1994
12th
April
“Go… Make Disciples!” – A Pastoral Letter on the Fourth Centenary of the Archdioceses of Manila, Cebu, Caceres, Nueva Segovia
“Go… Make Disciples!” – A Pastoral Letter on the Fourth Centenary of the Archdioceses of Manila, Cebu, Caceres, Nueva Segovia
Beloved People of God:
This year 1995 will mark a preeminent historical event of the Church in the Philippines. Four hundred years ago, Pope Clement VIII in a papal brief dated 14 August 1595 approved the elevation of the diocese of Manila into an archbishopric with three suffragan dioceses, namely those of Cebu, Nueva Caceres and Nueva Segovia.
From these four ecclesiastical centers would radiate the redemptive message of the Gospel carried throughout the archipelago by a throng of tireless and courageous missionaries.
The four ecclesiastical jurisdictions covered among them the entire archipelago with the diocese of Cebu responsible for the most extensive territory which included the Visayas, Mindanao and the Marianas Islands. Next in coverage came the archdiocese of Manila which included Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Pampanga, the southern Tagalog provinces, the southern half of Tarlac and the islands of Mindoro and Marinduque. The diocese of Nueva Segovia, now centered in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, but originally in Lallo, Cagayan, had responsibility over Pangasinan, the Ilocos Norte and Sur including largely unexplored Mountain Province. The diocese of Nueva Caceres, named in memory of the Spanish city of Caceres, included the provinces of Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon and the islands of Catanduanes, Masbate, Burias, Ticao and some parts of Samar.
Permanent Presence of the Church
It was a time of severe challenge. The aggressive entry of a foreign culture was a threat to the fragile communities scattered along the river banks and valleys. Conquest and payment of tribute in the name of a faraway king was an assault against the autonomy of the barangays and the power of local datos. More significantly, the preaching of the radical message that there is only one true God wrought havoc on ancient beliefs regarding a multitude of diuatas and anitos.
In the midst of these uncertainties and confrontations, the Church, 74 years after Magellan cast anchor in Cebu and barely 24 years from the time Miguel López de Legaspi entered Manila, made a solemn decision to stabilize its presence in the Philippines. By establishing the archdiocese of Manila and its three related suffragan dioceses of Cebu, Nueva Caceres and Nueva Segovia, the Church was at the same time boldly defining the nature of its mission in the Islands.
It was to be a permanent decision – one which saw the country not as a mere entrepôt or stepping stone to the more exotic kingdoms of China and Japan – but as a main focus in itself of an all-out evangelizing enterprise. This action also gave notice to the conquistadores that the Church would stand by the natives and defend their rights and properties against abuses. It revealed a church which dared to confront with the Christian cross the conquering sword in defense of the conquered’s human rights.
In Defense of Human Rights
Here we recall that courageous defender of Filipinos, the Dominican, Fray Domingo de Salazar. A disciple of the founder of international law, Fr. Francisco de Vitoria, O.P. (1483-1546), and of the Apostle of the Indians, Fr. Bartolomé de las Casas, this first bishop of the diocese of Manila tirelessly demanded justice on behalf of the native population whose persons and properties were violated by slavery and exploitation.
Bishop Salazar’s first pastoral letter deserves to be partly quoted since it reveals the tenacity of the early Filipinos to hold on to their faith in spite of the scandalous transgressions of some of its foreign adherents. Dated 21 December 1581, the pastoral letter notes:
“… this is precisely what enhances God’s admirable power and brings into greater relief the tremendous resources of our holy faith, that men beaten in war, reduced by the ferocity of their conqueror to a miserable bondage, stripped of their wives, their children and all their worldly goods, should in spite of all this, accept the faith and desire to profess the law of that God from whose worshippers they have suffered so many and such great evils…”[1]
Does not this observation, made at the dawn of our Christian history about Filipino behavior in the face of grievous deprivations remind us of the present-day Filipinos’ own tenacity to hold on to the treasure of the Faith in spite of modern temptations against it?
The establishment 400 years ago of this pioneer archbishopric of Manila and its three suffragan dioceses became the nucleus for the systematic mobilization of the Church’s spiritual resources. Henceforth, the Church set about resolutely to create the conditions necessary for Christianity to take root and to spread throughout the islands. Primary schools were set up in many parishes where the younger generation could be intensely grounded in their Faith. Charitable foundations to care for the sick were started. These were eventually to develop into today’s San Lazaro and San Juan de Dios hospitals. The first catechism, the Doctrina Cristiana, was translated into various Philippine languages. Sodalities and confraternities were introduced to orient the laity towards service of the needy. As intrepid missionaries penetrated into remote hinterlands they left behind visitas which paved the way for the emergence of new towns.
