Ugnayan
THE NEWS SUPPLEMENT OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST CBCP Monitor. Vol. 22 No. 11
May 28 - June 10, 2018 C1
It’s all about FAMILY at the first International Family Conference! By Alma Alvarez
POPE FRANCIS said during the World Meeting of Families in 2015: Love is shown by the little things, by attention to small daily signs which make us feel at home. Faith grows when it is lived and shaped by love. That is why our families, our homes, are true domestic churches. They are the right place to become life, and life to grow in faith. This may be a mouthful, but what the Holy Father is saying basically is that the family, the home, is where faith is learned and grows. As CFC Kids for Christ celebrated its 25th anniversary as a ministry, it also celebrated the FAMILY via the first International Family Conference, from May 26 to 28, 2018, 2018 at the IEC Convention Center, Cebu City. The Praise Parade was held on Friday night, where delegates from all over the world shared their talents via creative festival numbers unique to their areas. Since it was CFC KFC’s 25th birthday, International Coordinator Adrian Enaje honored the past leaders of Kids for Christ. The activity ended with the parade of 25 birthday cakes and 25 Cebu lechons. Everyone helped themselves to the birthday food as they enjoyed watching the colorful praise parade. On Day 2, the Tolentino and Mungcal families handled the first two sessions of the iFamCon. In the first session, the Tolentinos talked about spending time to pray as a family. They emphasized that prayer makes
the family’s relationship with God stronger, teaches members of the family humility, and prepares the children for the future. Since the family is the first Church where children learn about God and Jesus, Mama Mary and the saints, families must have specific goals how to help them pray together daily: • Families should create an altar at home. • Families must fill their homes with God’s word. • Pray the Family Rosary daily. • Practice family prayer time. The Mungcals, on the other hand, shared about spending time as a family at play. Daddy PJ presented three major reasons why families fail to spend time together: work time, study time, and screen time. Hence, the need for play time, as it fosters healthy and loving relationships in the home, and help create memories for the family. “Playing teaches love and discipline,” Mommy Abi said. The Mungcals enjoined all the families to spend time playing, not on electronic gadgets, but games which require physical activity, or board games that encourage critical thinking and decision-making. In between the sessions, both kids and parents went to separate workshops. The kids mainly had creative and fun workshops, while the parents sat through the parenting workshop given by Bobby Quitain, lay evangelizer from the Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon Community, and his wife Jeng. The workshop, titled The Heart of Parenting, talked about myths and truths about parenting, with breakout
Family is a gift indeed, clockwise from top left: Archbishop Palma celebrating the Mass; Bobby Quitain of LNP; the Tolentino family in the first session; the much-awaited fire hose bath; opening salvo; family verse; play time with Dad, Mom and the kids.
sessions for the moms and dads on motherhood and fatherhood. On the last day of the iFamCon, the Sotto family from Singapore talked about the delegates being charged to
be families for other families. They enjoined the 1,000 families present to go out and proclaim the love of God to other families. They also talked about becoming
Young Couples Learn How to Enrich Intimacy YOUNG couples, meaning those who are in the early years of their marriage, flocked to the St. Paul College Grade School Auditorium on May 19 to learn about how they can enrich intimacy between them. Manny Panagsagan, Sector Head for Central A of Metro Manila and his wife Grace gave the young couples valuable insights as well as practical techniques on how they could improve communication in marriage, and enrich intimacy. “Marriage is the only relationship that makes two people one. It is a relationship where communication must be given premium. It is the only union that makes the “Me” become “We”,” the Panagsagans said. While the first few years of marriage can be all lovey-dovey, the young couples admitted that the daily grind affects their emotional connection and causes them to be disconnected. The couples learned that the lack of communication is one of the three leading causes why spouses grow apart and that the way to confront this lack is to become a team.
