9th VISAYAS REGION PASTORAL ASSEMBLY October 14 -16, 2014 Dumaguete City ____________________________________________________________________________ A Pastoral Statement on Rehabilitation and our Task of Evangelization “Arise and eat, for the journey may yet be far” (1Kgs 19:7) With the grace of God, we, the archbishops, bishops, clergy, religious and the laity coming from the Archdioceses and Dioceses of the Visayas Region are gathered in Dumaguete City for the 9th Visayas Region Pastoral Assembly (VRPA) on October 14-16, 2014. We have come with a desire to be “one body, one spirit in Christ” to revisit, evaluate and assess the implementation of the pastoral plans made in the last VRPA. It is also our desire to orient our regional plans in relation to the 51st IEC and the 5th centenary of the beginnings of Christianity in our country. As we gather together, we remember with sadness the earthquake that shook Bohol and other neighboring provinces which claimed human lives and ruined heritage churches and other infrastructures. We also recall with grief the super typhoon Yolanda that devastated Leyte and then again, all the other provinces in the Visayas which mercilessly took more lives and destroyed more homes, livelihood and valuable properties. Yet, in the depth of our sadness and grief, as we pray for the repose of the souls of those who perished in the said natural calamities, we once again renew and affirm our faith in the Lord of history and our loving God whose faithfulness bids us to arise (bangon) and continue our journey of faith. We treasure the faith that has sustained our unflagging hope that in the wake of these calamities there awaits a better tomorrow because our future is in the hands of the Lord. We thank the millions of brothers and sisters in our country and all over the world who reached out to us in solidarity. Their expressions of prayers and material support in our relief and rehabilitation efforts are deeply appreciated. We are grateful beyond telling. We pledge to be faithful and transparent in the implementations of their donations. As a region, we also gratefully acknowledge the blessings beyond our difficulties. In January 2015, our Holy Father, Pope Francis will visit our country, particularly the province of Leyte. Our hearts are also hopeful that he will find time to take a look at Bohol which also experienced a great devastation. In January 24-31, Cebu will be hosting the 51st International Eucharistic Congress. In 2021 we will be celebrating the 5th Centenary of the beginnings of Christianity in our country. These milestone events in our faith will all take place in the Visayas Region. Reflecting on the calamities that hit our provinces emboldened by our faith we commit to arise and strengthened by the love of our brothers and sisters and of the spiritual food which is the Body and blood of Christ we also strive to proceed with our journey. Enlightened by the theological reflections, proceedings, sharings and celebrations that transpired, and as we evaluated our pastoral priorities and our programs we commit to undertake the following common programs and plans to realize our task of evangelization: a) Integral faith formation with emphasis on the training of committed lay leaders b) Formation of faith communities and implementation of BECs centered on the parish c) Renewal of the clergy We acknowledge the following issues and concerns: A. Evangelization Reflective understanding and committed participation B. Basic Ecclesial Communities Common understanding of BEC C. Renewal of the Clergy commitment way of life D. Year of the Church of the Poor (2016) address the situation of the economically poor E. Year of the Eucharist and the Family understanding of the Eucharist We commit ourselves to do these pastoral plan of actions: A. Evangelization Faith and moral integrative formation for clergy and lay B. Basic Ecclesial Communities Regional coordinating body C. Renewal of the Clergy Formation of a committee on the renewal of the clergy D. Year of the Church of the Poor (2016) organize communities, religious organizations and agencies for the work of the poor Create concrete programs for the upliftment of the poor E. Year of the Eucharist and the Family commitment in the preparation of IEC While we profess that the local church is mandated to pursue programs for the realization of its own vision and mission, certain commonalities as a region make us believe that when we collaborate with each other we can easily realize our common dreams and aspirations. In this assembly many of us also feel inspired to pursue the practice of standard living allowance (SLA) and we commit to support each other in this endeavour. As we close this assembly we express our gratitude to the host Diocese of Dumaguete and the government officials of the province of Negros Oriental. We have come with a desire to be “one body, one spirit in Christ” to revisit, evaluate and assess the implementation of the pastoral plans made in the last VRPA. It is also our desire to orient our regional plans in relation to the 51st IEC and the 5th centenary of the beginnings of Christianity in our country. We felt the need to gather again after the celebration of IEC sometime in October 2016. It is with joy in and gratitude to the Lord that again we redefine our pastoral priorities and our programs as we invoke the intercession of our Blessed Mother, Queen of the Visayas, that the Lord of harvest may bless our endeavours with fruits “thirty, sixty and hundredfold.” +JOSE S. PALMA, DD Archbishop of Cebu Convenor
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 07:43:15 +0000
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