Popular Piety and the New Evangelization
Viva la Virgen! During this very Marian month of September, we hear a
lot of this jubilant exultation in the Catholic world. In the Philippines, the
beautiful scenarios of fluvial parades, parish Marian activities, and Marian
house visits are again seen almost all over. This is a special month filled with
Marian feast days. On a daily basis, from January to December, the Filipino
people, rich and poor alike, are replete with practices that are either amazing
or amusing to one who is not within the Catholic fold. A Catholic would take
delight in these: kissing an image, wiping the image with a handkerchief,
crying in front of an image, writing personal letters to Mary or to a Saint, and
the like.
Kris TV, a Philippine television show, in the September 22, 2014 telecast, featuring devotions to Our Mother of Perpetual help, exposes through
the parish priest of Baclaran church more forms of expressions showing such
devotion: bracelet for healing, candles for finding the right partner, and more
and more singing. A trivia from the parish priest, as excitedly recounted and
shown in Kris TV, says more and more devotees send letters of thanksgiving
than letters of petitions, by the thousands. Does this imply that many petitions
are granted. Delighted? Amused? Amazed? The echo of Nora Aunor resounds: Walang himala ! Ang himala ay nasa puso ng tao.
By Joselita Bongcaron
Last August 16, 2014,
Saturday, the PA, ACIT, and
invited friends gathered at
the Oben Hall of Saint Pedro
Poveda College to celebrate
the 78th anniversary (August
12, 2014) of the martyrdom
of Victoria Diez. A very fitting
way to commemorate the
ultimate sacrifice of Victoria,
a model of courageous witnessing to Christ as lay person and martyr, was to talk
on evangelization as unfolding to new expressions that
are relevant to various generations. This activity was in
line with the three-year proPopular Piety/page 17
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE:
Family Ministry
Cagayan de Oro
Life Direction
Encounter
2
4
Cebu Forum and
Commitment
5
Bacolod Updates
7
Davao Voto de
Covadonga
9
Family Man
13
CELEBRATING VICTORIA DIEZ
Journeys of Vision and Light:
Enhancing Your Teaching and Learning Attributes
By Richard Jugar
The life of a teacher is
always colorful. A thousand
and one stories can always
be read that talks about a
teacher’s life and love.
Last September 20,
2014, the Teresian Association in Cebu celebrated the
life and legacy of Blessed
Victoria Diez as a teacher.
The event was conceived
in recognition of the
teacher’s importance in
shaping the future through
the formation of the young.
The program was held at
Barrio Luz Elementary
School in Cebu City, an
elementary and, at the
same time, a night high
school located just across
Guadix Open Center. The
participants were elementary and high school teachers from Banilad National
High School and from the
venue school.
The first part of the proCelebrating Victoria/page 19
PAGE 2
ACIT
NEWSLETTER
TA Family Ministry Program in the Philippines…
Onward…Forward…
Vision
We, the TA Philippines, envision strong Filipino families as Christian witnesses in a secularizing world.
Mission
We, the TA Philippines, centered on the Word of God and nourished by
the Eucharist, commit to formation and strengthening of families so they
become co-responsible in the life and mission of the Catholic Church.
By Antonio Lumactod
Accomplishments Report— Year
2013-2014
Looking back to the past, The
TA Family Ministry in the Philippines germinated at the PAAG-CP
meeting at the SVD Retreat House
in Baguio City in May 2010. The
members of both governance (PA
and ACIT) reflected and discussed
thoroughly the pros and cons of
institutionalizing the TA Family
Minsitry (TAFM) Program.
Allow me to share vignettes of
our conversation on family ministries in different localities.
“Family Ministry program has
been there in our TA documents
beginning with the General Assembly attended by Edna Quinto in Los
Negrales, Madrid in the middle of
1990’s. Resolutions and agreements were also written in the 2nd
TA Congress in Seville, Spain. In
Davao, both PA and ACIT have
accompanied families towards
healing and reconciliation through
a two-day ‘Coming Home Sessions’. Now is the time…” (Antonio
Lumactod)
“Tony and I have been very
active in family ministry in our parish in Cebu. Both PA and ACIT in
Cebu are into financial literacy,
values formation, catechesis in
preparation for the mass wedding
of mansibado couples and parents
of the pupils of Guadix Kiddie Cen-
ter. It is time to institutionalize TA
Family Ministry” (Vilma Laranas).
“In Manila, both PA and ACIT are
actively involved in providing formation programs like values formation to
parents to Makabata Foundation. We
are so affirmed of the positive responses of the parents.” (Edith
Peῆano).
“In Bacolod, some ACIT members
have participated in the Family PreMarriage Seminar Workshops conducted by the Diocese. With the training, they are so involved in various
Parishes in the Pre-Cana formations
sessions. Part of the Pre-Cana is to
interview couples in preparation for
Wedding” (Ma. Teresa Lagradilla).
Period of Discernment
In that two-day meeting, we recognized and valued the importance of
institutionalizing Family Ministry in
the Philippines. We pondered on the
shared insights and reflected on them
for a year. Finally in May 2011, the
PAAG-CP unanimously approved the
institutionalization of the TA Family
Ministry Program in the Philippines in
a meeting held at Betania Retreat
House in Cebu City. In that meeting,
Judith Lumactod was chosen as the
Chairperson of the Ta Family Ministry
Program. Linda Tacorda was also
chosen as a member of the Family
Ministry Team.
New Frontier…
“How can this be? I don’t have
training in Family Ministry. I don’t
have the training.” (Judith).
“We recognize the importance of
a married person to head the Family Ministry. Your experiences as a
married person, a wife and a
mother are potent forces that you
can handle the program. We will
give our total support” (PAAG-CP
PA & ACIT members).
With the affirmation and support,
Judith gave herself totally in
“desponibilite” for the Church
through the Teresian Association.
Approval of the TA Family Ministry Program
With the mandate from the
PAAG-CP, Judith began her new
frontier as the Chairperson of the
TAFM. First, she formulated the
survey-profile on Family Ministries
and sent it to TA-ACIT communities
in different localities. With the collated survey-profile, she started to
conceptualize the Framework of the
proposed Family Ministry Program.
In November 2012 in Cebu City,
Judith presented the proposed
framework of the TAFM to the
PAAG-CP. In that meeting, the
PAAG-CP approved the framework
of the TA Family Ministry Program.
First Formation Session & Meeting of the TAFM Team
Early part of 2013, Teresa Ferrer became a member of the TA
Family Ministry. On May 26-28,
2013, the first meeting of the TAFM
Team was held at Isidro Porras’
residence in Woodridge, Davao
City. With Teresa Ferrer and Judith
Lumactod, the following persons
were added into the team: Eufrosina Villegas, Vilma Laranas, Edith
Peῆano, Ma. Dolores Sepacio,
Teresita Guillem, Sonia Jalandoni,
Christine Lim and Antonio LumacFamily Ministry/page 3
JULY—SEPTEMBER
PAGE 3
2014
Family Ministry/from page 2
tod. Those were wholesome and
meaningful formation sessions that
provided spaces for getting to
know each other, promoting team
learning as well as reflecting on
topics on Personhood and Wellness. Framing the TAFM VisionMission, drafting of the Developmental Plan and identification of
themes of the modules on TA
Family Ministry Program were also
done during the three-day formation session and meeting. Each
member was assigned to write
modules on specific themes.
Linda Tacorda was assigned to
prepare the template and framework to guide the members in writing the modules. Teresa Ferrer
and Eufrosina Villegas assumed
the responsibility to commence
editing the modules in December
2013.
TAFM
Annual
Formation/
Evaluation & Planning Meeting
On May 26-28, 2014, the TAFM
team met in Cebu City to achieve
the following objectives:
1. To revisit and evaluate
TAFM development plan/
action plan and assess the
development of the team;
2. To allow spaces for feed
backing on both personal
and team levels;
3. To finalize the formulation of
the five-year developmental
plan as mandated by the
PAAG-CP governance;
4. To facilitate time and space
for an appropriate “dry run”
of the 10 modules prepared
by individual TAFMT members;
5. To formulate a doable plan
that will lead to the publication of the final draft of the
TAFM modules;
6. To consider choices for second liners for the TAFM
team members; and
7. To strengthen the continuing
formation of the TAFMT
members.