The Panagsagans talked about the different types of intimacy, giving emphasis on the importance of communication intimacy. For effective communication the Panagsagan couple shared the 4 Ts: • Timing - Make sure that both spouses are in the right disposition • Tone - Understand and emphasize. Avoid shaming. • Truth - There should always be openness and honesty in what is said. • Technique – Use the intentional or Imago dialogue, which will allow couples to learn and master the art of listening. It was almost the first time for participants to do the Imago dialogue, and to give them an experience on how it is done, the couples were asked to do three cycles of the intimacy dialogue. Some basic rules in doing the Imago dialogue are: • Talk, one person at a time. YOUNG COUPLES p2
families for God, where lasting friendship, acceptance, joy, a father’s initiative to bring the family closer to God, love, and the desire to spend time FIRST iFAMCON, p2 with the fam-
Rekindling the Gifts of Learning and Teaching at the T.E.A.C.H Expo
MORE than 600 volunteers from all over Luzon and Metro Manila gathered for the Cornerstone Academy Teach Expo held in Singson Hall, Ateneo De Manila University last May 19. With its theme “Rekindling the Gift of Learning and Teaching”, the volunteers were able to re-establish their posture towards Cornerstone and re-defined their roles as teachers to the Cornerstone students, as well to the parents. Tina AligadaHalal, TEACH Core Member, gave Session 1: Rekindle the
Gift. She reminded the volunteers to keep their Cornerstone stories in their hearts and to rekindle the fire that motivates them to persevere in their work. Halal emphasized that being part of the Cornerstone is a blessing, not just for the volunteers but for the whole community. “We are in Cornerstone because we love the children. Of course, the willingness to help is always there, but it should be done out of love,” she said. She reminded the volunteers that Cornerstone is God’s
gift to the community, and as volunteers they have to take good care of that gift in order to become gifts to others. A series of workshops was then conducted in different venues within the Ateneo campus, among them Funterest (on discovering different techniques on how to make tutorial sessions easy, fun and interesting), Prep Time (guidelines in making instructional materials and examples which the volunteers can replicate), YOU ROCK (Appreciating the KVF T.E.A.C.H. EXPO, p2
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CBCP Monitor
THEY WERE MENDING THEIR NETS MARK 1:9 WE WERE in Beijing from 13 to 15 April to give a teaching to the leaders (unit leaders and up) of CFC China. We were specifically requested to discuss how leaders in the community should pastor and care for their members. Thus our talk was on “Building Relationships, Pastoral Skills and Attitudes.” The participants were all Chinese so we needed an interpreter. The interpreter requested that we complete the thought first before he translates rather than do a sentence by sentence translation. The talk is inspired by the calling of the first disciples, Simon and his brother Andrew, who were casting their nets into the sea and James and his brother John who were in a boat mending their nets: He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets (Mark 1:19). In CFC, we cast our nets, meaning we “catch people”; and we mend our nets, meaning we prevent losing them through the holes of the nets. We mend our CFC nets by proper pastoring and building relationships. The teaching identifies two things needed to hone our pastoral skills and build relationships: the Spirit of a Shepherd (Jn 10:1,14) and the Heart of a Servant (Lk 17:10). The talk describes Pope Francis as an example of both a shepherd and a servant, and quotes his teaching on pastoring: “A pastor watches over the dreams, the lives and the growth of his flock. This watchfulness is the result of shepherding. Only one capable of standing in the midst of the flock can be watchful, not someone who is afraid of questions, contact,
accompaniment. A pastor keeps watch first and foremost with prayer, supporting the faith of his people and instilling confidence in the Lord, in his presence. A pastor remains vigilant by helping people to lift their gaze at times of discouragement, frustration and failure. We might well ask whether in our pastoral ministry we are ready to ‘waste’ time with families, whether we are ready to be present to them, sharing their difficulties and joys.” But the perfect model of both a shepherd and a servant is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Faithful Servant who will give his all for his master. He is the Good Shepherd who will give his life for his sheep. We ended our talk by relating the Parable of the Boy and his Toy Boat. The story goes like this: There was a young boy who constructed a beautiful toy boat for himself. The toy boat was so beautiful that he loved it so much. One day while he was playing with it in the river, the boat floated downstream swiftly. The boy ran alongside the riverbank to try to keep pace with it but the river current was too swift and turbulent that he lost the boat. Feeling sad and dejected, he went home. One day, while walking in town, he saw displayed in one of the stores the very same boat that he had lost. He told the storekeeper that the boat on display was but the storekeeper said that if he wanted it, he should buy it. Because he loved the boat so much, he went home, got his piggy bank, broke it, took all the money, and purchased the boat. He gave all he had, everything that he owned, to get back the one thing that he loved the most.
