the provincial
mission areas. As CFCFFL Vienna
continues to be the mission center
for Europe, we have supported
several European countries by
sending mission teams to them.
us, we now have CFCFFL in
Plymouth,UK and in Prague, Czech
Republic, to name a few. ere are
other cities lined up.
We had our Family Enrichment
Retreat in mid-2009, as well as the
Family Day during the summer.
We also have transitioned a lot of
our members from one ministry to
another: CFC Kids for Family and
Life to CFC Youth for Family and
Life (YFL), CFCYFL to CFC Singles
for Family and Life (SFL), CFCSFL
to CFCFFL or CFC Handmaids for
Family and Life. A good harvest of
more than 30 youths and 40 kids
were gathered this year for CFCYFL
and CFCKFL. ese were all in
accordance to our being Focused on
the Family.
As the community grew in
number, we also kept on growing
in our relationship with each
other. Having fun together during
fellowships and celebrations was
one way to foster harmony among
brethren, but we went beyond
that by solidifying our identity as
a community by involving more
people to go on mission. Aside from
leaders, a good number of members
were able to go to the
dierent local and
international mission
areas. We had a unique
anniversary celebration
last year with a special
BEING COMMUNITY 59
praisefest designed to strengthen
relationships. It was preceded by a
Mass which was celebrated by our
Spiritual Director, Fr. Joey Demoy.
In recognition of Gods blessings
to us, we lived out our core value of
living a preferential option to the
poor by campaigning to help out our
Restoration Villages in the Philippines
and supporting the work with the
poor eorts of the chaplaincies. We
also responded well to the needs of
our brethren who were struck by
the dierent typhoons that ravaged
the Philippines. We sent donations
for the victim of Typhoon Ondoy
and Pepeng through CFCFFLs A
Drop of Love Campaign.
We also emphasized the call
to servant leadership. We have
intensied the teachings for leaders
and have even changed the terms
for headship. What used to be called
Heads (Chapter Head, Household
Head, etc.) are now referred to as
Servants (Cluster Servant, Chapter
Servant, etc.)
We also have continued to
improve our relations with the
Church by participating more in
its life. e presence of CFCFFL
was greatly felt in the Familien
Wallfahrt which was sponsored by
the Archdiocese. A great number
of CFCFFL members and leaders
were also present during the Maria-
Namen-Feier in September last year.
We also sent delegates to the congress
called by the Archdiocese held at the
Stephansdom with dierent parishes
and communities present in
October. We were also able to invite
and bring Bishop Precioso Cantillas
of Maasin Leyte, the Chair of the
Episcopal Commission for Migrants
and Itinerant Peoples to visit us
here in Vienna. He celebrated Mass
and gave three talks on dierent
occasions.
e community was also
consecrated to Our Lady, Mediatrix
of All-Grace. e Holy Rosary
has now become a very important
part of our meetings and our daily
prayers. We have also established
the intercessory prayer group every
ursday at the Donaucity Church
at 5:00PM, followed by a Mass
at 6:00PM. We follow the format
of the Cenacles that have been
organized by Fr. Stefano Gobbi
and we use the Blue Book (To the
Priests, Our Ladys Beloved Sons)
for reections.
Trust in the Lord was truly
evident. As we trusted joyfully, He
never failed. He gave us a tting
reward with the recognition of the
Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines and the renewal of the
Vatican Appointment of our Servant
General, the Founder of Couples
for Christ, Frank Padilla and his
wife Gerry Padilla to the Pontical
Council of the Family. is has
brought joy to the community. e
Lord has continued to arm us
as we continue to trust in Him.
(Editors Note: This article also
appears as CFCFFL-Viennas
contribution in the December 2009
issue of the Pastulan Newsletter of
the Chaplaincy in Vienna)
O
We recognize Jesus mission to bring glad
tidings to the poor (Lk 4:18). We look to
|cinincspiriiua|an!naicria|up|incni
of the least among our brethren. In doing
so, we will be in solidarity with the poor
by striving to live a simple lifestyle, to
snarccurrcscurccsan!icgnijcrsccia|
justice in the world.
iving a
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ption for the
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Immaculate Conception Mission Village
Pandi, Bulacan
BLESSING OF ROAD AND
FIRST BRICK HOUSE
Contributed by Bonjie Bonjibod
CFCFFL WWP Fulltime Pastoral Worker
T
he Immaculate Concep-
tion Mission Village at
Pandi, Bulacan had the
blessing of its rst brick house
and its newly cemented road
last October 18, 2009. Rev. Fr.
Rey San Juan, Parish Priest of
Sto. Cristo at Pandi, ociated
the blessing of both structures.
During the ceremonies, Fr. Rey
stressed that the blessing of the
family should come rst. He said
no amount of holy water can bless
the house if the occupants are not
living according to Gods plan for
the family. is arms the thrust
of CFCFFL Work With the Poor
(WWP) of transforming the family
rst before building the physical
structures.
e rst beneciary, Mila
Brigino, is a CFCHFL member
with eight children. Her new house
is a model unit which used the
interlocking brick technology which
WWP is exploring for use in other
WWP villages. e construction
of the second brick house in the
same village will start soon. e
construction of these two houses were
made possible through anonymous
donors.
In the same afternoon, a newly-
paved road was also blessed. e
project was undertaken through
the support of Congressman Pedro
Pancho as part of the development
of the whole village. e road, once
muddy, leads to the common area of
the village where ICMV will have its
community center (multipurpose hall
& pre-school). CFCFFL brethren
from Maryland, USA provided for
the construction of the classroom
while CFCFFL brethren from
Missisauga, Canada are supporting
the pre-school operation.