The Power of Christian Symbols
The physical presence of churches, convents, hospitals and schools generated new symbolic experiences for the recently baptized. That the church building dominated the center of the town’s layout became for them a daily reminder of what they were taught in catechism classes about the majestic supremacy of the one true God. That the liturgy of the church was expressed in the seasonal cycle of Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection, became for the new converts a formula of liberation from the fatalism and static universe of pagan beliefs. The sound of church bells at various hours was linked to attendance at Holy Mass or to the recitation of the Little Office of the Blessed Mother. The imagination of the new Christians was no longer cluttered with impersonal spirits and magical rites but was enriched by the epiphany of a new world where angels and saints stood radiant before the altar of the Lamb of God.
The Church of the 16th century was also one of the principal architects of an emerging Filipino civilization. A civilization requires a vision to illumine its journey through history. This vision the Church offered a dispersed people by uniting them under the aegis of One God, One Church, One Eternal Destiny. This vision the Church concretized through the central devotions of the four key ecclesiastical jurisdictions: the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady for Manila and Nueva Segovia; the patronage of St. John the Evangelist for Nueva Caceres and that of the Most Holy Name of Jesus for Cebu.[2]
Creating a Christian Civilization
The civilizing work that emanated from Manila and its three suffragan dioceses introduced an era of creative activities especially on the part of religious missionaries. In Manila, the Jesuit Fr. Antonio Sedeño and the Dominican Fr. Alonso Jiménez erected solid churches of stone, showing Filipino workers how to quarry adobe and how to mix mortar. In the region covered by the diocese of Nueva Caceres, it was the Franciscan priest Fr. Jerónimo de Aguilar who first introduced western music to the people of Camarines. The first grammar and dictionary of the Ilocano language prevailing in the diocese of Nueva Segovia was prepared by Fray Pedro de la Cruz Ávila while the Augustinian priest Fr. Alonso Mentrida succeeded in analyzing the linguistic structure of Cebuano.
Through its attention to both the spiritual and temporal welfare of the native population, the Church enabled the early Filipinos to take the crucial leap of faith which disengaged them from the constraining and at times cruel customs of their original culture – ushering them into a new civilization of charity, justice and life.
True and beyond dispute, there were abuses of power both on the part of the civil authorities and of Church personalities as well, abuses which left unreformed became the object of a bloody revolution. A credible judgment of this violent period of our history has been rendered by Filipinos of that era who themselves were victims of Spanish oppression. In the decisive revolutions of the nineteenth century as well as in the earlier sporadic revolts, Filipino rebels who virtually killed all the Spanish civil authorities in regions they controlled, nevertheless largely spared their spiritual pastors.[3]
This 400th anniversary is therefore an opportunity to thank two important actors of our first evangelization – the missionaries who left behind their European roots to challenge Filipinos to accept the Gospel, and the Filipinos who in response gave up the security of their ancients beliefs when they embraced the new faith. The person of our first Filipino canonized saint, Lorenzo Ruiz, is a proof of the blossoming of this maturing faith. Both deserve our gratitude, for together they handed on to us the priceless heritage of Christianity formed and sustained by the ardor of their fidelity and sacrifices.
The Church celebrates the encounter between the early Filipinos and missionaries with a sense of humility, because alongside its heroic accomplishments are lamentable acts that were culturally disruptive and destructive of human rights. Bearing truth in mind, we thank God for what was good while resolving to avoid today the errors of the past. We then celebrate this anniversary in a spirit of fraternal solidarity with all persons of goodwill who promote whatever is true and just for our people. Thus, those who do not share our faith need have no fear that a New Evangelization will revive the triumphalism and insensitivity.