CFC ILOILO: 30 YEARS AND BEYOND
THE 30th year anniversary of Couples for Christ (CFC) Iloilo was held at the Ateneo de Iloilo last April 29. CFC members from the different sectors and ministries all over the province attended. The event, which was hosted by the city sector, opened with worship led by Boy Solarte, Family Ministries Head of Iloilo. Worship was followed by a flash mob dance reflecting God’s faithfulness and love for CFC Iloilo for the past 30 years. Steve Maningat, Regional Head of Western Visayas delivered the welcome remarks, expressing amazement for the Lord’s work in the province. Nonoy de Leon, Provincial Area Head of Aklan,
delivered the anniversary message. The assembly was entertained by creative presentations from the different sectors. North 1 Sector, which rendered an original composition, was the most applauded presentation. Another applauded group was the Youth for Christ band who performed their presentation during the 25th International Conference. The new archbishop of the Archdiocese of Jaro, the Most Reverend Jose Romeo O. Lazo, D.D., celebrated Mass. The celebration was concluded by a praise fest led by Nice Geraldez. (Clyle Lyde E. Balansag)
As I explained to the Chinese participants, in this parable, we are the toy boat. God is the little boy. Just as the boy made the boat, God created us. He created us beautiful. And he loves us so much. As the boy placed the toy boat in the river, God placed us in this world. But the world’s pace is too fast and too turbulent. There are deadlines to be met. There are mortgages to be paid. We work frantically. And like the toy boat that the boy lost, God lost us. And God was very sad. Then one day, God found us again, and he wanted us back. But like the storekeeper, Satan said, “You have to buy him back.” God asked, “How much?” Satan said, “Everything that you’ve got.” And God said, “Done.” And God gave everything, his very own life to buy us back. He created us. He owns us. He bought us back. God owns us twice over. We waited for the interpreter to translate the story into Chinese. But he could not come out with the words. He struggled to compose himself but no words came out. He was crying. After a while, the interpreter regained his composure and started translating. After he finished, over half the audience had teary eyes. At the end of our talk, they were hugged, kissed and thanked us. It was time for us to go back to our hotel and prepare to leave for Manila. After so much hugs, kisses and handshakes, we walked to our car that would bring us to the hotel and the airport. Peter, the leader of CFC Beijing walked us to the car. We told Peter, “Peter, take care of the flock.” To our surprise, he broke into sobs. As we travelled back to Manila, we reflected on
how powerfully the Holy Spirit is working in CFC China; how seriously they take the teachings; how deeply they embrace the challenge of pastoring their members; and how much they love Jesus. We honor Peter. We honor our interpreter. We honor CFC China. We could understand why our interpreter, due to deep emotion, took some time before being able to muster the words to say. We could understand why, after hearing the parable of the boy and the toy boat translated into Chinese, over half the audience became teary-eyed. We could understand why Peter broke into sobs upon hearing our admonition, “Take care of the flock.” Peter must have felt, as the leader of the Beijing community, the magnitude of the task that God has given him – to pastor the community and keep them all inside the “CFC net.” The members of CFC China must have a very deep love for the Lord and have a profound faith in the great sacrifice made by Jesus on the Cross that their emotions came out, their empathy manifested, and their inmost feelings were revealed upon hearing the parable. We were so much more evangelized by them than we had evangelized them. What happened in Beijing strengthened our faith that the Holy Spirit is working in the CFC community – and doubly working in CFC China. The Beijing incident confirmed our belief that Jesus is truly present in the CFC community. And if Jesus is present with us, if we can feel his presence, if we can hear his voice, if we can see his power working, why should we look for Jesus elsewhere?
MM CENTRAL A HOLDS FIRST SENIORS FORUM AS PART of the Seniors Program’s annual activities for the members of Metro Manila Central A Sector, a forum entitled “Towards a Meaningful Life” was conducted at the Andechaga Room of Mary the Queen Parish in Greenhills, San Juan City on May 12, from 2:00 – 5:00 PM. Fifty-nine seniors, both from CFC and HOLD, came to the forum. Lito Abaño gave a talk on how seniors can put meaning into their life’s journey as lay persons, while Fr. Larry Faraon, OP exhorted the seniors to add some spiritual dimensions into it. Abaño mentioned several ways that a senior member of CFC can remain productive in the community., citing those present for being active and committed in their early years in CFC and helping usher the community to where it is now. Fr. Faraon affirmed much of what Lito mentioned, adding his own insights on how
seniors can indeed give their lives the spiritual dimension. Four activities yet to be conducted for the seniors of the Sector were also announced, namely: • 2 Senior Couples Retreats, scheduled in July and September; • The conduct of Processing and Consultations with medical practitioners for Neuro & Psychiatric conditions in partnership with UNILAB; • Also, again in partnership with UNILAB the conduct
of a “Road to Recovery” session for 25 patients in the Sector who have experienced stroke; and • “Christmas in October” and the “Simeon and Anna Awards”. (Jorge Asensi)
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ily are all present. This way, it would be easier for these families to witness to their neighbors, relatives, friends, and the community. And as in any CFC Kids for Christ event, there are staples like the Mass to begin each day, the traditional fire hose bath, and the ROCK assembly, which was the first international ROCK assembly ever. Msgr. Rommel Kintanar, Spiritual Director of CFC
Cebu, reminded the parents of the missionary nature of every family. Fr. Bernard Holzer, a selfconfessed first-timer in any CFC international event, had words of affirmation and gratitude for his experience during the iFamCon. On Day 3, His Excellency Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu exhorted the families in his homily, “Celebrate God’s gift! You don’t need to look far, just look beside you.