LIVING A PREFERENTIAL OPTION FOR THE POOR 63
CFCFFL WWP Fulltime Pastoral Worker
MARYKNOLL
MAIDENS 65
HOUSE TURNOVER
T
he Maryknoll College
Maidens 65 formally
awarded their house
donation to two beneciary
couples at the CFC International
Restoration Village at
Remarville, Novaliches,
Quezon City on October 11,
2009. e MC65 donation,
originally intended for one
family, benetted two families.
is was because the rst house
had cost savings due to common
walls & foundations from
adjacent units. e savings were
enough to start construction of
the ground oor of the second
unit. e second house was
turned over on December 19,
2009.
During the awarding ceremonies,
Fred & Vangie Manliclic (the
beneciaries of the rst MC65
house) were teary-eyed as they
shared how thankful they were to
the Lord for granting their prayer.
Before this, they were just renting
and had to make both ends meet
with their meager resources. eir
health concerns aggravated their
nancial problems: Rene had a
stroke, while Vangie had a chronic
pneumonia. e second beneciary
couple, Fred & Carol Gaytano, were
also grateful.
Class members of MC65,
Marita Gomez-Samson and Carol
PadillaRoy awarded the units. Ding
EustaquioContreras represented
her twin sister, Mila Eustaquio-
Syme, during the ceremonies.
WWP UKAY-UKAY @
CFCFFL FAMILY DAY
WWP Fulltime Pastoral Worker
T
he Work With the
Poor (WWP) Ministry
participated in the
CFCFFL Family Day at
Assumption Antipolo on
December 6, 2009 with an
Ukay-Ukay (Rummage Sale)
Booth. e WWP Ukay-Ukay
booth was one of the most-
visited during the Family Day.
e ukay-ukay had two
objectives. First, we wanted to make
available to both WWP beneciaries
from our RVs / MVs and CFCFFL
members second hand but still usable
clothes and other items at very low
CFCHFL T.R.O.O.P. PROJECT
DONATES 500 TOWELS
FOR RVs AND MVs
WWP Fulltime Pastoral Worker
T
he CFC Handmaids
for Family and Life
of Illinois had their
T.R.O.O.P. (Towel Reach Out
Overseas Program) project a
very creative program conceived
by the CFCHFL to make
available brand new towels
to our poor beneciaries who
sometimes share one or two
towels for the whole family. e
project gathered 500 brand new
prices. Second, it aimed to raise
funds for the WWP programs. Our
CFCFFL brethren from Las Vegas,
Chicago & Canada collected and
shipped the items last year. CFCFFL
brethren from Paraaque District
also brought in additional items.
WWP netted more than
P18,000 that day. e activity
was so successful in achieving the
objectives that the WWP ministry
has decided to make this a regular
activity in two of the largest event
of CFCFFL namely, the CFCFFL
Anniversary in June and the Family
Day in December.
towels which were distributed
to our WWP beneciaries:
400 towels were given to
WWP beneciaries from eight
Restoration & Mission Villages
who came and participated
during the CFCFFL Family
Day in December 2009. e
other 100 were allocated
to other provincial villages,
like our Mangyan Village in
Mindoro.
LIVING A PREFERENTIAL OPTION FOR THE POOR 65
B.A.T. A. CURRICULUM
ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
C
FC Educational
Foundation, Inc.
(CFCEFI) shares in
Gods plan for the community
and our children by conducting
training seminars for teachers.
ese include daycare workers,
public and private school
teachers, guidance counselors,
and our very own BATA Center
teachers from the dierent
Restoration / Mission Villages
of our Work with the Poor
Program.
One of the training seminars that
CFCEFI conducts is the monthly
B.A.T.A Curriculum Enrichment
Program (BCEP). e training
program aims to guide and support
the BATA Center teachers in the
implementation of the curriculum
using the progressive approach in
the early childhood education. is
training further enhances the initial
early childhood education training
being given to all the volunteers
desiring to teach in our Restoration
Village BATA Centers. e training
equips the teachers in dierent
aspects of early childhood education
including classroom management.
Some of the topics that have already
been given include:
1. Teacher, Teach Me How to
Read Strategies on how to teach
Reading in Filipino and English
2. Assessment Process Assess-
ment of growth and development of
the children
3. Preventing Illness / Diseases
in Rural areas Assessment and
management of common childhood
illnesses
4. How to Make a Narrative
Report
5. How to Conduct a
Parent-Teacher Conference
6. Teacher, Teach Me How
to Count Dierent strategies/
techniques in teaching Mathematics
to make it interesting to young
children
e BCEP teachers training is
also a means to evangelize and spread
the good news of God to the BATA
Center teachers. An important
component of the BCEP teachers
training is the formation talks that
go with it. It provides an opportunity
for the teachers to realize the divine
call of teaching, and the privilege
of being used by God as a tool for
the teachers to serve others. e
dierent formation topics were the
following:
1. Divine Call to Teach
2. Lovi ng the Chi l dren We
Teach
3. Bringing out the Best in Every
Child through Discipline
4. Faith Enrichment Training
e monthly training also serves
as a venue for the BATA teachers,
the CFCFFL WWP Education
Coordinators, and the CFCFFL
Education Ministry to exchange
ideas, strategies, and best practice in
the management of the program and
the children. It is also an opportunity
to build relations among brothers
and sisters in community where the
sharing and the openness is a witness
to what being part of a community
is all about.
ose attending the monthly
training include the teachers in our
Work with the Poor Restoration
Villages like CFC International
Village (Teacher Jonah Esdrelon,
Teacher Susan Ramos, and Program
Coordinator-Baby Prinsipe), and RV
Brampton (Teacher Laila Santos),
of the district of Novaliches; RV
Navotas (Teacher Irish Peruda,
Teacher Red Alvarez, and Teacher
Dory Esteban) of the district of
Caloocan; RV San Isidro Labrador
(Teacher Linda Abueg, and Teacher
Cecil Nidua), RV Mary Mediatrix
(Carms Caringal) of the district
of Paranaque; Mission Village of
Pandi, Bulacan (Teacher Vislumin
San Diego); our CFCEFI supervised
schools: SMS Candelaria (Teacher
Alma Manalo and Teacher Donna
Pedrosa); SMS Pasig (Teacher Grace
Idos) and Start Preschool from Tala,
Caloocan (Teacher Jeane Cristine
Garcia, Teacher Gisselle Honaridez,
and Teacher Evangeline Oliver).