The Challenge of the New Evangelization
Today, as we stand on the threshold of the Third Millennium with its unknown perils and unexplored horizons, we experience once more the fear and uncertainties of ancient navigators as their galleons braved uncharted oceans. We are challenged by the Pope to engage in a Second Evangelization to be shaped by new enthusiasm, new methods and new expressions. How fortunate we are that in this pastoral endeavor, we have before us not only the examples and the lessons drawn from the First Evangelization but also the institutions and structures they left behind, among the most influential being the diocesan network originally linked to the archdiocese of Manila. They were important then as structures for incorporating the Filipinos into God’s salvific plan. They are equally, if not more important now, in implementing the New Evangelization. Their numbers have grown: from the initial four dioceses of 1595 to the present 77 dioceses with their 2,192 parishes. The new dioceses have taken over church leadership previously exercised by the four parent dioceses in their respective regions. Yet, the continuing historical influence of these initial dioceses down to our times was evident during the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines where prominent roles were assigned to the Episcopal heads of Manila, Cebu, Nueva Caceres and Nueva Segovia.
We have seen how in the year 1595 the Church in the Philippines entered a new state of apostolic activity with the establishment of the four leading dioceses. Today we are heirs to the unfinished agenda of their evangelization. They envisioned as early as in the Manila synod of 1581, that Filipinos would have a government whose first duty is to administer justice and whose actuations would not contradict Gospel principles.[4] Today this hope remains unfulfilled. Furthermore, the 1581 synod sought to promote among Filipinos a level of culture where personal behavior was to be marked by compassion and respect for the rights of others while the structures of society would facilitate the growth of Christian culture and institutions.[5] Today our senseless violence and lack of kaayusan frustrate our attainment of cultural harmony and structural order.
The Instrumentality of PCP-II
These are the contemporary challenges to which all our dioceses gave their collective response when they forged the Acts and Decrees of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP-II). In this Council, the Church in the Philippines was motivated to grasp wholeheartedly all those means which would lead to the full flowering of the life of faith in Christ.[6] Since this meant re-telling his story and following his way, the dioceses, both pastors and flock, committed themselves to be a Church of the Poor envisioned to bring forth a Community of Disciples of the Lord.
With the promulgation of the PCP-II decrees and the implementation of its National Pastoral Plan, the Church in the Philippines has the blueprint and the guidelines for a Renewed Integral Evangelization.
The essence of this is the evangelization of Filipino culture by a process of inculturation including a comprehensive purification and transformation of our people’s ethos so that Christ’s message might prevail and permeate their families, their professions, their institutions and structures.[7] Only then will the Church in the Philippines possess a new prophetic voice and a new cultural alternative in the face of the dehumanizing forces of modern secularism. So monumental a task cannot be achieved by one or two dioceses alone. It calls for a unified effort of all dioceses and of all the agents of renewal who make up the Community of Disciples of the Lord.
New Apostolic Horizons
If “unity of all things under Christ” (Eph. 1:10) was the overarching theme of PCP-II, then, what better example can better inspire our people, plagued by entrenched social divisions and the remnants of ideological conflicts than the resolute leadership of all our dioceses working together to achieve the vision of PCP-II?
The history of four dioceses, this time joined by daughter-dioceses, is unfolding into a new phase whose dynamism the present Pope has indicated when he said, “There is no doubt about it: the Philippines has a special missionary vocation to proclaim the Good News, to carry the light of Christ to the nations.”[8]
For four hundred years we have enjoyed the gifts bequeathed to us by the First Evangelization. Now, we are being challenged to go beyond our borders and to meet Jesus Christ in the midst of Asia’s multitudinous humanity. The fact that more than half of Catholics in Asia are Filipinos, and the presence of Filipino overseas workers all over Asia are only some of the signs confirming the words of the Holy Father.
The words of the Lord: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations…” (Mt. 28:19) stir us to action. To become a truly missionary Church by the next millennium is the best mark of gratitude we can offer as we celebrate this 4th Centenary.
May our Mother Mary, whose spirit proclaims the greatness of the Lord and whom all generations of Filipinos throughout these 400 years have proclaimed Blessed, come to the help of the servant Church of the Philippines as it commits itself to fulfill her Son’s challenge in the coming millennium.
For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines:
(Sgd.)+CARMELO D.F. MORELOS, D.D.
Bishop of Butuan
President, CBCP
January 29, 1994
Tagaytay City
[1] Horacio de la Costa, SJ, The Jesuits in the Philippines: 1581-1768 (Harvard University Press, 1961) p. 22.
[2] Fr. Pablo Fernandez, OP, History of the Church in the Philippines: 1521-1898 (Manila, National Book Store, 1979) pp. 30-32.
[3] Rosario Mendoza Cortes, Pangasinan: 1572-1800 (New Day Publishers, 1974) pp. 145-168.