Onward…Forward TAFM Program
In that meeting also, the following agreements, priorities and concerns were also discussed:
A. Organizational - Tasking
 Production of Modules
Teresa Ferrer – Head
Members:
Cecile
Velez,
Sonia
Jalandoni,
Edith
Penano, Vilma Laranas and
Christine Lim
 Editing- Teresa Ferrer and
Eufro Villegas
 Planning- Linda Tacorda, Judith and Antonio Lumactod
 Budgetting- Judith Lumactod
 Treasurer- Christine Lim
 Secretary & Documentation –
Antonio Lumactod, Teresita
Guillem & Ma. Dolores Sepacio
 Drafting of the evaluation
tools for the Modules – Cecil
Velez & Linda Tacorda
 Publication – Edith Peῆano &
Ma. Dolores Sepacio
 On Going formation for PreMarital and marital Counseling – Teresa
Ferrer and
Vilma Laranas
 Implementation and Evaluation of Modules – All members of the team
B. Priorities-Concerns
1. August 30-31, 2014 at TA
Sede in Iloilo City – Editing
of Modules
Participants: Teresa Ferrer,
Linda Tacorda, Cecil Velez, Judith Lumactod
2. September 13-14, 2014,
Porras’ Residence, Davao
City – Planning meeting for
Pre-Marital and Marital Counseling Formation Sessions
Participants: Teresa Ferrer,
Vilma Laranas and Judith
Lumactod
3. December 2014- Publication
of Ten Modules prepared by
TAFM team
4. Writing of Additional Modules
–Deadline is set on September 30, 2014
Topics and Assigned person/s
 Domestic
Church
–
Linda Tacorda
 Financial Literacy –
Mary Kathryn Lorenzo
 Cultivating Family Values – Judith Lumactod,
Vilma and Tony Laranas
 Legal (SSS) rights of
Kasambahay – Christine
Lim
 On Value formation –
Linda Tacorda
 Domestic Violence –
Cecil Velez And Edith
Peῆano
 Crisis Intervention (for
different cases) – Cecil
Velez and Edith Peῆano
 Conflict Management –
Cecil Velez and Edith
Peῆano
 Addiction
(alcoholism,
drugs, computer games,
etc. – local experts with
TAFM local context)
5. May 2015 – Training and Formation of TAFM and Second Liners
on Pre-Marital and Marital Counseling
6. Proposal for Additional Budget
for 2015 for Publication of the
Modules, TAFM Team Evaluation and Planning Meeting.
Great! Tremendous accomplishments! Our hearts are rejoicing with
all these accomplishments of the
TA Family Ministry Team. “In God’s
time… In His time… it is the Lord,
not I, not we.”
Congratulations to the TA Family Ministry Team. With all these,
Saint Pedro Poveda humbly reminds us;
“Now is the time.”
“Let your first and last
thoughts of the day be for
God”“
“The early Christians
serve as your model to live a
life of communal intimacy,
Family Ministry/page 4
PAGE
4
ACIT
NEWSLETTER
TA-CDO Launches Life Direction Encounter
By Emmanuel Innis
noon for the LDE launching in
CCCS.
The guests arrived in trickles.
About fifteen individuals, consisting
of students and professionals, single and married responded to the
invitation.
The Teresian Association here
in Cagayan de Oro commemorated the martyrdom of Saint
Pedro Poveda in a special way –
by sharing the Teresian vocation
to friends with the launching of the
Life Direction Encounter Series.
The celebration was held a day
ahead of the actual feast on July
27, 2014, Sunday.
The members began the day
with a mass at the Immaculate
Conception Parish, a small church
just a few blocks away from Covadonga Center for Culture and
Spirituality (CCCS). Right before
the final blessing of the priest,
Carmen Sayo showed to the parishioners a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation on the life of
the Founder and the Teresian
Association. The members dispersed after the mass for lunch.
They were to resume in the after-
The LDE launching formally
started with a prayer by EJ Innis.
The group reflected on the gospel
of “The Vine and the Branches”
and on excerpts of Poveda’s writings:
““Abide in me as I abide in
you”. This is your mansion.
To dwell always in Jesus,
remain always in his heart, to
abide always in his wounds.
It would be ideal if, on asking
(): Where are you? What are
you thinking of? What are
you looking at? (You) could
reply: I am in Jesus, thinking
of Jesus, looking at Jesus.
How secure (you) will be in
(your) aspirations if (you)
dwell in Jesus!”
After the prayer, Emmeline
Palabrica invited the group to
stand for a short game.
She
asked them to choose one of four
pictures among sets of pictures. A
letter represented each picture.
Once they made their choice, they
were to stay where the letter was
posted inside the hall. Some were
Family Ministry/from page 3
communion and sharing”.
As one TA Family in the Philippines, let us pray,
“May every family be a place where goodness
and peace are welcomed for children and for elderly, for those who are sick and alone, for those
who are poor and needy. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we pray to you with confidence, we entrust
ourselves to you with joy. Amen” (Pope Francis,
Prayer for Families, 2013).
made to explain their choice. It all
took a few sets of the game for members and guests to warm up to each
other.
The afternoon continued with
Marifi “Mafing” Geolina showing the
group a video of the history of the
Association and the life and works of
the Founder. It was the same material made for the TA’s centenary and
watching it once again evoked a feeling of gratitude.
Of course, the launching would
not have been complete without the
members’ testimonies. The invited
guests listened obligingly as some of
the members recounted their journey
from the day they were introduced to
the Association. It was heartening to
hear their stories and recognize the
hand of God in their lives. After the
last sharing, Mafing invited the
guests to continue the journey, to
discern their calling in life and to join
the Life Direction Encounter.
The afternoon session ended with
a merienda cena. It was a perfect
opportunity for members and guests
to get to know each other more.
The guests thanked the members for
the invitation and the chance they
were given to know the Association.
Source Accomplishments Report, 2013-2014, Judith
Lumactod.
Many thanks to Judith for allowing me to browse the
Accomplishments Report.
As of this writing, meetings have been held at TA Sede
in Iloilo on August 30-31, 2014 and at Sid Porras’ Residence on September 13-14, 2014. In this light, as product
of the two meetings, some changes of plans (e.g. venue,
date, assignments of members, etc.) in relation to priorities
and concerns may have been effected. Hopefully, we will
update you of these changes of plans (if there are) in the
next publication of the ACIT Newsletter
JULY—SEPTEMBER
PAGE 5
2014
Celebrating the Martyrdom of Poveda
with a Forum and a Renewal of Commitment
By Christine Lim
"Abi nako lay ministers ray
Layko, apil diay ko?" ("I thought
only the lay ministers are the
Laity, I form part of the Laity
then?)
This was a comment made
by one of the participants to the
forum on "the Role of the Laity
in the Church and in the Philippine Society". And I wonder
how many more lay members
of the Church share the same
view. I did, too, until I met the
Association.
In celebration of the Feast of
Saint Pedro Poveda, the
Teresian Association (TA) Cebu members facilitated this
afternoon forum on the laity last
July 27 at the Sacred Heart
Center. The forum served also
as a response to the invitation
of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines to celebrate 2014 as the Year of the
Laity, which forms part of the
nine-year preparation for the
500th year of Christianity in the
Philippines in 2021. All in all,
there were 97 participants to
the forum composed of members of the TA, family and
friends of the members, IT
youth, religious sisters, and
guests from other parishes.
The speaker of the
forum was Rosalinda
Basas, a PA member,
who is currently a Board
member of the Sangguniang Layko ng Pilipinas (Council of the Laity
in the Philippines). She
started her talk showing
a video on the History of Catholicism in the Philippines,
moving on with the description
of who the laity is and it's role in
society and the Church, citing
documents that were published since the time of Vatican II up to the present Pope's
Evangelii Gaudium. What
grounds the importance of the
role of the laity is the fact that
all baptized Christians Priests, Religious and Laity
share equal dignity before
God as His Children. The third
part focused on what the
Teresian Association is and an
open forum followed.
Some points highlighted:
 Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines'
(CBCP) Pastoral Exhortation pointing out the importance of New Evangelization, role of Laity as
agents of evangelization
and the need for formation.
 Areas of challenges for
the laity in the Philippine
context: politics, business
and commerce, poverty,
greed and selfishness.