Children are special in the
eyes and heart of God. Teaching
and helping them make us special
in the Kingdom of God.
Contributed by Maricel Montilla
S
eing a
ervant to the
hurch
C
S
B
We in CFC-FFL are an integral part of the
Cainc|ic Cnurcn Wc arc su|nic! ic cur
bishops and to the pope. Our life, formation
and service will conform to Catholic values
and ideals. We make ourselves available to
be of service in the parishes and dioceses,
especially in the areas of family and life. We
look to Mary, the mother of the Church, as
our inspiration and help.
CBCP GIVES
RECOGNITION TO
CFCFFL
T
he Episcopal Com-
mission on the Laity
(ECLA) of the Catho-
lic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) has given
formal recognition to
the Couples for Christ
Foundation for Family
and Life (CFCFFL) as
a National Private As-
sociation of the Lay
Faithful.
In accordance with
Canons 321-320 of the
Code of Canon Law, the
recognition was approved
by the Chairman of ECLA
and Antipolo Bishop
Gabriel Reyes.
May Our Lord
Jesus Christ continue
to bless abundantly
the Couples for Christ
Foundation for Family
and Life as an instrument
for the sanctication and
strengthening of the family,
Reyes said.
In another development,
His Holiness, Pope Benedict
XVI, has re-appointed
CFCFFL Servant General
Francisco Padilla and his
wife Geraldine Padilla as
members of the Pontical
Council for the Family.
e servant couple will
be extending their term
as council members for
another ve years.
CFCFFL is an organization
of faithful committed to the work
of evangelization and family life
renewal. It envisions restoration,
perpetuation and intensication of
the true Couples for Christ charism
that is focused on evangelization
and family life renewal. (Kate
Laceda from CBCP News)
BEING A SERVANT TO THE CHURCH 69
CFCFFL
ASSISTANT
SPIRITUAL
DIRECTOR
NAMED TO
THEOLOGICAL
COMMISSION
P
ope Benedict XVI appointed new
members of the International eo-
logical Commission, replacing those
who served in the previous ve-year period.
Among those named to the Commission is
Salesian Father Francis Gustilo, professor of
theology and spirituality at the Don Bosco
Center of Studies of Paranaque, Philippines,
and CFCFFL Assistant Spiritual Director.
e commission is presided over by the
prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith, currently Cardinal William
Levada.
ECCLESIAL
RECOGNITION
OF THE
ARCHDIOCESE
OF
LINGAYEN-
DAGUPAN
RE-APPOINTED
FILIPINO
COUPLE
TO THE
PONTIFICAL
COUNCIL
FOR THE
FAMILY SEES
TOUGHER
WORK AHEAD
M
ANILA, October 28, 2009 e defense
of the Catholic Churchs doctrines on
family and life remains a critical issue
of debate in a liberal generation we have at the
present, but Frank and Geraldine Padilla vowed
to continue working for the renewal of family and
defense of life no matter how tough it gets.
After having been re-appointed by Pope Benedict
XVI to the Pontical Council for the Family, the Padillas
admitted that they are facing truckload of works to do with
the Council, given the numerous attacks being directed
against the Churchs doctrines on family and life.
e tougher challenges come not as a consequence of
the reappointment, but the times that we live in, with family
and life under greater attack, especially from powerful forces
including the United States government, the European
Union, the United Nations, the liberal
media, the homosexualist philosophy etc. It
is only the Catholic Church that is actually
standing up for marriage, family and life.
us the Catholic Church is also the object
of attack. Family and life are the critical
CFCFFL PRISON MINISTRY
JOINS SLRP COMMUNITY NIGHT
Contributed by Laya and Imelda Victoria
issues of this third millennium,
Frank said.
But despite the challenge, the
Padillas promised their untiring
commitment with the Vaticans pro-
family and pro-life cause, adding that
their involvement with the Couples
for Christ Foundation for Family
and Life will help them fulll their
duties for the Council.
CFCFFLs mission is the
renewal of the family and the defense
of life. We are right there in the
forefront of the struggle against anti-
family and anti-life forces. We are
committed to strengthen the family,
and build a worldwide network of
committed families that will allow
the light of Christ to shine forth. So
our involvement in CFCFFL keeps
us grounded on what is going on,
not just in the Philippines but also
throughout the world, and equips us
with the approaches and programs
that are important for this work,
said Frank, who is also the Servant
General of CFCFFL.
e Padillas are among the 19
couples appointed from around the
globe to the Council. Since their rst
appointment in 2003, the Padillas
are the only Filipino and Asian
couple chosen by the Holy Father
for a slot in the lineup. But even
before their stint at the Vatican, the
couples advocacy has been always
geared towards delity.
We strive to become models
that Filipino married couples can
emulate. We have been married for
38 years. We hope to be witnesses
of how marriage and family can be
the happiest aspects of our lives,
if lived in the Lord, Geraldine
added. (Kris Bayos http://www.
cbcpnews.com/?q=node/11009)
R
esponding to the
invitation of Fr. Luke
Dobles, Parish Priest of
San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish (SLRP)
at Tandang Sora, Quezon City,
the service team of CFCFFL
Ministry for Restorative Justice-
New Bilibid Prison joined the
Parish Community Night on
December 5, 2009.
e event was an opportunity for
the CFCFFL Ministry for Restorative
Justice to make its presence felt at
the SLRP, considering that Fr. Luke
is the Head of the Restorative Justice
Ministry of the Diocese of Novaliches.
