Third OAR Mission Congress held
in the Philippines
***Representatives from St. Augustine Province attending the Mission Congress included Frs. Charles Huse (prior provincial), Ben Capacillo, and Marlon Beof.
The Mission Congress, celebrated
from December 4 to 6 in Manila, has put the final touch on this
missionary year 2006 that was convoked for us by the Prior General.
In it we have especially remembered the IV Centenary of the arrival
of the Augustinian Recollects in the Philippines and the missionary
labor of St. Ezekiel Moreno in these islands, as we commemorate
of the first centenary of his death.
The Congress took place in the
great hall-auditorium of the University of San Sebastian that
the Order has in Manila. It was solemnly initiated at 7:30 AM
on 
December
4 in the historic and artistic church of the convent of San Sebastian,
with a concelebrated liturgy. Presiding at the liturgy was the
Nuncio of the Holy See and with him were concelebrating five Recollect
bishops, the Prior General, six priors provincial and one hundred
Recollect religious. The church was overflowing. In the homily,
the Nuncio remembered the fruitful evangelizing work of the Recollect
missionaries in the Philippines over the course of these 400 years,
and he exhorted those present to recapture the missionary fervor,
taking on with dedication and fidelity the new evangelization
that the church has called for at the beginning of this new millennium.
The liturgy having been completed, the Prior General immediately
declared in the auditorium the opening of the Congress and presented
a global perspective of the work that the Order is carrying out
today in the mission field. Completing this first day’s
work were the informative talks of Fr. Angel Martinez Cuesta with
the themes “The ‘path’ of our missions in the
past” and “The Augustinian Recollects in the Philippines
in the 19th and 20th centuries”, and that of professor Emmanuel
Romanillos with the presentation “St. Ezekiel, missionary
in the Philippines.”
The work of the second day of
the Congress also began with the Eucharist, presided by Cardinal
Vidal, Archbishop of Cebu: it had been precisely Cebu which was
the first territory tread by the Recollects on their arrival in
the archipelago in April of 1606. In an emotional homily the Cardinal
remembered the event and, with gratitude toward the Order, he
highlighted the dedication of the missionaries to the welfare
of the Filipino people. The conferences of this second day helped
to express more deeply the fundamental aspects of the mission.
Fr. Bil Larouse, presented “The theology of the mission
after Vatican II”; Msgr. José Luis Azcona, “The
practical goals and methodology of the OAR missions”, especially
in Brazil; Fr. Javier Pipaón, “The work of the Recollect
missionaries in China and Taiwan”; and Bishop Emiliano Cisneros,
“The identity of the Augustinian Recollect missionaries:
life and work.”
On the morning of the third day
of the Congress, we listened attentively to the conferences of
Bishop Mario Molina about “The mission confronting the reality
of today’s society”, and Bishop Javier Pizarro about
“Inculturation and religious dialogue.” In the afternoon,
Fr. Don Desana explored the theme “The future of the mission
of the Augustinian Recollects in Africa”; and finally the
Mother General of the Augustinian Recollect Sisters and Sr. Marina
García, former superior genral of the MARs, spoke about
the present missionary labor of their respective congregations.
In the afternoon on the patio of San Sebastian, the Congress came
to a close with the Eucharist. Bishop Mario Molina presided; the
five other Recollect bishops who were present concelebrated with
him along with another six Filipinos from the dioceses in which
the friars of St. Ezekiel Moreno Province work, the Prior General,
and the many Recollect religious attending the congress. Fr. Lauro
Larlar, prior provincial of the Philippine province preached,
greatfully acknowledging the presence of all, and officially closed
the Congress. On December 7 with the vice president of the Republic
of the Philippines and other local authorities in Manila present,
having completed 400 years since the arrival of the first Augustinian
Recollects in the archipeligo and in rememberance and recognition
of their evangelizinging work in the city of Manila, two monuments
were unveiled and blessed on the grounds occupied by the two most
symbolic convents: San Juan of Ragumbayam and San Nicolás,
this last having disappeared during the American bombing of the
city in the midst of the world war for the liberation of the Japanese
dominions.
The congress had been a complete
success both in the conferences and organization as well as in
the excellent participation of the religious men and women, the
fraternities, and the laity associated with our ministries in
the Philippines. The schedule was intense and the sessions were
long, with hardly any free time, but the numerous displays of
Filipino culture which we could enjoy between the conferences
and during the recesses, expertly performed by the OAR students
in formation, as well as by the Recollect universities of Manila,
Cebu, and Bacolod, made them entertaining and gratifying. Every
day at the end of the work session there was time for open dialogue
between the audience and the speakers that helped to deepen the
understanding of the themes and stimulate the participation and
interest of all. We have felt very welcome and cared for by our
Filipino brothers, and at every moment the Augustinian spirit
of “one soul and one heart” has prevailed. We can
afirm with the Psalm: “How good and how pleasant when brothers
live in unity!” Now we must extend our congratulations to
the organizers and our gratitude to our brothers of St. Ezekiel
Moreno Province. To all, a sincere invitation to work with dedication,
enthusiasm, and generosity in the new fields of the mission: let
us communicate and give testimony of our faith, so that the Gospel
may continue transforming society, our surroundings, and the culture
in which we live.
Fr.
José Ramón Pérez, OAR
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