New Evangelization
should focus on the following sectors:
1. Non- practicing Catholics
2. Young professionals
3. Broken families
4. Homeless and jobless
5. Homebound and prisoners
6. Farmers, fisher folks and
laborers
7. Troubled friends
8. Government employees
9. Civic organizations
10. Public school teachers
11. Indigenous peoples
12. Lay saints and Catholic
Filipino heroes
To be agents of change,
the laity is challenged to know
the faith, live the faith, be communities of faith, to take courage and stand up for Jesus.
Below are some comments
written by the participants as
they confirm how the talk has
transformed their understanding and challenged them to be
better lay members of the
Church:
 "Thank you very much for
the wonderful talk about
the role of the laity in the
Philippine Church of today
particularly for the New
Evangelization. As a religious sister, I really appreciate the way the facilitator
presented her talk. I am
deeply convinced that the
Laity can do more for the
Evangelization."
 "78th Anniversary of Saint
Poveda's martyrdom. Today is a very special day
Forum/page 6
“ To be
agents of
change, the
laity is
challenged
to know the
faith, live the
faith, be
communities
of faith…”
PAGE
6
ACIT
Forum/from page 5
for me because I am reminded of what I can do for
other people, for God and
for the world. Standing for
Jesus, sharing the good
news and living my faith,
these are some of the
things I can do as an IT
Youth."
 "Lectors and psalmist serving in the Church, especially in the Parish where I
am serving, are not really
aware of the extent of responsibility that we have. I
believe this forum, if given
to the people serving in the
Church, can really help a
lot… All in all, this is a great
forum which opened a lot of
insights for me."
Based on the other insights
and comments shared, we can
conclude that the forum was an
action-provoking eye-opener for
many of the participants.
For the ACIT Cebu members, the forum was also an
affirming prelude to the importance of the renewal of commitment they were to make during
the Mass that concluded the
afternoon affair. Fr. Jovito Jumao-as' homily summing up the
life of Saint Poveda as one who
knew Christ, loved Christ and
followed Christ synthesizes as
well the continuing challenge to
ACIT members on how to support each other's journey of
growing in knowledge, deepening in loving and trusting surrender in following Christ.
The renewal of commitment,
however, was not just an afternoon affair. The ACIT group,
with the presence of PA members, had gathered the night
before for prayer and introspection over the renewal of commitment rite. Some members
had also undergone a retreat
early this year focusing on what
commitment to the Association
entails; some just days before.
And the Novena to Saint Poveda, which required a daily reflection of one's life, also aided
the ACIT members prepare
themselves for the renewal in
light of Saint Poveda's lifejourney towards martyrdom.
Personal Reflection:
Maybe we did not reflect
much over it when we chose to
have the renewal of our commitments on the Feast Day of
Saint Poveda's martyrdom. But
throughout the preparations, I
had time to ask myself what is
really the importance of renewal.
My reflections brought me to
Genesis - the seventh day, the
day of rest. Rest for what? Did
God need rest? No, it was
meant for the renewal of man,
for him to commune once more
with the source of all his being his creator, his Father.
Throughout our Salvation History, there were many other
covenants made between God
and man, attested with physical
signs because man easily forgets, culminating in the ultimate
covenant, given by Christ, that
of the Sacrament of Holy
Eucharist. And every Sunday,
we renew that covenant of God
giving Himself as our Father
and Savior and we, giving ourselves as His children...lest we
forget.
I liken my renewal as reliving the promises or the covenant I made with God during
my commitment day...the promises born out of pure joy for
having been shown His mercy
and blessed to belong to an
Association despite my unworthiness. It is good to recall then
those promises that have
somehow grown bleary over
the passing of time, to bask
once again in the incomparable
joy of that moment which, with
much hope and with the Spirit's
inspiration, can spark a deeper
and broader perspective of the
NEWSLETTER
commitment I made then in order to give an impetus to sustain me in keeping those promises today.
It has not been an easy ride
being in the Association.
Though I liken my commitment
to that of marital vows that is
made once and meant forever,
circumstances around me has
changed since and the aging
process of the body can so
much weaken noble resolutions. Should I entertain the
fleeting thoughts of dissociation
just as perhaps couples entertain divorce or annulment?
Catching a glimpse of the crucifix, somehow the Passion of our
Lord unreels. He fell three times
but spurred by His resolution to
die on the cross, He kept on,
accompanied by those who
helped and those who unwittingly jeered Him to accomplish
His resolve. This has been the
life too of Saint Poveda and all
other Saints. Mine is not even
an itsy bitsy fraction of what
each of them underwent.
I am glad I was not born during the time of the early Christians for I would have surely
and easily given up my faith
with my head literally on the
line. So it is with heartfelt gratefulness that I renew my commitment; thanking God, who in His
abundant mercy, has blessed
me with this vocation. Knowing
how weak I am, He has not only
sent me a friend but a whole
community to journey on with
life. Mine may not be a call to
the great martyrdom, but the
daily little deaths may not be so
dauntingly fearful with so many
companions to help me carry
my cross.
And, after all, I hang on to
His promise that His grace will
always be enough for me.
“I hang on
to His
promise
that His
grace will
be enough
for me.”
JULY—SEPTEMBER
PAGE 7
2014
Updates from Bacolod
By Leila Magalona
Last June 15, 2014,
Dolores “Lola” Sicat joined
the ACIT members with
D e l i c i a
S u n i o ,
I m e l d a
Se b a sti an ,
and
Leah
Perez for a
meaningful
sharing of
“Crei”
at
Ma mb u c a l
Mountain
Resort
in
Murcia, Negros Occidental.
Ma. Teresa “Tess” Lagradilla
and family made their vehicle
available for our guest, while
my husband transported the
remaining ACIT members to
the site.
We were all very excited
to listen to Lola as she
shared her own personal
experience of being with the
very early members of the
Association. She also gave
life to some of the stories
cited in the book. She
enlightened us regarding the
wisdom behind the words of
Father Poveda. All of us
shared how the book influenced our way of life and our
way of looking at things. We
were like kids listening to
stories told by our elders.
We had complete attendance during that time so we
enjoyed our togetherness.
Moreover, we had abundance of food provided by
each one. Tess brought a lot
of fruits, which were freshly
picked from the fruit trees of
Ming Yuan College, the
school where she administers and teaches.
After enjoying the food,
Yehlaine, Leah, and I went
mountain trecking. We went
up the first falls guided by a
resident of that place and we
were caught in awe by the
beauty of the
place. Colorful
butterflies
joined us as we
tickled our feet
with the running water.
We
will
never
forget
the experience
and we would
always be looking forward to
another gathering like this.
— 000 —Last July 26, 2014, we
celebrated the martyrdom of
Fr. Poveda, in
lieu of July 28,
at the Poveda
Center.
We
had
songs
and
praise,
group presentation, videoclip viewing of
Fr.
Poveda
and his life,
group sharing
of what captured
their
attention the
most, and mass, which was
officiated by Rev. Fr. Roy
Christian Gesulgon.
Many people attended the
activity. Aside from our invites, many TA friends and
collaborators were there to
celebrate with us, including
Jessamine Calma, Rebecca
“Beckay” Doctora, and
“Tata,” etc. Louise Rivera,
Dyna Ganat and her youth
friends were also there to
help us animate the activity.
While waiting for Fr. Gesulgon, we had our group
sharing.
We were very
happy to hear from our invites and friends how they
were inspired by the life of
Fr. Poveda. They expressed
their deepest gratitude for
being invited and they were
very grateful for having attended the activity. They also
asked us how we got to be
members of the association
and inquired further how our
being members and faithful
followers of Fr. Poveda made
a difference in our lives. It
was a pleasure sharing to
them how our lives changed
because of Fr. Poveda’s influence. The experience was
indeed very fulfilling!
In his homily, Rev. Fr.
Gesulgon
s h a r e d
what
he
has
read
about Fr.
Poveda.
He emphasized
Fr.
Poveda’s
martyrdom
and
explained that
our
daily
s a cr i f i c e s
offered to
God would already serve as
our daily martyrdom.
He
added that we need not die
the way Fr. Poveda died to
become like him. We just
have to joyfully bear our daily
trials and sufferings to become martyrs.
After the mass we stayed
a bit longer while the rest
went home. We had picture
taking and short chat with
Bacolod/page 8
“It was a
pleasure
sharing how
our lives
changed
because of Fr.
Poveda’s
influence.”
PAGE 8
ACIT
Bacolod/from page 7
Beckay, Jessa, and Tata. All
in all, the celebration was
very fruitful.