It is hoped that many will join the
Ministry for Restorative Justice from
his parish.
Worth noting was the participation
of the CFCFFLs choir who sang
during the anticipated mass which
formally opened the Community
Night celebration. Fr. Luke ocially
installed the members of the CFCFFL
Choir during the mass. Later during
the program, they gave a dance
presentation to the delight of the
parishioners and guests.
A ROAD WORTH TRAVELLING
The poor you will always have with you, and whenever you
wish you can do good to them. (Mark 14:7)
T
he Social Action
Committee, under the
Parish Pastoral Council,
serves as the helping arm of
the church to reach out to
the underprivileged and the
marginalized individuals of a
particular community, which is
now known as Gods Beloved.
e committee is composed
of Instituted Lay Ministers
and Couples for Christ
Foundation for Family and
Life of San Pascual, Batangas.
is committee envisions
several programs, some of
which are: Shelter/Housing
Projects to help improve,
renovate and reconstruct their
respective houses; Health
Programs through medical and
dental missions, to provide
the much needed medical
and dental assistance and a
feeding program to provide
additional nutritional support;
Educational Programs to send
children to school; Livelihood
Projects intended to uplift
their way of life; and Spiritual
Formation Programs to guide
the community in their spiritual
needs. Within the duration of
one year, the committee was
able to achieve the following:
SHELTER PROGRAM
e committee chose
beneciary-families who are in
desperate need to have their houses
improved and reconstructed. e
Instituted Lay Ministers together
with members of CFCFFL shared
their resources to help these families.
Time, labor and nancial resources
were pooled together to make the
project become a reality. Majority
of funds were from Alay Kapwa
and generous parishioners of San
Pascual. As of today, the committee
was able to re-build six houses of six
families. e journey
of the committee
in this program is
a continuing one.
e commitment of
the committee does
Contributed by Mar M. Reyes
CFCFFL Batangas
BEFORE
AFTER
not stop with the reconstruction of
houses. It continues to strive to turn
the houses into homes.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
Another key project of the
committee is the Adopt-A-Pupil
Program where the committee
will look for sponsors to help send
selected children to school. is
program has yet to start due to
scarcity of available funds. e
committee, however, has already
taken initial steps to jumpstart this
project.
HEALTH PROGRAM
Another key project of the
Social Action Committee is the
Health Program. is program
aims to supplement the nutritional
needs of the children in the adopted
community. Last May 10, 2009
at San Pascual Baylon Parish Church, the committee held its rst feeding
program that benetted 200 children.
During the rst quarter of 2009, a medical-dental mission was held at
San Pascual Baylon Parish Church that benetted 300 persons. is project,
sponsored by one of our parishioners, sought to provide free medical and
dental check-ups and treatment.
LIVELIHOOD PROGRAM
In its desire to provide a means to help the community live fruitful and
productive lives, the committee created the Haven for Gods Beloved. A stall
in the San Pascual Public Market was set up for the beneciaries to have
their own livelihood. As an added privilege, the rent for the stall was waived
by Hon. Mayor Antonio Dimayuga through the eorts of the committee
chairman.
FORMATION
e development of the spiritual aspect of ones life is very important.
Just like our body needs food to survive, our soul needs its own nourishment.
is is why Spiritual Formation became an important component of the total
renewal of the adopted community. Being inspired by the word of God allows
the families to see and appreciate Gods intervention in their life. ey are
eventually invited to attend the Christian Life Seminar (CLS) of CFCFFL
to help deepen their faith. ey are integrated into the life and mission of
CFCFFL after being grouped into households or cell groups.
ough resources are hard to come by, much have been achieved. ese
accomplishments are through the unselsh support of very committed
individuals: Rev. Fr. Eleuterio Ramos, Ruy Andaya, Chapter Servant,
CFCFFL San Pascual, Demy Dela Cruz, PPC President, and all Instituted
Lay Ministers of San Pascual. e challenge never stops.
ough the committee has encountered several bumps along the way, at
the end of the day, reaching out to those who are in need and the opportunity
to serve them gives all of us a special kind of satisfaction. No matter how
rough and bumpy the ride may be, it is surely a road worth traveling.
God`s Wheel
U
krainian Christians
love to tell the story
of how their ances-
tors discovered the liturgy. In
988, Prince Vladimir of Kiev,
upon converting to the Gospel,
sent emissaries to Constanti-
nople, the capital city of East-
ern Christendom. ere they
witnessed the Byzantine liturgy
in the cathedral of Holy Wis-
dom, the grandest church of
the East. After experiencing the
chant, the incense, the icons
but above all, the Presence
the emissaries sent word to
the prince: We did not know
whether we were in heaven or
on earth. Never have we seen
such beauty We cannot de-
scribe it, but this much we can
say; there God dwells among
mankind.
Of all things Catholic, there is
nothing as familiar as the Mass. Yet
most Catholics will go a lifetime
without seeing beyond the surface
of memorized prayers. Few will
glimpse the powerful supernatural
drama they enter into every Sunday.
Pope John Paul II has called the Mass
heaven on earth, explaining that
the liturgy we celebrate on earth
is a mysterious participation in the
heavenly liturgy.
THE MASS: A HEAVEN
e incense and icons, the
prostrations and bows, the chant
and the bells all that help us to
experience the Presence of God. We
have an experience not only when
ideas are fed into our minds, but also
when all our senses are involved as
well. at is why God has given us
a body: to worship Him with His
people in liturgy. Catholics dont
just hear the Gospel. In the liturgy,
we hear, see, smell, and taste it. At
Mass, we dont only refer to God as
Almighty, but we hear, see, feel and
touch Him.