Your family is a gift.” The weekend was indeed a celebration, not only of the ministry’s 25 th year, but of the gift of family. It was also a celebration of the generosity of CFC Cebu for opening their homes to the 4,500 delegates by hosting the 1,000 families from Metro Manila, the Philippine provinces and from overseas, making them feel that the CFC community is truly one big family. (Alma Alvarez)
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and its importance in bringing the kids closer to God.), Once Upon A Cornerstone (learning how to do creative storytelling and how to motivate the children to read), RnR (Repitition and Reinforcement) (the basics in applying Behavioral Management Techniques), CS App (exploring, encoding and updating the Cornerstone Management System), Read Street (understanding and evaluating the new Cornerstone Modules), and Touch Look and Listen (training volunteers on how to teach reading using Visual, Auditory, Tactile, and Kinesthetic strategies). Session 2: Fulfill the Ministry was given by Fr. Benedict Lagarde, MJ. His session integrated
inspiration and affirmation of the volunteers, challenging them to fulfill the mission God has entrusted to them. Fr. Lagarde reminded the participants that as mentors and teachers, they should always see the poor as partners, and not as recipients of their compassion in doing charity. “One of the most liberating acts is when we arrive at the point when we consider the poor as equal partners in formation, in education, in all acts of liberation,” he said. Moreover, he reminded the volunteers that it is when the poor continue to become recipients that they become passive receivers, and not active copartners. “No formation or education takes place
unless there is an alliance of trust. Trust is not something that we impose on people, it is something we earn,” Fr. Lagarde added. Fr. Lagarde celebrated the Mass after his session. In his homily, he reminded the volunteers that they are all instruments of the love of God and that in the end, “Napapansin mo na ginagamit ka ng Panginoon sa Kanyang misyon.” “The mission is not ours, it is the Lord’s mission and we are just participants,” Fr. Lagarde said. He reiterated that the posture of the volunteers towards the mission is not just to be happy when doing it, but to remember that they are being sent by God. “H’wag kang pumunta doon dahil masaya, pumunta ka doon
dahil ipinadala ka ng Panginoon,” he added. Fr. Lagarde expressed gratitude to Cornerstone and ANCOP for their continuous support to the scholars in his parish. Testimonies were given by volunteers, students and parents about how Cornerstone has been an integral part of their lives. They shared how the program helped them cope with their respective roles and missions, and how Cornerstone continues to empower them—both as volunteers and recipients. The T.E.A.C.H. Expo ended with the customary class picture, and the participants bringing with them the rekindled fire in responding to the mission of God. (Andrelene Veloso)
• Be clear who is the sender and who is the receiver. • Connect with the eyes and the hands. • Focus only on expressing appreciation, not points of controversy or irritation. Some couples found the technique awkward but they were united in saying that they learned something new and useful. Jack and Emms Ramiso from Cavite discovered how easy it was for both of them to misinterpret what the other is saying. Through the Imago technique, they learned to really listen to one another, and understand what one is saying. Efren Borja, a member of the Light of Jesus couples ministry, learned about the event on Facebook and got curious. He said, “It is good to see communities like Couples for Christ continue
to fulfill its mission, and find ways to help husbands and wives strengthen their married life. Opening events like this to other married couples who are not CFC members to also receive and learn from the teaching is really a nice gesture.” He regretted not bringing his wife Evelyn along though, but looked forward to attending similar events together. Cel Cerojales from Mandaluyong also shared her experience. “My husband Benjie and I were able to talk about things which we really needed to talk about but couldn’t because of differences in our work schedules. We became more open to each other, and realized a lot of things,” Cerojales said. She added, “We truly appreciate this weekend’s talk on communication, and the techniques were really helpful.” (Yvonne Grace Dolorosa)
The News Supplement of Couples for Christ
Michael C. Ariola IC Oversight Zenaida A. Gimenez Editor-in-Chief
Alma M. Alvarez Associate Editor
Andrelene D. Veloso Editorial Assistant
Yvonne Grace J. Dolorosa Staff Writer
Deomar P. Oliveria Layout Artist
Evangeline C. Mecedilla Circulation Staff
The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation, Inc., with editorial offices at 156 20th Avenue, 1109 Cubao, Quezon City. Editorial trunk line: (+63 2) 709-4868 local 31 Direct line : (+63 2) 709-4856 www.couplesforchristglobal.org globalcommunications@couplesforchristglobal.org
CBCP Monitor
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CFC ANCOP to tie-up with MWSS Corporate Office ON FEBRUARY 12, 2018, the traditional early Monday morning flag ceremony at the MWSS (Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System) at the Bulwagan Hall turned spiritually invigorating for the officers of MWSS as the Couples for Christ ANCOP group headed by Ricky Cuenca, ANCOP Canada President, along with other CFC members, spoke