— 000 —
Last August 9, 2014,
Rose Eden Calaor, accompanied by Delicia Sunio and
Teresita “Terry” Guillem,
talked about “Teacher Professionalism and Commitment to the Profession” at Fr.
Cuenca Hall, UNO-R, Bacolod City. Thirty (30) High
School faculty members attended the said seminar. It
was co-sponsored by the
High School Science Area,
which I am handling. It was
a very rich half-day seminar
since Rose Eden tackled on
the topics The Teacher as
Professional, Work Ethics,
Competence and Commitment. She made us, teachers, assess our personal values, introduced the concept
of personalized education,
made us assess our
strengths and weaknesses,
cited and explained examples of work ethics, made us
rate our levels of commitment, and made us pledge
our “Panunumpa sa Katungkulan.”
Time, however, was not
enough to expound on all
topics deeply. Had we had a
whole day activity, Rose
Eden could have shared
more about the wisdom behind Fr. Poveda’s words regarding education and the
educator.
However, the
teachers were very grateful
for having Rose Eden as our
speaker. She was indeed
spirit-filled having so much
knowledge and wisdom to
share. She exudes simplicity
and holiness in the way she
talks and handles things. We
are looking forward to have
more seminars with her as
our speaker.
— 000 —
Last August 21, 2014, we
had our joint meeting (ACIT
and PA) at NOH,S where
Ninfa “Keking” Eres and Rizalia Tayab are teaching.
Mary Ann Escucha was our
special guest, who also
shared about her present
endeavor on Teachers’ Formation. Everyone was very
happy to have Mary Ann because she would definitely be
a big helpinghand in the formation of teachers here in
Bacolod.
— 000 —
Still on August 2014, Sally
Macanan had her newly
renova ted
h o u s e
blessed by
her
very
o
w
n
cousin,
B i s h o p
Vicente M.
Navarra,
D.D. The ACIT members
were there to celebrate with
Sally this memorable day.
We can see from her face
the joy and fulfilment in having her own home and sharing it with her sister from
abroad who decided to live
with her. The celebration
was simple but filled with
grandeur as special people
in Sally’s life were there.
— 000 —
Last September 7, 2014,
we had our Voto De Covadonga at Immaculate Conception Parish in Murcia. We
attended the mass together
with our invites and families.
After
the
mass, we had
a short reading
of text about
Voto and how
it came to be a
practice of the
members
of
the
Teresian
Associ ati on.
Then, we had
our prayer to
our lady followed by floweroffering at the base of her
image. We sang songs for
Mary and expressed our
gratefulness to the Lady for
all the help she has extended
us all.
After the prayer, we had a
short picture taking and we
headed to the convent for our
courtesy call to the parish
priest. We then travelled a
short distance to Catholic
Ming Yuan College, visited
and offered prayers to another image of the Immaculate Conception at their
chapel, and enjoyed the
sumptuous lunch prepared
by Tess and the rest of us. It
was a very heart-warming
experience. I am certain that
Mother Mary was very
pleased with the simple gestures of love shown to her by
the members and participants.
NEWSLETTER
“I am certain
that Mother
Mary was very
pleased with
the simple
gestures of love
shown to
her…”
JULY—SEPTEMBER
PAGE 9
2014
Voto de Covadonga at the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
By Antonio Lumactod
Voto de Covadonga! It is a
yearly pilgrimage for all the
members of the Teresian to
the Our Lady of Covadonga
at the Cave in the mountainous region in Oviedo City,
northern part of Spain. Covadonga, where Father Pedro
Poveda prayed intensely for
seven years and finally
founded the Teresian Association. Every year, the TA
Council chooses members –
representatives to participate
in the pilgrimage to our Lady
in Covadonga. In different
localities, we are one with the
entire Association celebrating
the Voto de Covadonga.
This year the Teresian
Association in Davao has
chosen to celebrate the Voto
de Covadonga at the Our
Lady of Mt. Carmel in Holy
Family Monastery of the Discalced Carmelites in Tugbok,
Davao City on September 7,
2014.
This year’s Committee
chose the theme “Praying
with Mary in the context of
deepening our prayer Life.”
At around 9:00 in the
morning, as one community
and family, we the
members of the
Teresian Association, families, IT
youth and friends
celebrated the Holy
Eucharist with Fr.
Tom Martin, OCD,
the Presider and
homilist.
In the
homily, Fr. Tom
emphasized
the
importance of family spirit as members of one
association. Care, respect
and love for one another, he
further reminded us to reinforce communion and fraternal relationship.
After the Mass, we gathered at the dining hall for the
morning snacks. This was our
way of intensifying fellowship
with each other.
After snacks, we gathered
at the Chapel at 10:30 in the
morning
to celebrate the
Voto the Covadonga.
At the end of the Prayer,
we once again gathered together at the dining hall to
share the food for lunch, reinforcing bonds and family fellowship.
It was a day of remembering
our vows and promise to Our
Lady of Covadonga. It was a
half day of community prayer;
the Holy Eucharist, Meditation
and Contemplation with Mary .
It was day of rejoicing to
greet one another, to meet new
friends and to express our
gratitude to the Lord. How blest
we are! We affirmed “See, how
we love one another”.
affirmed,
—- 000 —-
‘see how
“We
we love
one
another.’”
Praying with Mary
in the Scriptures
Leader: We savor and recollect on the reasons and
purposes of the Voto “Vow”
de Covadonga from the
writings of Saint Poveda
on August 26, 1934.
 That the Teresian Association will not forget her
Marian origin.
 That she will never interrupt
her communication with the
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel/page 10
PAGE 10
ACIT
sociation had its origin; (pause)
and
 to find comfort and protection in
all moments of its life. (pause)
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel/from page 9
Santina.
 For the greater glory of God and
of the cult to the Blessed Virgin
Mary to whom the Teresian Association (TA) belongs.
 That the TA may always recognize her duty of giving an account
to Our Lady of the Work entrusted
to her.
 To prevent all forgetfulness and
ingratitude.
 To secure every day greater confidence in Our Lady and Mother.
 To oblige the Association to always seek the light and help in
the same place where it has its
origins.
 To receive consolation and defense in all moments of her life.
 Thus, the Teresian Association
makes a solemn vow which will
be known as “Voto de Covadonga” or “the Vow of Covadonga” binding itself to send at
least three representatives to the
holy Grotto each year, in the
name and on behalf of the Association.
Leader: As members of the Teresian
Association, we continue to journey together for the greater glory
of the Lord our God, and to venerate the most Holy Virgin, who is
the mother of the Teresian Work.
We beg for the graces of gratitude
and remembering:
 that we will remain faithful and will
never forget its Marian origin;
(Pause)
 our communication that should
exist with La Santina may never
be interrupted; (pause)
 to always recognize our obligation
to give an account to our Lady of
the Work that was entrusted to
the Association; (pause)
 to prevent all forgetfulness and
ingratitude; (pause)
 To strengthen our confidence in
our lady and Mother; (pause)
 to always look for light and help
in the same place where the As-
First Moment: The Annunciation:
The Call (Luke 1:28-38) – Mary’s
Call and Our Call
Song: Hail Mary
Reading of the Text: Luke 1:26-38
(pause)
Come before the Lord and share with
Him your experience of confusion
and joy as He invites you to respond to His call.
Questions for reflection:
1. What did you feel as you listened to the words of the Angel?
2. How are you moved by the response of Mary, “I am the Lord’s
servant,” may it happen to me as
you have said?
3. Our Voto de Covadonga experience is a manifestation on how
we live our own call in life as
members of the Teresian Association, as students, as parents
and as professionals in various
fields.
4. How are we challenged to renew
our commitment to God’s call?



We pause in silence and reflect
the above questions.
We say our intention: For all our
Families and family members
We recite the 10 Hail Mary...,
Glory be...
NEWSLETTER
Recall the wondrous deeds the
Lord has done to you during the
year.
 What are these blessings?
 What is our experience of
Visitation?
 Who visits us?
 Who were the people whom
we visited?
 Whom do we desire to visit
this year? The homeless, the
sick, the abandoned (in line
with Evangelii Gaudium) families?
 How did you encounter the
Lord in all these experiences
of Visitation? (pause)
Pray with Mary:
My heart praises the Lord;
My soul is glad because of my
Savior,
For He has remembered me,
his lowly servant!
From now on all people will call
me happy.