In the Book of Revelation,
St. John describes the heavenly
liturgy as follows: Coming from the
throne were ashes of lightning, and
rumblings and peals of thunder, and
in front of the throne burn seven
aming torches, which are the even
spirits of God; and in front of the
throne there is something like a sea of
glass, like crystal (Rev.4:5-6). At the
Covenant-making ceremony (the
foreshadowing of our Eucharist
today) we have a description of
the way God manifested Himself
through sounds and
sights which made the
Might and Power of
God audible, tangible
and visible (Ex. 19:16,
18).
Fr. JUSTIN SEQUEIRA, sss
THE ALMIGHTY!
JUST AND RIGHTEOUS IS HE
(As celebrated in the Eucharist)
Did you ever watch a strong
army march in formation? e
soldiers move with unied precision,
and they chant with gusto and
condence. ats how we should
proceed through the liturgy:
condently, joyfully, and whole-
heartedly.
We act out our faith in a Mighty,
and an all Powerful God, by the
way we play the instruments, we
sing, we move at Mass when we
bring the Cross in procession, when
we use incense profusely, when we
carry imposing lit candles, when
our celebrants wear awe-inspiring
robes and in the process, the
Awesome Presence of God will be
felt by those around us who need
comfort and strength.
In the fourth century, St. Jerome
reported that, in Rome when the
Great Amen was proclaimed, all the
pagan temples trembled. How can
we make that happen today? What
would the various actors within
the Celebration have to do to make
the Power of God felt by all those
around?
Listen closely to the preface of
the Mass just before you sing with
the angels and the archangels, and
the whole company of heaven, the
unending hymn of His praise: Holy,
Holy, and Holy. Some Eastern
liturgies even dare to number the
angels: a thousand thousands and
ten thousand times ten thousand
hosts of angels and archangels. e
word hosts in this context connotes
military might like legions or
divisions. e Mass, it seems,
like the Normandy invasion in the
spiritual realm. And we are part of
the invading army. Does it sound
like that when we sing the Holy,
Holy today?
Why is worship, then, in the
Bible described by apocalyptical
writers in graphic and earthly terms?
e reason is that we, humans
who, for the rst time, were invited
to participate in heavenly worship
would know how to do it.
. ON EARTH
Strictly speaking, this awesome,
mighty and all-holy God would be
well within His rights to wipe us out
from the face of this earth, since we
are a sti-necked and a rebellious
people. And in this He would be
just. Instead it gives Him great joy
to see us raised up to His dignity,
making us sharers in His godly life.
And He invites all to taste of this
intimacy. at is His way of showing
His brand of justice.
at is why this great God
became a tiny babe, became a man
so that He could identify with our
human condition and make us
sharers in Gods very life. at is
why among the many titles given
to Jesus, like, Lord, God, Savior,
Messiah, King, Priest and Prophet,
Jesus is referred to as the Lamb. We
could comfortably address a God-
Man with the former titles. eyre
titles with dignity, implying wisdom,
power, and social status. But why
does the Bible refer to Him as the
Lamb and at Mass He is shown to us
as the Lamb of God who takes away
the sins of the world?
Lambs dont usually rank high
on lists of most-admired animals.
Other animals would seem more
worthy. We can easily imagine Jesus,
for example, as the Lion of Judah
(Rev.5:5). Lions are kingly; theyre
strong and agile; nobody messes with
the king of beasts. But the Lion of
Judah makes only a casual appearance
in the Book of Revelation.
To ancient Israel, the lamb was
identied with sacrice, and sacrice
is one of the most primal forms of
worship. We see this right from the
story of Cain and Abel right up
to the celebration of the Passover
at the time of Jesus. Jesus was
dierent from other lambs of the
Old Covenant; Jesus sacrice would
accomplish what all the blood of
millions of sheep and bulls and goats
could never do (Heb 10:4). He alone
could put away sin by the sacrice
of Himself. (Heb 9:26).
When Jesus died, the huge
sanctuary veil that separated God and
us was brought down (Mt 27:51).
We now have access to God. His
dwelling was no longer reserved to
the high priest alone. Gods presence
becomes an open house. Heaven
and earth could now embrace in
intimate love.
Jews commonly used apokalypsis
to describe part of their week-
long wedding festivities. e
apokalypsis was the lifting of the veil
of virgin bride, which took place
immediately before the marriage
was consummated in sexual union.
So close is the unity of heaven and
earth that it is like the fruitful and
ecstatic union of husband and wife
in love. St. Paul describes the church
as the bride of Christ (Eph 5), and
Revelation unveils that bride. e
climax of the Apocalypse, then,
is the communion of the Church
and Christ: the marriage supper of
the Lamb (Rev 19:9). Jesus wants
each and every one of us to enter
into the most intimate relationship
imaginable with Him. is wedding
imagery demonstrates how much
He loves us, how close He wants us
to stay and how permanent He
intends our union to be.
is intimacy coupled with
the Might of God will enable
us to be victorious against the
forces of darkness. And the devil
knows when the light of Christ
is on one side of the battle, the
darkness of hell is the weaker.
GODS WORK IN THE
PROMISED LAND
Contributed by Bob and Reena Murga
CFCFFL Young Ministries Coordinator
I
n May 2009, we were so
blessed to have had our
20th wedding anniversary
celebrated in Rome en route
to the CFCFFL National
Conference in Salzburg,
Austria. It was indeed Gods
perfect timing for a once in a
lifetime experience, with Bob
having recently retired after 12
years at Citibank, and Reena
taking a few weeks o from
her consultancy work. With
Fr. Sammy Silloriquez (our
former Parish Priest at Our
Lady of Consolation Parish
in Quezon City) were three
other Filipino Augustinian
Recollects based in Rome who
concelebrated the Mass held
at one of the small chapels
at the Basilica of St. Peter.