to MWSS employees about renewing and strengthening the Christian values of the agency’s personnel. Cuenca and company were invited by Administrator Rey Velasco. The CFC ANCOP (Answering the Cry of the Poor) group is CFC’s work with the poor program. ANCOP Foundation have been established in the Philippines, Canada, USA, Australia, Europe and
other countries that support CFC’s global work with the poor. Administrator Velasco invited them to do the same for the indigenous people who will be displaced by the MWSS project, the New Centennial Kaliwa Dam project. (Source: http://mwss.gov.ph/ couples-for-christ-ancopgroup-to-tie-up-with-mwsscorporate-office/)
ANCOP USA, Fil-Am Orgs welcome VP Robredo in New Jersey
WEST ORANGE, N.J. (May 19) — An enthusiastic crowd of Filipino-Americans from the northeastern part of the U.S. welcomed Vice President Leni Robredo in a luncheon event organized by CFC ANCOP USA Northeast Region. The event was held at Highlawn Pavilion in the New Jersey suburban township about 18 miles from New York City. The attendees gave Vice President Robredo a rousing and respectful welcome worthy of the second highest official of their native country. In her address, the Vice President thanked ANCOP USA Northeast for organizing and inviting her to the event aimed at raising funds for the health center of Calabanga, Camarines Sur, an impoverished municipality in the VP’s home province. “I am glad I met all of you and I’m grateful to all,” she said. She introduced her audience to “Angat-Buhay” (Partnership against poverty), a poverty-alleviation program started and administered by
the Office of the Vice President (OVP). “Angat-Buhay has no budget from the government. We depend on private donations from companies and NGO’s like ANCOP. Earlier this year, ANCOP gave us medicines and multi-vitamins which we distributed to the needy citizens of Parañaque City,” she cited. VP Leni reported that Angat-Buhay, from its inception in October 2016 to date, has served some 132,000 poor families in 176 places around the Philippines. She also said the program was able to deliver P214 million worth of services to poor Filipinos from private donations in the following areas during the same period: feeding and nutrition, food packs and multivitamins, livelihood opportunities, education, solar generators, water filters and water pumps, sinks and toilet bowls. At the end of her talk, she reiterated her appreciation to CFC ANCOP for its commitment in helping the poor.
“We cannot thank you enough for what you have been doing for the poor,” she said. She mentioned that from 19922012, she and her husband, the late Jesse Robredo, were active CFC leaders in their home province of Camarines Sur. The ANCOP Northeast Region is grateful to VP Leni Robredo for having accepted the invitation to be guest speaker to help support the fund-raiser for the Infirmary of Calabanga in Camarines Sur. The Fil-Am groups which helped raise funds for the cause included Couples for Christ, Bukas Loob Sa Diyos, Friends of Alloute Foundation Inc., Philippine Nursing Association of Middlesex County, Tropical Hut, Filipino Apostolate of Union, NJ, Bicol Association of New York, and Mountainview Entertainment. Partial shipment of the donations was sent to the Philippines last April, with complete delivery expected by mid-June 2018 to the Office of the Vice President and representatives from the DOH of Legazpi. (Manny Caballero, Roger Santos)
CFC ANCOP signs contract with SMDC and SMFI for Samar Housing Project for Yolanda Survivors A TWO-HECTARE housing project for survivors of typhoon Yolanda will soon rise in Eastern Samar. Rudy M. Gaspillo, President of CFC ANCOP Global Foundation Inc., Jose Mari H. Banzon, Executive Vice President of SM Development Corporation, Deborah P. Sy, Executive Director of SM Foundation Inc., and Melchor M. Mergal, Mayor of Salcedo, Samar signed a Memorandum of Agreement to construct two hundred houses for Yolanda Survivors in Samar. The MOA signing was held in Two ECOM Center, Pasay City last May 10. CFC ANCOP will handle the technical and legal due diligence for land acquisition, site development and house construction for the project while SMDC and SMFI will support the
project in the financial sense, as well as guarantee the sustainability of the project. The activation of the project, which is projected to cost about P93 million, will be in July 2018. Aside from the houses, the parties also agreed to provide community development programs such as values formation, livelihood training and others to secure the sustainability of the project and to help the home partners start their new life in this new community. All the parties are hopeful that the 200 houses will not only provide shelter to the survivors, but will also help them create memories together as families and as a community. (Andrelene Veloso)
23 SOLAR PANELS SHED LIGHT IN OLB COMMUNITY
THE ANCOP Our Lady of Banneux Community in San Mateo, Rizal is one of many built with the help of generous partners and donors. It has been home to ninety-one (91) families since 2011. Recently, the delegates of the CFC YFC Social Actions, a pre-event of the 25th YFC International Conference, immersed themselves in the area, experiencing community activities with the home partners. One of their experiences was helping CFC ANCOP turn over solar panels to the community. CFC ANCOP delivered 23 solar panels on April 11, 2018 to help light up the lives of the families living there. Present in the turn-over of the panels were representatives from CFC ANCOP Global Foundation Inc., namely Nathaniel Gomez; Ronaldo Caspe; and Chito Mata, ANCOP Shelter Program Head. Sam and Fe Flores, members of the area’s Project Implementation Team represented the OLB Community.