Because of the great things the
Mighty has done for me
His name is holy: from one generation to another
He shows mercy to those who
honor him.


Our Prayer of Intention: For
Wellness for all the members
of the Association.
We recite 10 Hail Mary...,
Glory be...
Third Moment: (Jesus Crucifixion and our Crucifixion experiences)
Song: My Son Has Gone Away
Second Moment: The Visitation
(Mary’s Visitation to her Cousin
Elizabeth and our own Experiences of Visitation)
Song: Magnificat
Contemplate with Mary visiting her
cousin Elizabeth and similarly remembering your experience of visitation.
Reading of the Text. (Luke 1:39-56).
We contemplate with Mary on the
Cross as we relive our own stories of crucifixion. Our own experiences of Crucifixion in the
family, in work, in our Association, in our own apostolate.
Reading of the Scripture: (John
18:16-27)
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel/ page 11
JULY—SEPTEMBER
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel/ from page 10
You are living crucifixes (Writings of
Saint Pedro Poveda. Our experience of love and care of God in
moments of crucifixion.)
Standing beneath the Cross
There is so much suffering in our
world. Everywhere people stand
beneath heartbreaking crosses as
they experience the excruciating
pain of watching someone suffer.
Like Mary beneath the cross of her
beloved son, all that they can do is
“be there” and wait with one who is
hurting, offering their love and support.
We also invite you to recall a particular crucifixion experience in your
life.
 How was it for you? I invite you
to embrace the cross of Jesus
and feel the inner movement of
the pain of Jesus as you also
feel your own pain.
 How are you moved towards
hope and consolation in the
midst of these sufferings?


Our intention: For The Youth
We recite the 10 Hail Mary and
Glory Be
Fourth Moment: The Resurrection
Song: We are the Reason
PAGE 11
2014
Praying with Jesus and Mary at the
Resurrection.
 The “Salubong” –theme: the
intimate relationship between
Mary and Jesus.
 The oral tradition says that Jesus appears to Mary in his
Resurrection.
 The “Salubong” ritual at dawn
on Easter Sunday is the concrete expression of this belief
and tradition.
 We rejoice Jesus’ appearance
to Mary as the choirs of Angels
sing “Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
during the “Salubong”.
Questions for Reflection:
Mary’s Cenacle experience and
ours. How do we nourish our
Cenacle experience?
Praying with Scripture: Acts 2:1-4)
How do we nourish our experience
of the Holy Spirit? We look to
the Spirit of discernment. “We
are stormed by events, which
perplex us or lead us to doubt or
fear and by historical processes,
which we are not strong enough
to control and which are very
often beyond our comprehension.” (Arantxa Aguado, To the
ends of the Earth, p.10)

1. We relive the resurrection of
Jesus in that Easter Sunday.
2. We also remember the many
resurrection stories in our life.

3. Choose one resurrection story,
and look back with gratitude

4. How did Jesus reveal his loving
and caring presence to you?


Our Intention: For the members
of the TA Governing Council
We pray the 10 Hail Mary...
and Glory Be...
Fifth Moment: The Descent of
the Holy Spirit Upon the Apostles and Mary
Song: Send Us Your Spirit
I invite you to seek our own
Sanctuary Moment as we invoke the presence of the Holy
Spirit in our life today.
We are challenged to cultivate
our prayer life.
We pray 10 Hail Mary…,Glory
be...
Song: Fiadora
Prayer to Our La Santina In
Honor of Our Lady of Covadonga (From Escritos Espirituals
no 150, p. 436)
Altogether:
Most beloved Mother, forgetting myself and my many concerns, I come before you with the
greatest fervor, to ask for the
renewal and spiritual reconquest of the nation that you
love tenderly and with predilection and tenderness.
I m m a cu la t e L a d y, yo u
deigned to single out our beloved nation with signs of your
visible protection. Have mercy
on her, renew the spirit of faith
and charity that filled your children before.
You know well, Our Lady,
how indifference, egoism, and
sensuality continue to form a
generation more and more inferior to the previous ones; how
farther from you and the devotion to you has this generation
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel/page 12
PAGE
12
ACIT
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel/ from page 11
become.
Our Mother, come to help us. If you do not,
what will become of this Marian nation that might
fall into the hands of those who do not know or
honor you?
Hence, most loving Mother, we plead to you for
all the {Filipinos} and especially for the priests
and for all those who in some ways influence the
direction of our destinies.
Our Lady, grant to all of them the lights and
graces necessary for them and to govern with certainty; and for ourselves the docility and submission to God’s will so that we can continue His
teachings and observe His precepts.
Intercede for us this mercy, for the love you
profess to your Divine Son and for the glory of his
most Holy Name. Amen.
Closing Prayer:
Leader: It is the Risen Christ who tells us, with a
power that fills the confidence and unshakeable
hope: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5)
With Mary we advance confidently towards the
fulfillment of this promise, and to her we pray:
All:
Mary, Virgin and Mother, You who, moved
by the Spirit,
Welcomed the word of life in the depths of
your humble faith:
As you gave yourself completely to the
eternal One,
Help us to say our own “yes” to the urgent
call, as pressing as ever,
To proclaim the good news of Jesus.
Filled with Christ’s presence, you brought
joy to John the Baptist,
Making him exult in the womb of his
mother.
Brimming over with joy,
You sang of the great things done by God.
Standing at the foot of the cross with unyielding faith,
You received the joyful comfort of the resurrection,
And joined the disciples in awaiting the
Spirit
So that the evangelizing Church might be
born.
Obtain for us now a new ardour born of
the resurrection.
That we may bring to all the Gospel of life
which triumphs over death.
NEWSLETTER
Give us a holy
courage to seek
new paths,
That the gift of
unfading beauty
may reach every
man and woman.
Virgin of listening and contemplation,
Mother of love,
Bride of the
eternal wedding
feast,
Pray for the
Church,
whose
pure icon you are,
That she never
be closed in on
herself or lose her
passion
For establishing God’s kingdom.
Star of the new evangelization
Help us to bear radiant witness to communion,
service, ardent and generous faith,
Justice and love of the poor,
That the joy of the Gospel
May reach to the ends of the earth,
Illuminating even the fringes of our world.
Mother of the living Gospel
Wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones,
pray for us. Amen, Alleluia!
(Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis).
Closing Song: O Maria Rayna Sa Pilipinas
Saint Pedro Poveda, Pray for us.
Blessed Victoria Diez, Pray for us.
Venerable Josefa Segovia, Intercede for us.
Eliza Giambelluca, Intercede for us.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Pray for us.
All Our Saints in Heaven, Pray for us.
In the name of the Father...
Father, May Your kingdom come!
N.B. We would like to thank the members of the Committee on Voto De
Covadonga and for all who came to join us.
PAGE 13
JULY—SEPTEMBER 2014
My Story as a Family Man in the Teresian Association
These past days, I was re-gathering and reexamining boxes of personal documents which I
have stored twelve years ago. I found this reflection
-article which I delivered to the 3rd and 4th year students of Poveda Learning Center (PLC) (now Saint
Pedro Poveda College) on October 16, 2002 during
their Povedan Conversation on the topic: TA and
the Family.
Finally, the Teresian Association has institutionalized the Family Ministry Program as one of the
Key Result Areas (KRA’s) in the TA Common Mission Plan and the implemented Associative Unity
framework. In this light, allow me to share this personal reflection. May it inspire other TA members
to strike the balance of family life, profession, other
ministries and the demands of appropriating the
vision-mission and the charism of the Teresian Association.
I dedicate this article to Judee, my wife, the Chairperson of the TA Family Ministry Program, to Jo Anne and
Eunice Marie and to our only son, Eugene “Geno” Henri whose 21 st death anniversary was celebrated on September 24, 2014.
By Antonio Lumactod
When I responded to the invitation to be one of the sharers this
morning here at Poveda Learning
Center I thought of sharing my
Teresian family, my personal history
as a living stream that forms an integral part of the flowing river of the TA
life and history, my personal sacrifices to live faithfully to the demands
of my vocation as family man, a husband and being a member of the TA,
my inner discovery and encounter of
the Risen Lord in the bosom of my
family, in my area of profession, my
own involvement in the local church.
This is my travelogue. My story
as a family man in the Teresian Association.
Before I came to know the Teresianas, I was a shy and wounded person. Like any other child, I was not
freed from my family’s brokenness.