Little did we know that a few
months later we would yet
again renew our vows in the
Holy Land, right in Cana!
Sometimes, when things are not
planned, the Lord puts his perfect
design into motion. In November
last year, we found ourselves
arranging and conrming our
ights to Israel, in response to the
call of the Philippine Chaplaincy of
the Holy Land. We were requested
to facilitate a workshop and help
Fr. Angelo Ison, OFM, Fr. Ric
Fernando, SDB and leaders of
the Filipino communities develop
a vision and mission statement,
supported by an executable plan
of action, that will not only unify
the migrant communities spread
across Israel, but also work towards
deepening their spirituality, personal
relationship with God, and bringing
Christ to the people they relate
with families, co-workers, and
locals thus living out the greater
mission.
When we nally landed at
the Ben Gurion Airport close to
midnight of November 23, we
were warmly welcomed by Fr. Ric
who took us straight to the Divine
Mercy Chapel (DMC) which would
be our home base. e place was
spic and span, complete with all the
amenities, including a lovely new
altar. Our living quarters were very
comfortable, and Filipino dishes
were made available for our meals.
Like true missionaries, God
provided for our needs. e longer
we stayed there, immersed, heard
Mass with the Filipino migrants,
dined and shared stories with them,
we saw the DMC truly become a
local church and evidently the
body of Christ. As Sr. Salve,
OSB had put it, Six months ago,
you wouldnt have imagined how
this place would transform. e
Filipino community embraced the
DMC as their own that even late at
night, people would come from work
to clean the place, line up the chairs,
roll out the red-carpet, x the altar
and sound system in preparation for
the scheduled Masses. Creativity
and resourcefulness was also in
abundance (how can we forget the
beautiful advent wreath so creatively
done in time for the rst Mass of
the season). Everything about the
DMC is truly work borne out of
love!
Inspired by the enthusiasm
and commitment shown by the
community in Israel, we were
challenged to conduct a workshop
that would not only be meaningful
and productive, but also something
that would springboard the
Chaplaincys life and mission in
the Holy Land. By Gods grace, we
completed what was supposed to
be a two-day workshop in just six
hours (from 9:00PM to 12:00MN
of Friday and Saturday) of focused
discussions and exercises. Together
with Fr. Ric and the Filipino
community, we look forward to
seeing these plans rolled out.
Of course, we were also
blessed with the opportunity to
have a personalized tour of the
pilgrimage sites in the Holy Land
courtesy of Fr. Ric (Jerusalem),
Fr. Pol, CP (Bethlehem) , Sister
Rebecca, SPC (Jerusalem), the OSB
Sisters Leah, Salve, Res,
Philip and Andrew
( Ga l i l e e / Ta b g h a ,
Nazareth, Cana, Mt.
Tabor). Since the tour
was personalized,
there was much time for prayer
and reection. We both realized
that going on mission together and
having the chance to renew our
vows at Cana, the very place where
Christ instituted the Sacrament of
Matrimony, made 2009 a year truly
enriching and memorable for us.
To Fr. Angelo, Fr. Ric, Fr.
Pol, the Don Bosco Community
in Jerusalem, the SPC sisters in
Jerusalem, the OSB sisters in Galilee,
and the communities comprising
the whole Chaplaincy, maraming
maraming salamat po! May God be
praised.
We are privileged to serve God and His
people, both in and out of CFC-FFL. We
serve with the mind and heart of Jesus,
who came to serve and not to be served
(Mt 20:28). Leaders are to serve with
nuni|iiusc|jsacriccan!su|nissicn
to the Chief Shepherd, to whom we will
render an account (Hb 13:17). He who
wishes to be great shall be the least of all
(Mt 20:26-27).
xercising
ervant
eadership
L
S
E
YASIA FIESTA!
MY AYD5 HIGHLIGHTS
S
ome kind of wonderful!
at is how I would best
describe my experience
last November 20-27, 2009
with over 1,500 Catholic youth
delegates from dierent parts
of Asia. It was the 5th Asian
Youth Day (AYD5), and for
the rst time, the Philippines
played host to the biggest youth
gathering of Asian Catholics.
Even as the year comes to a
close, God continues to show great
things in my life as a missionary,
with this opportunity to join the
AYD5 delegation of CFC Singles for
Family and Life. Let me share with
you my favorite Yasia (for Youth of
Asia) moments:
Emmaus Walk Also called
the Yasia Walk, this was the most
meaningful AYD activity for me,
where we celebrated the Holy Mass
in a very unique way: by re-living the
Emmaus walk. We literally walked
around the AYD site, and took a stop
at specic stations to continue a part
of the Holy Mass while reecting on
the experience of the two disciples as
Jesus walked with them in Emmaus.
I realized that, indeed, every time I
attend mass, it is like talking a walk
on that road to Emmaus, where I will
surely encounter
Jesus in the
breaking of the
bread and in the
proclamation of
the Word that
will undoubtedly
leave a re
burning in my
heart.
C l e r g y
To see so
many cardinals,
bishops and
priests from
the Philippines
and from all
over Asia in
Cavite for the
AYD5 was an
overwhelming
armation of
their love and
support for the youth. e clergy
has clearly shown that the youth
has a special place in the life of the
Church. e icing on the cake
was the AYD message of the Holy
Father, read by the Papal Nuncio.
Pope Benedict exhorted the youth to
remember a simple yet very powerful
statement of the Blessed Mother in
the gospel - Do whatever He tells
you. AYD has inspired me to have
a greater love for our priests and to
intensify my prayers for them.
