MISSIONARY VOUNTEERISM
Last November 11, 2006, a Missionary Symposium was organized to foster volunteerism and further heighten the
awareness for missionary work. The top three resolutions are indicated as follows:
MISSIONS
We commit ourselves to:
• Pray for the missions and for the intentions of the missionaries around the world.
• Make missionaries share their experiences.
• Advocate missionary work to students, teachers, and friends.
SUDAN
We commit ourselves to:
• Pray for the people who are suffering particularly the people of Sudan.
• Prepare potential missionaries for Sudan.
• Send missionaries to Sudan.
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. (1 Samuel 3:10)
Inspiratio et Missio: Bible Service
The Bible Service was held on
Sunday, 3:00-4:00pm, February 25, 2007at
the Mary, Help of Christians Chapel, SJB
Parish, Makati. The 30 participants came
from the different Youth Ministries.
The ceremony started with the
praying of the Holy Rosary. It was followed
by a short welcome address from the
Mission Animation Delegate, Rev.Fr.Boy
Pablo, SDB. After a few moments of silent
reflection, the paraliturgy commenced with
the singing of the entrance song. The
readings were taken from the Common of
Martyrs. Bro.L.A.Custodio, a diocesean
seminarian led the celebration. His sermon
was based on the theology of sacrifice.
According to him, “just as the blood of the
pelican bird is shed for the life of her
offspring during famine, so is the blood of
the martyrs shed for the life of the Church
during crisis.” The primacy of sacrifice is
reiterated as “to make something holy” from
latin “sacrum” and “facere.” To deny
oneself, to take up one’s cross daily and to
come after Jesus are the prime conditions
for authentic Christian discipleship.
The celebration ended with a call
to action and commitment for the
participants to be docile disciples and
ardent apostles of the Word, having Bishop
Versiglia and Father Carravario as the
epitome of laying down one’s life for one’s
friends, laying down one’s entire being to
the God who loved us first.
After the Bible Service, the
participants proceeded to the DBYC office
to share their insights. Most of them
reflected upon the nature and cost of
discipleship. According to them, the
element of sacrifice is always present in the
life of a Christian disciple. The
imperativeness of growing with and
learning from the school of the saints is not
just a mesmerizing challenge, but a sacred
calling to be missionaries of what John
Paul II calls “The New Evangelization,”
where the young Church plays a very lofty role.
THE MISSIONARY PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Proto-Missioner of the Father, to bring us the glad tidings of salvation.
You are also the Sender of the Pentecostal Spirit, and the Cornerstone of the Missionary Church.
We thank you for the Faith you gifted us, through the foreign missionaries who brought it to our land.
Bless the missionaries you now send beyond the seas unto distant lands, to peoples or groups where you and your Gospel are not known.
(RMi, 33)
Stir us to pray for and support constantly the supreme duty and the premier task of “going out to all nations to proclaim Christ.”
(RMi, 3)
Grant us the spirit of great pioneer-missionaries, who gave their full and life-long commitment to missio ad gentes, ad extra, which holds
the pride of place in the Church. (RMi,32,66,79)
Make our country a missionary country, make our parish a missionary parish, and make our families missionary families.
Amen.