After all nobody comes from a perfect family. Grateful as I am to God
for the rich treasures and trash in my
family, I owe much gratitude to my
parents, who were instruments of my
life and to my brothers and sisters for
the faith-lived experience in my family.
I first met the Teresianas in 1981
during a five-week seminar workshop
on Lay Spirituality. At that time, I did
not know Fr. Pedro Poveda. But the
personal care that the Teresianas
showed me and to each of the participants is an authentic embodiment
of Blessed (now Saint) Pedro Poveda. From them, I have experienced
the person of Fr. Pedro Poveda.
“They made me a person, a person
for others.”
That experience made me feel
that I belong to a family. It was a
feeling that continued through the
years when I began to court Judee,
my wife during the 2nd Summer
Seminar on Spirituality (SSS) in
1983. A TA member, who became
my confidante, advised me to stop
courting her because she sensed
that Judee and I were both called by
God to enter the religious life as Carmelites. Judee, at that time was discerning to be a Carmelite nun; I, my-
self once dreamt to become a Carmelite monk. (Two inspired persons
met and felt so attracted to each
other. Pinagbuklod ng langit. Parang
parents ni Saint Terese of the Child
Jesus, whose mother wanted to become a religious and the father desired to become a priest.) Acting
upon the advice of another Teresiana, we followed the beatings of our
hearts and on December 10, 1983,
we got married. Seemingly, it was a
whirlwind romance but our relationship was strongly founded during
that SSS. We were blest to have Jo
Anne, our first child born on August
29, 1987, Eunice Marie, our second
child on June 8, 1990 and Eugene
Henri, the third on March 23, 1992,
who has gone to his creator on September 24, 1993.
On October 15, 1988, Judee and I
made our commitment as full-fledged
members of the Teresian Association. Indeed, as we professed our
solemn promise to Christ, we have
realized greater demands to live out
Family Man/page 14
PAGE 14
Family Man/from page 13
the spirituality, charism and
mission of the Teresian Association.
My formation through the
Teresian Association was coupled with Carmelite and Ignatian Spirituality. Both spiritualities enhanced my TA spirituality because they are apostolic in nature. The formation I
received at Mother of Life Center, as well as being a Jesuitlay, have enriched my commitment to the Teresian Association as husband, family man,
campus minister, retreat guide
and as Catechist. But how
could this be? I asked myself, I
being a married man? Should
I leave my wife and children
and do the mission outside the
family?
How did it begin? It all began in 1988, when I was chosen to be a member of the
ACIT-Philippines
Transitory
Board. It was convened to
prepare the first Assembly of
ACIT-Philippines in 1991 here
at PLC. With the acceptance
of the role, I had to strike the
balance in family life, profession, my commitment to
Church and to the Teresian
Association. From being a
member of the Board of ACITPhilippines, I was later elected
as Vice-President, then President, and finally chosen by the
Governing Council to be a
member of the TA International
Planning Committee preparing
the 2nd TA Congress in Sevilla,
Spain.
As married couple, we encountered diverse challenges
and hardships that inspired
and strengthened us more to
be true to our vocation as
members of the Teresian Association. The demands of my
profession, family life, professional updating (I was then
finishing my MA in Religious
Education) and serving the
ACIT NEWSLETTER
ACIT for thirteen years (19882001) (now for 25 years)
made me realize the real experience of being sent forth
by the Lord for a mission. Fr.
Poveda reminds us, “We do
not need to be rich to give, we
only need to be good.” Of
being a gift to the Association
significantly confirms the story
of the multiplication of loaves
of bread in the Gospel. People brought baskets of food;
the little food they have
shared in the meal. In my
own little way, what were the
little things I have shared in
the Teresian Association, in
my family and in the local
church?
“Desponibilite” or availability for service and mission is
my offering to the Association. This was manifested by
the demands of travel to key
cities in the Philippines to
hold national meetings and to
visit members of the ACIT.
Especially sacrificing on
our part as a couple from
1987 to 1992 were the moments when Judee delivered
through caesarean all our
three children. At home, I
had to give up my evening
rest to feed the newly born
child, change diapers, watch
and care for them, bring them
to the hospital when they got
sick, help in the household
chores and, at the same time,
prepare daily lesson plans for
the next day’s classroom instruction and maintain a
healthy and intimate relationship with Judee. These were
challenging years of my life
as young father and husband.
As I look back to the past,
I really wonder how I was
able to maintain equilibrium.
What was the source of
strength? When the well runs
dry, we have a supportive
family to quench our thirst—
the Teresian family, as the
fountain of life. Family celebrations, Advent and Lenten
Recollections, feast days of our
founder and other significant
activities were meaningful activities that sustained and nourished our souls to go back to
our center and to find God in
the everyday of our life. In moments of boredom and fatigue,
Judee and I would find refuge at
our modern cave at the Carmelites Monastery or at the Pink
Sisters Monastery for a day of
prayer. “Getting on my balcony” at the end of the day’s
work through the “Examen of
Consciousness” makes me feel
at home with my self, nature,
and God. After all, Saint Pedro
Poveda always reminds us that
prayer and study are our weapons to remain steadfast and
strong.
To stabilize the situation,
Judee gave up her masteral
studies to devote her time to
taking care of the children and
her teaching profession. Thus,
giving me the chance to finish
my Masteral studies and to be
actively involved as an officer of
the ACIT-Philippines Board
from 1988 to 2002.
In the summers of 1990 and
1991, I was sent by the Ateneo
de Davao to attend the Ignatian
Retreat Direction Formation
Program at Jesuit Retreat
House (JRH) in Banawa hills,
Cebu City. While I was away
from my family during the first
summer in 1990, Judee was
due to give birth to our second
child. I was anxious when I
went to Cebu that summer to
attend the formation. However,
God sent us an angel to take
care of her. Manang Helen, her
sister was there to assume the
preparations needed. God’s
interruption! I was already home
when Judee gave birth to
Eunice Marie, our second child
on June 8, 1990.
In the local level, we ourselves as members of ACITDavao started to organize as
Family Man/from page 15
“Family
celebrations,
Advent and
Lenten
Recollections,
feast days of
our founder
and other
significant
activities were
meaningful
activities that
sustained and
nourished our
souls to go
back to our
center and to
find God in
the everyday
of our life.”
JULY—SEPTEMBER 2014
Family Man/from page 15
pool of Recollection and Retreat
Facilitators. On weekends, we
agreed as team of facilitators to
share our time and expertise to
graduating students of the University of Mindanao, a non sectarian school. Inner joy! Touching the lives of others! In moments when we gathered to
evaluate the weekend experiences, we were like the apostles coming home in jubilation at
the marvelous experiences.
My work at the Ateneo
Grade School and our ACITDavao apostolic involvement at
the University of Mindanao reinforced my zeal and personal
commitment and involvement in
the church. I became more involved in the local church. I
responded to more request for
retreats, growth sessions, PreMarital and Marital Counseling,
Family Healing—Coming Home
Sessions, team building activities and directed retreats for
diverse groups: students and
faculty from Basic Education to
Tertiary level (both public and
private posts), professional
groups, Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC) and covenant
communities and those from the
corporate world.
“Human interruptions occur
in our life. Allowing ourselves to
reflect over these human interruptions, they invite us to new
forms of attractions” (Margaret
Silf). True! While I was reaching
the peak of family life, my profession and apostolate, a painful human interruption visited
our family. The sudden death of
Eugene Henri on September
23, 1993 was something crucial. So perplexing was his
passing away, we were not prepared for it. It was a supreme
test of our faith. We felt as if the
Lord had abandoned us. The
prayer of Jesus “Father, why
have you abandoned me” ech-
PAGE
oed strongly in my ears. I
questioned the Lord, “Lord,
what have I gained after serving You through these years?
Why did you take our son, our
only Son?” Physically, I almost suffered a nervous
breakdown. My entire family
was in anguish and in deep
sorrow. In the moments of
grief, most especially when we
seemingly felt that there was
no end to our grieving, the TA
family was always there to
support us. I recall the day
Judee came home from the
funeral parlor, it was truly
heartbreaking to bring home
the clothes of our son from the
hospital. And, who was there
to listen to her woes and lamentations?
It was Bing
Tabares expressing all her
compassion and support in
comforting her. Words of consolation, came pouring in from
TA members from foreign
countries. And I would like to
quote some of these words…
“Moments
like
these are moments of
truth… Please be patient in pain and even
when not fully understanding, allow your
own son to be joined
with Him for whatever
reason may be there.