These solar panel packages included batteries, inverters, cables and light bulbs. The solar panels will help families do their work and chores even at night. Sixteen (16) of these solar panel packages were donated by CFC China and the remaining seven (7) were from ANCOP Canada. One of the families who will benefit from the donation is Arly and Ester Bose’s family. They have been members of the Couples for Christ for 20 years already and are living in OLB for more than a year now. The couple, married since 1985, has faced different struggles like moving from one place to another and renting spaces just to live comfortably. But when Arly suffered a stroke, the couple couldn’t make ends meet and was evicted from the house they were renting. They found a new home in Our Lady of Banneux and live there together with their two grandchildren—Althea, 6 and Ian Carl, 9. (Diana Mendoza)
ANCOP EDMONTON, PARTNERS HOLD GROUNDBREAKING RITES
MANILA – A groundbreaking ceremony was conducted on May 30, 2018, for the joint housing project of the Rotary Homes District 3830 Development Foundation Inc, City of Parañaque and ANCOPEdmonton Canada. The new site will accommodate houses for 32 poor families of Parañaque. The ceremony was attended by partners and the people of Brgy. Moonwalk, Parañaque City where the site will be situated. Messages expressing their gratitude to the people who have in one way or another helped in the project were given by past District Governor Sid Garcia of Rotary
Homes Foundation, District 3830 Governor Edwin Afzelius, Capt. Obet Olano of Brgy. Moonwalk, GP Chris Bracamonte of RC Parañaque East, land donor PP Angel Tong, and Lito Tayag and Ricky Cuenca of CFC ANCOP. Representing CFC ANCOP – Edmonton, Canada who, in partnership with the RHDDF Inc, and the City of Parañaque, will fund the project, Cuenca said, “Napakalaking blessing na magkaroon kami ng opportunity na maging bahagi nitong napakagandang gawain para makatulong tayo sa mga nangangailangan.” He shared that the present
housing project will be developed as a model community where donors from the different parts of the world interested to know more about the ongoing projects of CFC ANCOP will be brought. He also shared that scholarship programs for the chosen beneficiaries are already in the pipeline. “Ang aming layunin ay makatulong at mapaganda ang pamumuhay ninyo. (As members of Couples for Christ, our goal is to bring Christ’s transforming love to all of you),” Cuenca said. The ceremony ended with a closing rite participated by the donors and partners present. (Yvonne Grace Dolorosa)
of the service team. The local CFC families extended their hospitality and generosity by hosting speakers from the Philippines— Shok Ariola, Joe Tale, Allan Baino and Danny Simangan (our new Country Coordinator). CFC Taranaki worked as a family, with each having a task and everyone looking out for one another. It is the same reason we will always consider them as our family in New Zealand, no matter how far away we are from them. When you work with family, there are always reasons to have fun! The same message applies
to our respective areas and services. We have a purpose, and most of the time it is not easy. Nevertheless, when the going gets tough, we need to call on our CFC family. In the same way, we need to be available for our community. We are a community of believers, with the same purpose – to evangelize, for the glory of our Lord! No task is impossible if we call on His help, and throughout our journey, He will continually manifest His presence, as He is constantly watching, listening, and walking with us. (Dianne Joy Alamar)
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Everything is easier if you work as a team, more so as a family My last take away is something that I didn’t get from any of the talks. It is from having the privilege to witness how the Taranaki service team worked during the conference. CFC Taranaki is not a big area – it is growing, but not big. So how they were able to pull off the execution of a national conference with around 700 delegates is first and foremost through God’s grace, and secondly through the strength of relationship
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CFC Canada Marches for Life
THE GIFT of Life Ministry (GOL) of Couples for Christ Canada participated at the annual March for Life event at Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Participants were at Square One as early as 6 o’clock in the morning of May 10 to wait for the bus that would take them to the event venue. Joining the Ottawa delegation in the bus were some members from Scarborough. The members prepared themselves for the spiritual battle by praying the Rosary. There were dark clouds and rainy weather outside but the prayers, fun and the camaraderie in the bus lifted the participants’ spirits. The bible trivia game challenged their minds and knowledge of scripture, and many passed with flying colors. Pro-life Members of Parliament (MP), senators, youth leaders and members of the clergy were among the line up of powerful and passionate speakers. Harold Albrecht, a conservative MP for Kitchener-Conestoga gave an affirmation speech, emphasizing that the marchers were all there for one reason—to stop the killings, especially those of the 300 fetuses being killed by abortion every day in Canada. “This is the reason we demonstrate, the reason we all march,” Albrecht said. The 2018 March for Life theme was “Pro-life All-in.” The speakers encouraged everyone to commit themselves to the pro-life movement by going all in to defend human life at all its stages. It was a moment to be all-in to speak the truth, all-in without exceptions, without excuses and without compromise. The March for Life 2018 logo depicted a smiling unborn child in a heart shaped womb, cradled by loving hands, as if telling everyone that at that state of life, there should only be love. Several women testified how they regretted going through abortion. According to them, abortion does not only stop the beating heart of a helpless human being, but also causes the mother to feel a toxic mixture of despair, regret, anger, helplessness, nightmares and even nervous
HAVING attended a similar conference before, we knew what would happen. We expected it to have the usual five to six talks, followed by a sharing and the LINDA praise and worship GHISONI sessions throughout the day. Nothing new, really. However, the 2018 National Conference will be in New Plymouth—for us, that made a whole lot of difference! New Plymouth is our first home in New Zealand… it is where we were introduced to the CFC community. It is a place where we have our family! So no questions asked, we are definitely attending. I realized that was just our Lord’s way to make sure we make it and I’m grateful He did as we learned so much from the experience and made it truly memorable. When things get tough, whether in our personal life and our service, I would always remind myself of the following things which I got from my experience: We are blessed as an individual, as a community There’s a lot to be thankful for. By knowing God, we are enlightened by His daily gifts to us and our family. We are equipped with the gift of prayer, and we are encouraged to use it. We also have the gift of brothers and sisters and together, we become a community of believers.