Confession e
opportunity to receive the sacrament
of reconciliation is always a
high experience for me, for it is
a moment of grace. It is said that
heaven rejoices over one sinner who
repents. I cannot imagine the wild
party that happened in the heavens
that night as hundreds of youth
went to confession. It was a sight to
behold. God was so good that there
were priests available to listen to the
confession of the delegates in their
respective dialect or language.
Liturgy Everything that
went right in the AYD happened
whenever we celebrated the Holy
Mass. ere was daily mass, and
each was a beautiful manifestation
of the unity of the Church in
Asia. Coming together as youth
of dierent skin color, language,
culture and tradition,
the Holy Eucharist
sealed our common
faith in the one Lord.
My experience of
Contributed by Marie Relucio
CFCSFL Fulltime Worker
EXERCISING SERVANT LEADERSHIP 81
the liturgy at the AYD with youth
coming from all over Asia made me
witness so visibly that we are one
body sharing one bread and one cup
of blessing.
Exposition of the Blessed
Sacrament A quiet time with
God is time most well-spent. e
AYD gave us this opportunity and
guided us in our reection through
the Taize meditative prayer. To be in
the presence of God in the Blessed
Sacrament (whether in the AYD
or anywhere else) will always be
unforgettable.
Sit on the oor forever!
It was Yasia Fiesta! and Yasia wa
silya! for me. ank you, God, for
giving me a very good reason to treat
myself to a massage after the AYD.
When you have to sit on the oor
for hours without back rest (and you
do that for ve straight days), either
you say Forgive them for they do
not know what they are doing, or
you ask yourself if, perhaps, you are
already too old to be attending AYD
(haha!)
Interaction with Catholic
youth from over 25 countries
Maria from Spain, Victor from
Rwanda, Kimlyly from Cambodia,
Arun from Bangladesh, Je from
Hongkong, Adie from East Timor,
Mary Ann from Naga, Von from
Valenzuela, Shaira from Palawan,
MJ from Lanao and so many other
new friends. Praise God! It was
especially inspiring to know so many
youth persevering in their Catholic
faith despite the challenge that they
are in the minority religious group
in most of Asia. AYD was especially
memorable because it has given me
the chance to encounter the best
Asian youth of all Jesus (yes, He is
Asian and still part of the youth in His
30s!). He is in the Word proclaimed
in dierent dialects and languages, in
the Body and Blood we receive, in the
Blessed Sacrament, and in the hearts
of everyone who was part of AYD.
e whole week of interacting with
youth from dierent provinces and
countries has also given me a greater
appreciation for the huge blessing
of being baptized as a Catholic in
the Philippines where I have the
freedom to openly express my faith
- to carry my Bible, to go to mass
daily, to pray anywhere at anytime,
to talk about God to anyone. It is
not the same for many brothers and
sisters in Asia. is encouraged me
to pray for them too.
AYD5 eme Song We
sang and danced to this song a
million times for one week. It just
had to be on this list. You hear the
rst note and ting! Delegates
dropped everything and started to
sing-and-dance. e AYD was over,
but I can still hear the song in my
headYas i a
Fiesta! Come
together and
celebrate
L o t s
(and I mean
lots) of AYD
volunteers I
would like to
believe that
these volunteers
have all given
their best. ey
said yes when
AYD organizers
asked for help.
For all that
may have gone
wrong, I still
praise God for
people who
step up and
said yes when
there was a call to help for a good
cause, especially for the youth. AYD
will surely not be the same without
them.
In the end, it was simply that
- ECCLESIAL (Emmaus-Clergy-
Confession-Liturgy-Exposition-
Sit-Interaction-AYD song-Lots of
volunteers). We are a community
of Asian Catholic youth coming
together, sharing the Word and
living the Eucharist.
Bishop Tagle put it beautifully
that the 5th Asian Youth Day ended
just as we are about to begin the
advent season. As the AYD delegates
went back to their respective youth
ministries, provinces and countries,
the advent brought a new season for
the Catholic Church in Asia. As
the ending of the AYD theme song
said, rough us, the Bread of Life,
brings a new season of grace! Yasia
Fiesta!
M
uch has been told
about our brother
inmates at the
Maximum Security Compound
of the New Bilibid Prison
(Max-NBP) and the eects of
Gods transforming power in
their lives. Needless to say, they
are important in our service
inside the Bilibid, but equally
important are the men and
women who oer their time
and talent once a weekevery
weekto be with those who
are considered as scums of
the earth, dregs of society,
or human garbage, but
are in reality most loved by
God when He specically
commanded us to love
one another, particularly
to remember those in
prison (Hebrews 13: 1,3).
Worthwhile mentioning are a
few of these men and women
who serve cheerfully, proving
but never fully understanding
why God calls one to service
and how He chooses a servant
for His purpose alone (Romans
8:28). All we know is that God
has the power to put together
dierent people with dierent
backgrounds and interests to
work as one, as He did when
He called brothers and sisters
to serve inside the NBP.
It has been three years now since
Rading Mercado joined the Service
Team at NBP. A retired Manila Police
Captain, his joining the Service Team
signaled the end of our perennial
problem of distributing the weekly
snacks of pandesal and juice, as well
as the monthly Biyaya: long lines
of inmates waiting for their turn to
receive their share of snacks or Biyaya
only to nd out that the supply
had run out before the last inmate
at the end of the line had received
his share. is left us confused and
frustrated, knowing that enough
supplies had been prepared for all
to receive. Rading easily found a
solution to this problem. Rading
made it easier for the entire Service
Team to impose order and discipline
among the inmate members. How
he does it is his brand of discipline.