My constant plea to
God is: may your faith
grow, may you also
grow closer to one
another,
comforting
and encouraging each
other through whatever pains and difficulty” (Cora Mateo,
FABC, Taiwan).
“Only God knows
fully why He brought
our ‘little saint’ so early
to commune with him
forever and all our
Saints
there
in
heaven.
Perhaps it
will be good to think, in
moments of longing
15
his presence, that
you have a little angel
there, a little intercessor. I invite you to
ask the Lord to let
you see how much
love He has for you
and for each one of
you — especially to
our ‘little saint’”. (Roli
Jover, Rome)
Gratitude! Gratitude is the
language of the heart. My
family and I are grateful to
them as well as to the other
communities: members of
ACIT and the TA Primary Association (national and local)
for patiently accompanying
us; the Mother of Life Center
in Novaliches, Quezon City,
my home and hiding place for
a month of rest in summer of
1994; the Jesuit community
and my Ateneo family for their
moral and financial support.
Three years of grieving…
While we grieved the loss of
our only son, there was no
turning back to remaining
steadfast and faithful to the
TA mission in my family, profession and church and civil
society apostolate. During
those years, we strongly believed that life had to go on.
All these will come to pass.
After three years, we finally
bid goodbye to our son. A
ritual of goodbye helped us to
feel that Geno is now with the
Triune God in heaven. Every
afternoon, we purposively
lighted a candle on the altar
home, prayed the Rosary and
said prayers of goodbye. We
firmly believe that Geno is
now sharing Christ’s resurrection in heaven.
How did we restore life in
the family — to continually
become the source of life for
and with others? A year, after
the death of Geno, Judee
Family Man/page 16
“Lord, what
have I gained
after serving
You through
these years?
Why did you
take our son,
our only
Son?”
PAGE 16
Family Man/from page 15
made herself busy pursuing her
masteral studies when she received a scholarship grant from
Fund for Assistance to Private
Education (FAPE) on Master of
Science in Chemistry Education. In nostalgic moments,
there were times that Judee
and I had to dialogue when Jo
Anne and Eunice Marie were
already asleep or at dawn to
welcome the day with joy and
consolation with God. Maintaining family celebrations, celebrating the Mass as family, family prayer, family recreation…
playing and listening to children’s needs… all these were
intertwined into the fabric of
family for greater life.
In our tears and struggles of
life, we slowly rose from our
experience of woundedness
and vulnerabilities. Afire with
the love of God, Judee and I,
together with ACIT Davao
members, continued to gather
for regular community prayer,
formations sessions, to conduct
recollections and retreats. In
1993, we dropped our Catechism apostolate for the Street
children at the Balay Pasilungan (House of Refuge) managed by the Society of Mary
Fathers and concentrated our
mission to giving RecollectionsRetreats and the promotion and
formation of Pre-ACIT members.
Meanwhile, we noticed Jo
Anne’s difficulties on her academic subjects in Pre-School.
She first enrolled at the Ateneo
de Davao Pre-School, then
transferred to Values School,
then to Philippine Women’s College and finally a dropped out
for a year. We wondered why?
And again, the TA family was
there to help us. Two Teresianas referred us to a Special
Education teacher from UP,
Diliman. God sent us again a
ACIT NEWSLETTER
messenger, a Special Education teacher who diagnosed Jo
Anne’s disability—mild moderate mental retardation. She
also gave intervention in reading skills for three months.
Despite her limitation, this discovery allowed us to shift our
way of treating Jo Anne. We
have learned to love her more
and to accept her as she is
and to affirm her strengths.
She has special abilities in
cooking, singing and dancing.
Gently, we explained to Eunice
that she has to be patient and
understanding to her Ate. Certainly, God gives us gifts with
unique talents. Jo Anne is intuitive, sensing, practical and a
feeling person. Eunice is more
logical and thinking person.
Beautiful!
Complementing
each other’s gifts.
In 1999, I was re-elected as
ACIT-Philippines
National
President. Grace! And more
blessings! More ACIT members were added to the fold;
more projects were launched
and implemented in different
cities. In Davao, in addition to
conducting
recollectionsretreats, we also offered Family
Reconciliation-Coming
Home Sessions to various
families. At the Ateneo Grade
School, as the head of the
Campus Ministry Office, I also
initiated the “Coming Home
Session,” a team building activity for each grade level and
offices. In the Parish, I volunteered in giving Catechism
sessions
for
Pre-Baptism
preparation and Pre-Cana
Sessions.
It is with gratitude and
thanks to the Lord and to the
TA for being chosen to attend
two International Planning
meetings held in Sta Maria
House of Formation in Los Negrales, Madrid, Spain in September, 1997 and in Poggio
Mirteto Italy in June, 1998 and
for the opportunity to attend
the 2nd TA Congress in
Sevilla, Spain on December
27 to January 1999. In that
Congress, we discussed, reflected on the challenging
demands of the family our
society today due to migration
as one impact of globalization. With these challenging
situations in family life, we
resolved to promote and reinforce pastoral care of the
families, create centers of
family counseling and collaborate with organizations
and institutions that promote
family life and initiated programs on family ministries.
What return can I make to
the Lord with all these blessings? God’s grace! This process of transformation is seen
in the context of God’s loving
arms. The experiences of low
and peak moments were opportune times when I discovered and encountered the
inner presence of the Risen
Lord in the heart of my family
and the TA family. Having
been healed and experiencing God’s love, I give thanks
to our Loving Creator for
Saint Pedro Poveda, and the
Teresian
Association.
Through Fr. Poveda, the
Teresian Association and the
many divergent and valuable
formations, I am the person
that I am today. Praise be to
God!
As I continue to live out
the TA charism in the family,
area of profession and other
apostolate, I beg for the
graces: “Lord, that I may think
what you want me to think,
that I may speak what you
want me to speak, that I may
love what you want me to
love, that I may act the way
you want me to act, This is
my only ambition.”
“Give me only your love
and your grace, that‘s enough
for me.”
“The
experiences
of low and
peak
moments
were
opportune
times when I
discovered
and
encountered
the inner
presence of
the Risen
Lord in the
heart of my
family and the
TA family.”
PAGE 17
JULY—SEPTEMBER 2014
Popular Piety/from page 1
gram of the Cultura Team on
the thrust of the Teresian Association in social transformation.
So on this beautiful
morning of August 16, a
Jesuit priest, who was
described as “unseen
presence”, “dean of all
theologians”, “godfather
of priests“ was invited
to speak on Popular
Piety and the New
Evangelization.
As expected of a
prominent, yet humble
theologian, Fr. Catalino
Arevalo, S.J., was
more than just a
speaker. True to the
aforementioned
descriptions of him, he
filled the venue with his
inspiring passion and contagious humor. It is hard to capture in this article the essential
points of the talk. It deserves a
more well thought of version
than this output. This piece is
intended just to wet the appetite, so to speak. Here are
some highlights of the lecture:
Presentation on the concept
of the New Evangelization:
 In 1965, Vatican II ended,
bringing reforms to our ways
of expressing our faith and in
evangelizing others; this era
presented new challenges in
the church to spread the
Gospel in ways that are relevant and reachable to the
people. Vatican II’s thrusts
and meanings: 1. For the
first time in the history of the
church, she’s beginning to
be a truly universal church
(Fr. Karl Rahner, S.J.); 2.
The church accepted history,
that the world is constantly
changing & language has to
change (Fr. Bernard Lonergan, S.J.); 3. The local
church in communion with
the church, with its own
culture; not borrowing everything from Rome or
Europe, this church faces
its own problems and creates solutions for its own
problems (Fr. Congar, OP).
 Pope
Paul
VI
was beginning to
throw the
concept of
the new
evangelization and
gave impetus to it
through
Evangelii
Nuntiandi.
He realized that a
new world
has arisen in the last 50
years, which may have not
been realized by a lot of
people; not many would
like to face the new world.
 Other popes, notably Pope
Benedict XVI and Pope
Francis, together in Porta
Lumen Fideii and Pope
Francis on his own in
Evangelii Gaudium followed suit and strengthened the call to make the
faith more and more encompassing of folk expressions that arise from the
culture of the people.