[4] de la Costa, SJ, The Jesuits, pp. 15-36.
[5] Ibid.
[6] PCP-II Acts and Decrees, The Conciliar Document, no. 5.
[7] This echoes Pope John Paul II’s thinking on the task of the Latin American Church in the New Evangelization (Catholic International, vol. 3, no. 22, December 1992, p. 1060).
[8] PCP-II Acts and Decrees; The Conciliar Document, no. 106.
»23rd
May
Open Letter to the Senate for Deferment of GATT Approval
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Open Letter to the Senate Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate: We have been informed that you are being strongly pressured to ratify the GATT before the end of this current session. We realize how important the approval or non approval of this Treaty is to the present and future of our country. It will impact deeply on the life of every Filipino. Precisely because of its importance, we ask that you defer action on the Treaty until after adequate consultation of the Filipino people who are going to be affected by it. Our people have a right not only to be informed but to express their opinon about a matter that touches us all. The government needs to hear the people’s views not only on the economic but also the moral aspects of GATT. It is integral development we should aim at for each Filipino and all Filipinos. We believe that the moral dimensions of GATT have not yet been adequately studied. A more thorough discussion of the issues involved will be an exercise of true people empowerment and lead to a more enlightened citizenry and Senate action. It will also lend credibility to the government at a time when it badly needs a boost to its credibility. Precipitate action will lead to much public discontent as in the case of the Expanded VAT at a time when we should all be working in unity. We trust that you will act on this matter with the welfare of all Filipinos at heart. Allow them to know and to tell you what is truly to their welfare before you decide. We pray for your enlightenment and guidance by the Spirit of the Living God. For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines: (Sgd.)+CARMELO D.F. MORELOS, D.D. November 26, 1994 |
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23rd
May
Statement on Father Cirilo Nacorda and the Abbu Sayyaf
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Statement on Father Cirilo Nacorda Peace is a common aspiration of Filipino Christians and Muslims and of all persons of good will. This peace was severely fractured when Father Cirilo Nacorda, a diocesan priest working in the Prelature of Isabela, Basilan, was kidnapped with many others in Barangay Sampinit, Isabela, Basilan, on June 8, 1994. At least 15 of Father Nacorda’s companions were mercilessly shot to death by their Abbu Sayyaf captors. The others were kept hostage and were released only after money was paid to the kidnappers. Father Nacorda himself has remained in captivity and his life always hangs on a thin thread of uncertainty. We, as a Conference, wish to express our solidarity with the Church in Basilan, Bishop Romulo de la Cruz, and the family of Father Nacorda who share with him the heavy burden of a common cross. And we pray for the safe return of Father Nacorda. We pray too that God may touch the hearts of his kidnappers so that they may realize their wrongdoing which we condemn even as we pray for them. Father Nacorda is a man of peace. He is in Basilan only to serve God and to uplift and unite his fellow human beings whatever be their religion. In so wantonly hurting or killing their victims and keeping Father Nacorda hostage, the Abbu Sayyaf kidnappers have severely hurt their own cause. All persons of good will, be they Muslims or Christians, must condemn such criminal acts unworthy of civilized people. We appeal to his kidnappers in the name of our common humanity and in the name of the One Merciful and Just God whom we worhsip to release their captive. We are also aware that other civilians, including our peace-loving Muslim brothers and sisters, have also been affected by these atrocities of the Abbu Sayyaf. Due to the military operations which were their aftermath, civilians have been forced to flee for their lives, leaving their properties behind. This has given some people opportunities to steal or destroy these properties. We pray for the return of normalcy and peace to Basilan. May the roots of the tensions and bloodshed that have time and again ravaged that beautiful island and its people be reached and changed by the grace of God and the good will of the people who live there. May vigilante groups not take matters into their own hands in revenge. May healing and forgiveness take place among them and peace prevail once more. We appeal to our government officials to do everything in their power to right the wrongs and to neutralize the forces that lie at the root of these troubles. Let them restore again the faith of the people in government and their trust in each other. And to the people of Basilan, especially to the families of the massacre victim and the parishioners of Matarling, we say: We, your brothers, the Catholic Bishops of the Philippines, share your sufferings and wish to reach out to you through our prayers. May God give you peace and security. May Mary obtain from her Son the breaking down of all animosities and the cessation of all hostilities. For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines: (Sgd.)+CARMELO D.F. MORELOS, D.D. July 10, 1994 |
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23rd
May
Pastoral Statement on the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development