Solemn Charge Retreat Held in Tanzania and Kenya
breakdowns. It was heart-warming to know that because of the Pro-life Movement, these women have found new hope to help them live new lives. One touching testimony was from a young girl who, despite being an alcoholic, a cocaine addict, an incest survivor, and with post-traumatic childhood conditions, chose life for her unborn child. Society had labeled her as too weak, damaged and not strong enough to bring forth life. Against all odds, when she did choose to let her baby live, her own life began anew. Her heroic and fierce spirit made her stand firm on her decision. Although she was torn by the thought that she might not be able to provide a good life for her unborn child, especially living under the circumstances she was in, she could not give the baby a death sentence he did not ask for. Today she is not dependent on anything except the Word of God, and is completing a Bachelor’s degree in Theology. The March began shortly after the speeches. The pro-life demonstrators and prayer warriors had to walk the route in reverse as the normal route was blocked by a counterprotest group. The route was also altered in observance of the new provincial “bubble zone” law. Everyone in the March carried signs, sang songs of praise to God and in honor of the Blessed Mother, prayed the Rosary or just walked in silence. People from different organizations and different Christian parishes walked together to stand up for one common goal, one hope and one faith. It was a beautiful sight. After the March, the CFC delegation left Ottawa tired but joyful. The first time marchers, especially the youth, were more than just believers defending the life of the unborn. The young marchers particularly posed questions like, “What can we do to help the counter-protesting women?” or “How can CFC support women in crisis?” and it was a blessing to know that despite their youth, they will not be afraid to make a stand. (Roni Van Tassel)
CFC NEW ZEALAND NATCON 2018: HOW TO FULFILL OUR PURPOSE
CBCP Monitor
More than 500 Couples for Christ members from Tanzania travelled to Moshi, Tanzania on May 19 to attend the Solemn Charge Retreat, called “Agizo Thabiti” in Swahili, at the Christ the King Cathedral. The retreat started with the Holy Mass at the Cathedral, officiated by its parish priest, Rev. Fr. Chrispine Jumanne and concelebrated by Rev. Fr. Wili Maningi and Rev. Fr. Josaphat Moshi, both from the Korongoni Parish. Ricky Cuenca, a member of the CFC International Council, gave Session 1 entitled The Gift Within Us. The following sessions were given by full time pastoral workers, namely Manu Muinde from Kenya for Session 2Called and Chosen; Sylvester Mahiri from Tanzania for Session 3: Proclaim the Word; Henjie San Juan, West Africa Regional Head for Session 4: Put Up with Hardships; and Raul Marababol, Country Coordinator for Tanzania for Session 5: Fulfill your Ministry. The conference ended on a high note with the praisefest led by Muinde which saw the participants singing, dancing and giving praise to God. Fr. Wili Maningi, in his homily at the Mass that was the fitting end to the conference, thanked the CFC community for giving life to the Church and for bringing back families into the Father’s fold. The retreat ended with the congregation chanting, “CFC, CHOHEA!”
(CFC, Rekindle!) “CFC, TIMIZA!” (CFC, Fulfill!) “CFC, KAMILISHA!” (CFC, Charge!) CFC Kenya held their Solemn Charge Retreat earlier on May 5 at the Mary Help of Christians Shrine Don Bosco in Nairobi. The event started with the praying of the Rosary led by Rebecca Mwololo and Ann Njoroge, followed by the parade of the area banners led by the Governance Team headed by the National Director, Abraham Munene. A festive and African-inspired opening dance number performed by CFC and the Family ministries set the mood of the retreat. Session 1 was delivered by Cuenca, followed by Session 2 by William Agan, Unit Head of West Nairobi. Session 3 by Kenya Country Coordinator and East Africa Regional Coordinator, Jun Clarito from CFC Canada, Session 4 by Charles Mwololo, a member of the Governance Team of Nairobi and Session 5 by Henjie San Juan from Canada who is currently the West Africa Regional Coordinator. The Mass was officiated by His Lordship Bishop David Kamau and Rev. Fr. Kulwa G. Paul, assistant parish priest of Don Bosco Shrine who lauded the CFC for being the workers of God in preserving the families and continuously doing evangelization to bring more people to Christ. (Malou Clarito, NCO Canada)
Livelihood through Education ACCORDING to a report by World Health Organization (2015), Papua New Guinea is one of the most dangerous places in the world if you’re a woman. Women are often disadvantaged for a range of cultural, financial and educational reasons. Couples for Christ (CFC) elders in PNG, through ANCOP, have found a way to confront this sad reality by helping empower women in PNG. In 2017, CFC ANCOP Australia sponsored 20 women for a short-term vocational sewing course. Eight of the women completed the course in May 2017. Even before completing the course, the women already had offers to sew school uniforms. But having the skills alone is not enough. The next hurdle was to acquire sewing machines and a place to set up shop.