 Evangelii Gaudium took
notes of the Aparecida
documents (Aparecida is
a city in Brazil, the venue
for the 5th Conference of
the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean,
2007). These Aparecida
documents highlighted certain points referring to
Christianity as a faith encounter with the person of
Jesus and the importance
of giving attention to its
unique expressions arising
from the very life of the believer, particularly, the poor.
Due to the invisible
action of the Holy
Spirit, the encounter
with
Christ
takes
place in faith received
and lived in the
church..
Popular
piety
as
space of encounter
with Jesus Christ.
This way of expressing the faith is present in all social sectors, in a multitude
that merits our respect and affection.
Among the expressions of this spirituality are: patron saint
celebrations,
novenas, rosaries, the
Way of the Cross,
processions, dances
& songs of religious
folklore, affection for
the saints and angels,
solemn
promises,
and family prayer.
We cannot depreciate
popular spirituality, or
consider it a secondary mode of Christian life, for that would
be to forget the primacy of the action of
the Spirit and God’s
free initiative of love.
It is a spirituality incarnated in the culture of the lowly,
which is not thereby
less spiritual, but is
so in another manner.
Mary, by her faith,
becomes the first
member of the community of believers in
Christ, and also collaborates in the spiritual rebirth of the disciples.
Popular Piety/page 18
“We cannot
depreciate
popular
spirituality, or
consider it a
secondary mode
of Christian life,
for that would
be to forget the
primacy of the
action of the
Spirit and God’s
free initiative of
love.”
PAGE 18
Popular Piety/from page 17
Portions of Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium emphasize thus:
All the baptized, whatever the position in the
Church or their level of
instruction in the faith,
are agents of evangelization, and it would be insufficient to envisage a
plan of evangelization to
be carried out by professionals while the rest of
the faithful would simply
be passive recipients.
Of course, all of us, are
called to mature in our
work as evangelizers. We
want to have better training, a deepening love
and a clearer witness to
the Gospel. In this sense,
we ought to let others be
constantly evangelizing
us.
On
the
evangelizing
power of popular piety: In
the same way we can
see that the different peoples among whom the
Gospel has been inculturated are active collective subjects or agents of
evangelization. This is
because each people is
the creator of their own
culture and the protagonist of their own history.
Fr. Arevalo cited the practical implications of the new
evangelization and popular piety in our present times and
those to come; that we have to
accept the calls of the church
through the two pontiffs : 1.) If
going to church does not flow to
love/service of others, you’re
not a Christian (Ratzinger in
1966,
later became Pope
Benedict XVI). 2.) Those who
have no personal relationship
with Jesus cannot evangelize.
Only from the affective connaturality born of love can we
ACIT
NEWSLETTER
appreciate the theological life
present in the piety of Christian peoples, especially the
poor (Pope Francis).
Fr. Arevalo challenged the
assembly to give the following
their careful attention:
 The acceptance of popular
spirituality is to accept that
most religion comes from
the people (graces pass
through the hearts of the
people). The Holy Spirit can
act on persons even without
the priests. The Spirit acts
directly in the hearts of the
poor who cannot reach the
priests, religious or the
church. (Here, Fr. Arevalo
challenged the clergy and
the religious to go down to
the poor more and more and
drop superfluous lifestyles).
 A personal relationship
with Christ and to share
Him with others cannot
happen if we hide in our
comfort zones
 Take the Gospel and bring
the Gospel to people; discern what is of the Gospel
and that of the culture
 The faith is transmitted in
family life (94% in MetroManila learns it this way);
Many schools run by religious may be lessened;
the transmission of the
faith will be in the lives of
people.
 There seems to be a plot
to destroy the Catholic
faith, right there in Catholic schools and centers.
(Here he cited isolated
cases of those who lost
faith in Catholicism when
they studied in Catholic
schools).
tions; their virtues
should be lived.
2. The
Scriptures
(especially the New
Testament) will be
read more and more.
3. The faithful grow in
their sacramental life,
particularly, the Mass
which has to be understood more and
more.
At the last part of the program, the audience craved for
more reflections from Fr. Arevalo. In the interest of time,
only two questions were accommodated. To the first
question on what could be the
best approach to catechism if
it has to be relevant and not
over focused on memorizing
doctrines, Fr. Arevalo encouraged creative approaches but
highlighted about teaching the
Mass itself because people
attend Masses even without
much understanding. To the
second question about santacruzan becoming sort of a
misdirected expression of the
faith, Fr. Arevalo simply said:
Do not criticize, provide good
examples and alternatives
(Ex. A parade of the saints
after studying them).
 It is important that:
1. Devotions to Jesus,
Mary, and the saints
will not just be devo-
Popular Piety/page 19
“The faith
is
transmitted
in family
life …”
JULY—SEPTEMBER
PAGE 19
2014
Celebrating Victoria/from page 1
gram was a talk by Rolinda
Jover on the life of Blessed
Victoria Diez as a teacher. In
sharing the life of Victoria
Diez, the demands of the
teaching profession was
highlighted and was very
imminent especially during
her time when the resources
were few and social unrest
was rampant. Nevertheless,
it was the very same circumstances of social turmoil and
material crisis that brought
her to sanctity. In Victoria
Diez, we see an example of
our vocation fulfilled, that is,
we see an example of a person who was able to use her
profession as a tool of sanctification both for herself and
that of others.
Personally, I have also
chosen Victoria Diez as my
accompanying saint in carrying my professional duty as a
teacher and in living out my
vocation as member of the
Association albeit with innumerable lapses and at times,
questionable certainty. Nevertheless, the commitment to
be better is present. It is likewise our hope and prayer
that the teacher participants
have also felt the same.
The second activity was
on determining one’s temperament facilitated by May
Revecho.
The take home
message of the second activity is for the teachers to know
their temperament and that of
others in order to cultivate a
culture of understanding. It
was emphasized that the understanding of our temperament will also enable us to
know its associated limitations and weaknesses, which,
in turn, should help us develop the virtues necessary to
address these limitations.
Indeed as Fr. Poveda puts it:
“You need not change your
personality; you just have to
perfect it”.
The event proceeded with
the separation of the participants into the elementary
teachers group and the high
school teachers group. For
the elementary teachers,
Vilma Laranas gave an input
on differentiated instruction in
order to cater to the needs of
learners of different styles
and abilities in the classroom.
On the other hand, I gave an
input on classroom teaching
strategies for the science and
the humanities. The input
Popular Piety/from page 18
Comments/impressions from a
few:
 To teach by going down to the
level of the learners; to evangelize is to enter first into the world of
the evangelized in friendship.
(from a group of nuns)
 It resonates with me; I have to
share with others and not to set
myself apart (from one who is in
formation in TA).
 It is an eye-opener, a refresher,
having studied Religious Education; I am thinking on what I can
was contextualized in a public
school setting to leverage on
the existing resources of the
school and, at the same time,
reduce the demand on the
teachers’ workload while addressing student needs. The
session was met with eagerness positivity on the part of
the teacher participants and it
was such a joyful experience
to be able to share and to see
them learn.
Blessed Victoria Diez was a
teacher. And more than that,
she was a Teresiana. The call
that we have received is
unique, and I have come to
understand that my profession
will serve as the means to
achieve a very rewarding end
– the sanctity of both me and
those of whom I am with.
Blessed Victoria Diez has the
teaching profession as her
ticket to reach heaven. Each
of us is given one; some very
different from that of others.
Anyhow, regardless of our profession that is the means, the
end that is sanctity is really
what matters.
Thank you
Teacher Victoria Diez for
showing us the way.
contribute as I
teach in the
public school.
(from a young
professional)
 This
very
there
be a
(from
youth)
talk is
helpful,
should
part 2.
the
Astounded,
dumbfounded,
awed, the assembly got together at
the chapel of Saint Pedro Poveda
College to partake of the Eucharist,
with Fr. Arevalo as the presider. Did
we evangelize or got evangelized?
“… I have come
to understand
that my
profession will
serve as the
means to
achieve a very
rewarding
end— the
sanctity of both
me and those of
whom I am
with.”
The answer was in the hearts
of all those gathered.
We may choose to be
stably anchored on Christ’s
real presence in the Eucharist
and the solid foundation provided by reading the Scriptures. Or we may choose to
join the crowd in Baclaran
and follow the gang of Kris
Aquino. We are free…and
hopefully responsible.
The source of popular piety is the Holy Spirit.
Walang himala! Ang himala ay
nasa puso ng tao.