Another servant, Boy Alvinez,
has been a big help to the program
Ugnayan sa Pamilya, which aims
to restore family relations. Boy
has reconciled many inmates with
their families. Added to his God-
given courage, his patience to
locate addresses, most often times
incomplete, of wives, children
or relatives of inmates is truly
remarkable. Ugnayan has immensely
enriched his life, he claims. Just
witnessing the kinds of life style
the inmates have in their homes
and around their homes gives him
a deeper understanding of what
went wrong with their lives. He
now better appreciates Gods gift
of family. His faithfulness to the
Ugnayan and his unselsh response
to multi-tasking makes him truly
valuable to our work inside the NBP.
Our servant couple, Nonoy
and Chato Lebadesus, are gifted
with the grace to know people
by their names and faces! When
Biyaya Day comes, only those
who attend prayer assemblies and
household meetings, without any
absences, are given 1.5 kgs. of rice.
e couple knows who these are
and submits a list of those qualied
to receive biyaya. is grace of
knowing people by their names
is also helpful as they handle the
inmates medical concerns. Nanay
Chato, as she is fondly called by
the inmates, can be very strict and
rm, but she also has a soft heart.
Constant in their pursuit for
service, Nonoy and Chato would
always go out of their way to
help the families of inmates. ey
move people to help. Recently,
they facilitated the application for
a college scholarship of a daughter
of an inmate, whom the Service
Team, with other generous CFCFFL
members, sent to high school.
Truly God has called this couple
to complement the vast work of
evangelization inside the Bilibid.
Describing the work of each
men and women called by God to
serve in NBP can go on and on and
on. One thing is certain about these
stories: whether one is a policeman,
a tough guy, a teacher, a driver, a
chemist, an accountant, an engineer,
a somebody, or a nobody, we will
never be able to fathom Gods reasons
as He called each to serve. We can
simply trust that He makes good all
those He called for His purpose.
Contributed by Laya & Imelda Victoria
EXERCISING SERVANT LEADERSHIP 83
EDUCATION MINISTRY
APPRECIATION
WORKSHOP
I
t was a challenge gathering
volunteers for the CFCFFL
Education Ministry, but
when they nally got together
last November 28, 2009, Gods
hand was evident with how His
workers responded to the call.
e morning session saw
education volunteers from the
Districts of Paranaque, Novaliches,
Caloocan, Pasig, Manila, as well as
the province of Laguna, and other
volunteers from Muntinlupa and
Navotas appreciating CFCFFLs
evangelistic and missionary
work through education. What
enlightened the participants was
the realization that the education
ministry does not only serve children,
but adults as well; the ministry
does not only address the needs of
Catholics/Christians, but indigenous
peoples and non-Christians as well;
and that there are programs for the
dierently-abled children of God!
What made it all signicant was the
fact that the ministrys core values
which directed its programs and
activities were all in line with the
core values of CFCFFL.
A more deliberate move to
assess the needs of their respective
areas and come up with programs/
plans to serve Gods people through
education was arrived at in the
afternoon of that day. Based on the
available resources of each area as well
as their assessed needs, it was clear
that the Lords direction was to oer
programs for children through the
BATA (Biyayang Aral, Tanging Alay)
Program; conduct formation session
for the teachers, parents, and yayas
through IMPACT (Empowerment
and Mentoring Program for Parents,
Caregivers, and Teachers) Sessions;
provide adult education through
the Alternative Learning System
Accreditation and Equivalency
Program; deepen ones faith through
the Faith Enrichment Program; and
advocate a love for learning through
reading, through setting-up of Bahay
Karunungan Reading and Literacy
Centers.
e volunteers all agreed to
identify implementation details of the
above programs when they meet with
their respective area volunteers. ey
were also eager to invite the CFCFFL
Education Ministry team to conduct
an Education Ministry Roadshow in
the dierent districts and provinces.
DATE EVENT VENUE
January
5-7 Pro-Life Training Layforce Guadalupe
8 District Servants Meeting with the Servant General CFCFFL OIfce
9 CFCFFL Community ConIerence Ynares Gym. Pasig
10 Prol-LiIe ConIerence Ynares Gym. Pasig
23-24 CFCFFL Weekend CAP. Baguio City
28
National Clergy ConIerence II (Laity Sector Retreat by
Fr. Raniero Contalamessa. preacher to the Papal Household
Araneta Coliseum
February
19-21 World Singles Congress Lipa City
27-28 Western Visayas CFCFFL Weekend TBA
March
6-7 Central Visayas CFCFFL Weekend TBA
13-14 Eastern Visayas CFCFFL Weekend TBA
20-21 Mindanao CFCFFFL Weekend Tandag. Surigao del Sur
20-21 Southern Tagalog CFCFFL Weekend Batangas
25 Lenten Recollection TBA
26-28 World Servants Congress Laguna
April
9-11 World Youth Congress Lipa City
17-18 World Handmaids Congress TBA
23-25 World Kids Congress Lipa City
May 2 Pro-LiIe 'Run Ior LiIe TBA
June
12-13 Pro-LiIe Congress TBA
13 Bowling Tournament TBA
17 CFCFFL GolI Tournament TBA
18 Family Ministries Congress TBA
19 CFCFFL Anniversary TBA
20 District Servants Meeting with the Servant General TBA
20 Leaders` Mission ConIerence TBA
21 Social Ministries Congress TBA
August 7 Marian Pilgrimage TBA
September 16-18 BoC Planning TBA
October 2 Way oI Mary Antipolo City
9 Children`s Rosary Rally TBA
November 17-20 BoC Retreat TBA
28 CFCFFL Family Day TBA
CFCFFL SPECIAL EVENTS
2010 Schedule
Apartelle 12, Star Mall, EDSA corner Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City
Telefax 718-2213 or visit cfcff.org
COUPLES FOR CHRIST
Foundation, Inc.
Renewing the Family and Defending LIfe

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