CFC PNG moved quickly to mobilize support. With the help of CFC ANCOP Australia, donations for sewing machines came in and Delma Dumas, a member of the CFC Handmaids of the Lord (ministry of CFC for women), generously offered her garage as a place to set up the shop. After the school uniforms were finished, the women had another offer, this time to sew bags for a cement factory. The positive chain of events proved to be indeed very empowering for the women. They shared with Ugnayan their thoughts about their new life: I have no experience in sewing but I am thankful to CFC ANCOP for giving me the scholarship in St. Therese Vocational School. I learned garmenting (dressmaking) in three months. After graduating, I was given an opportunity to hone
We have a purpose and we need to fulfill it We should evangelize other families, and nurture one another as brothers and sisters – these isGABRIELLA our primaryGAMBINO AT THE same time that Catholics all over the world were purpose. In one of the talks, we were celebrating Pentecost, the children of St. Mary’s Nursery reminded of the need to keep the evan- School of Korongoni Parish in Moshi, Tanzania were also gelized within the flock. Also from the celebrating because of the new classrooms built through Holy Mass of the second day, Bishop the assistance of ANCOP CANADA. Charles Drennan of Palmerston North Ricky Cuenca, a member of the International Council gave us all an even bigger challenge— and ANCOP CANADA President, cut the inaugural ribbon to extend our purpose beyond race, to and opened the symbolic plate. This was followed by the evangelize even non-Filipinos! It was blessing of the classrooms by Rev. Fr. Deogratias Matiika, a fitting message and something we current administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Moshi, need to take seriously. assisted by Fr. Wili Maningi, parish priest of Korongoni Parish who also gave the words of appreciation for making We do everything for God the classroom project possible. In the midst of our service and Last year, the St. Mary’s Nursery School was about to be closed our fellowship with our brothers and sisters, it is normal to experience challenges. And human as we are, possibly our first instinct will be to think of giving up, of getting away from the community. One important thing that I got from the conference was a regained focus—focus on our Lord! Most of the time, when we are so engrossed with too much service, we forget our “why”. Why do we actually sacrifice our time, our treasures, our physical strength for service? Because everything is for God, not for anything else. Everything we do should always be for God! NEW ZEALAND NATCON, p3
my sewing skills at sister Delma’s workshop. I normally sew 10 to 20 blouses per week and earn almost K100.00 to K200.00. This way, I am able to help my husband with our children’s school needs. In the next two to five years, I hope I can set up a sewing shop of my own and also assist other sisters. ~Alice Banang, 32 I thank ANCOP Australia for sponsoring me. I can now sew and earn money to sustain my family of five. I am an ex-teacher without any source of income but now I am really experiencing God’s wonderful love shared with my sisters who were also ANCOP beneficiaries. Thank you is not enough, but God knows my heart. Laikim na Bikpela tenkyu stret. ~Anita Gidam I was blessed to be among 20 ladies who attended the
sewing course. I sew about 5 to 10 blouses a week and I sell them at K20.00 or K15.00 each. This is enough for my kids’ lunch money and our daily expenses. I am so thankful that I can earn something on my own. I am hoping to become a teacher. I am slowly gaining confidence in myself and I know that through God, everything is possible. ~Louise Kenny, 37 Coping with raising my kids when I do not have a job is really a big struggle. Thus this opportunity to learn how to sew has changed my life. I can sew 15 to 20 blouses a week which I sell from my home. With my earnings, I am able to put food on our table and also give my daughter lunch money every day something I had never done in the past. Thank you CFC ANCOP! ~Lynette, a single mom
ANCOP CLASSROOMS IN TANZANIA INAUGURATED because the Department of Education found the classrooms not conducive to learning. The children were forced to endure very cramped facilities as they were just using the parish multipurpose hall. ANCOP CANADA paved the way in making studying more conducive for the children there. The inauguration of the classrooms was attended by members of the Pastoral Council of Korongoni Parish, teachers, and the Couples for Christ team headed by Jun Clarito (Eastern Africa Regional Coordinator) with wife Malou; Raul Marababol (Tanzania Country Coordinator) with wife Joy; fulltime pastoral workers Goi and Charm Villegas; Henjie San Juan, Manu Muinde, Sylvester Mahiri and ANCOP Africa Coordinator Maggie Mwikali. (Malou Clarito)