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Pastoral Statement Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord: Greetings of Love and Life from the Lord! Cairo. For most Filipinos it is only the name of Egypt’s capital. But come September, 1994, it will be the place where representatives of various nations, gathered for the International Conference on Population and Development, will make decisions that will deeply influence family life throughout the world and thus the future of humanity. There are deep and well-founded forebodings that this influence will not be positive — it can be a betrayal of humanity. Decisions and resolutions may be made there that will promote a radical change in the concept of what a family is, foster sexual license among the unmarried, and open even wider avenues to the evil of abortion. Because of the importance of this Conference, we have deemed it necessary to write a letter to our President regarding the Philippine representatives to the Conference and the stand which they, as our people’s representatives, should uphold. We have asked our government to let us know the identity of our country’s delegates, the criteria according to which they were chosen, and, more importantly, the positions they have been instructed to uphold. We have also requested the President to hear our opinion on the delegates our government is thinking to send. The President already knows well the Catholic position against direct contraception, direct sterilization and direct abortion. For this particular conference, in solidarity with the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, we have deemed it especially necessary to ask that our representatives to Cairo present positions that are consonant with our Constitution, our culture, and the religious heritage of the overwhelming majority of our people. In particular, we asked:
That they present a consistently pro-life stance, uphold the value of human life and children, and defend the right to life of every individual, from conception to its natural end. We expect them to be uncompromising against direct abortion and point out that in our Constitution, the State is mandated to “equally protect the life of the mother and the unborn from conception” (Art. 2, Sec. 12). A society that does not protect its weakest but kills them is a dehumanized society; That they also uphold the truth that marriage is the only morally legitimate setting for the exercise of the sexual act and the procreation of children, and That they uphold the primacy of persons over things, of being over having. The worth of a person is not measured by what he/she has but by his/her capacity to give of self in service. We emphatically asked that our representatives represent our country in Cairo as free people who prophetically witness to the truths that humanize and to reject that type of imperialism which subjugates and determines the future of peoples by money. We call on you, our people, to bear witness to Christian family values in your daily living and to pray and fast fervently that in this family year, those same values may indeed be defended and triumph in Cairo. May the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph defend us from evil and help obtain for us life in its fullness. For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines: (Sgd.)+CARMELO D.F. MORELOS, D.D. July 10, 1994 |
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23rd
May
Pastoral Statement on Taxation and the Expanded Value-Added Tax Law (R.A. 7716)
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Pastoral Statement on Taxation and the The total human development of our people is at the heart of the Church’s mission, whose founder, Jesus Christ, came that we might have life and have it in abundance (Jn. 10:10). Hence we cannot be unconcerned with the present agitation aroused by R.A. 7716 or the expanded VAT Law. We, your bishops, are not economists. Still less are we tax experts. But we are shepherds committed to promoting the total well-being of our people, and as shepherds we must have a concern for what leads — or does not lead — to the total well-being of our people, especially the poor. It is in the light of this concern that we would like to speak, not only on R.A. 7716 as such but on a deeper issue: the reform of our whole system of taxation. We start with two basic principles:
The monies collected must be used by government for the common good, providing such services as are needed for the public welfare, not for the selfish and capricious consumption of those in power. Applying these principles to the Philippines today, we note these only too obvious facts of our situation:
The pervasiveness of graft and corruption in government spawns two interconnected evils: the improper collection of taxes due; the non-provision of badly needed public services. Keeping the above principles and facts in mind, we ask ourselves what can be done to institute necessary reforms. The following questions come to mind:
Does it effectively safeguard against corrupt and dishonest practices in the paying (or avoidance of paying) of taxes, improve in truth their collection? As Christian citizens we must address these questions in depth, come up with some answers that will fully satisfy the principles we started out with and correct the present infirmities of our tax system. We urge a thorough review of R.A. 7716 when Congress convenes precisely with these questions in mind, and we ask that our people be consulted and informed about its provisions so that any inequitable aspects may eliminated, and the consent of the people obtained. For only when the people are allowed to participate in the decisions that affect them can we speak of genuine people empowerment. For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines: (Sgd.)+CARMELO D.F. MORELOS, D.D. July 10, 1994 |
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23rd
May
“As the Father Sent Me, So Am I Sending You.” (Jn 20:21)
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“As the Father Sent Me, Dear Young People of the Philippines: Announcement of the Pope’s Coming: Pope John Paul made an announcement last August 15, 1993 in Denver, Colorado, which was a great and pleasant surprise to us Filipinos. He said: “Ang susunod na paglalakbay ng mga kabataan ay gagawin sa Maynila sa 1995. Ang mga kabataan ng Pilipinas ay maghahanda pang-espirituwal para sa pagdiriwang.” In a follow-up statement, he said, “This time it is for you, the young people of the Philippines, to prepare a welcome for so many friends from all over the world.” Reason for His Coming: The Pope is coming to the Philippines! And he will come especially for you, the young! He comes because he believes in you. He sees the Church in you. He knows that the Church has so much to tell you, and you have so much to share with the Church. Indeed, by your vast numbers alone, you are important to the Church. But even more than numbers, you have the idealism, the energy, the daring, the generosity and restless searching so characteristic of youth. And above all, Christ loves you, and looks at you with love just as He looked at the young man in the gospel and loved him. The Pope, Christ’s vicar on earth, looks upon you with that same love of Christ. And he wants to give you all, as you gather for the 10th World Youth Day, the energizing words of Christ: “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.” (Jn. 20:21) Christ Calls the Young to Evangelize: Dear Young People, Christ wants you — wants us all — to receive the Good News. You have received it. But Christ wants more from you. He wants you to carry the Good News in your minds, in your hearts, in your hands — in a word, in your lives. And he wants you to proclaim it with your lips, so that you become evangelizers yourselves, especially of your fellow youth. You are called not to a life of self-indulgence, or of self-centeredness. You are called to Christ, and to bring Him to other young people who have not yet accepted Him. Declare your firm commitment to Christ and the Church. Commit yourselves to evangelize your society and the whole world. In places where you live, direct your energy towards integral social transformation, as the Pope encourages you: “With a view to the approaching third millennium, you young people are entrusted in a special way with the task of becoming communicators of hope and workers for peace, in a world that is in ever greater need of credible witnesses and messengers consistent with His message” (Message for WYD ’95, 21 Nov. 1993) You are called to join in the new evangelization. World Youth Day, a Journey of Faith: This call is an invitation to join in the World Youth Day journey of faith which has already travelled several significant steps:
In Buenos Aires (1987), he asked for your commitment to build a civilization of love; In Santiago de Compostela (1989), he invited you to come closer to Christ; In Czestochowa (1991), he made you recognize one another as brothers and sisters in Christ; In Denver (1993), he urged you to find fullness of life in Christ. Now in this journey is about to reach us in Manila in January 1995. The Pope announces: “… our pilgrimage continues. This time the stage is in Manila, which, on the vast continent of Asia, will be the crossroads for the Xth World Youth Day.” Preparing the Journey: You must now prepare to join in this journey of faith. Foremost, prepare yourselves spiritually through prayer and reflection on themes contained in the Holy Father’s message to the youth, especially of last 21 November 1993. Make them the topics of your spiritual retreats and formation seminars, your regional gatherings and conferences. Prepare yourselves by a program of service activities on behalf of the Church and of the society which can be offered symbolically in the presentation of gifts during the concluding Eucharist of World Youth Day. Your personal sacrifices and spiritual offerings in solidarity with the poor and hungry will deepen the meaning of your preparation. Organize regional, diocesan and parochial youth days as a means of emphasizing the faith and fervor and goodness of so many young people as they prepare to welcome the Holy Father and the young people of the world. Your resourcefulness and generosity will certainly help you to find other ways of preparing for the coming World Youth Day ’95. Through activities such as these, we are certain you will grow in greater awareness of your Christian dignity and potentials, and in the consciousness of the mission entrusted to you by Christ. Having prepared yourselves to join this journey. World Youth Day ’95 will be a day of grace. But its lasting effect in you will depend on the thoroughness and seriousness of your preparation for it. Bishops and Priests are With You in this Journey: We, your pastors, trust in all your capabilities and in your generosity. With your parents we shall always be beside you to assist you to make World Youth Day ’95, your day, the day of the Church in the Philippines, the day of the youth of all the world, and above all, the day of Christ. In union with the Holy Father, we, too, ask for Mary’s assistance. To Mary, the Mother of the Church, we entrust the preparation and celebration of the next World Youth Day. May she share with us the secret of how to welcome her Son into our lives, doing whatever He tells us. For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines: (Sgd.)+CARMELO D.F. MORELOS, D.D. January 30, 1994 |
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