Eden Chaplain: Filipino-Chinese Missionary

Recently, the Filipino-Chinese Community at the Sacred Heart Parish in Obrero celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival with a thanksgiving mass. Coincidentally, we too have a Filipino-Chinese missionary priest here in the archdiocese. Ordained in 2016, at the Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish in Bajada, Fr. John Guo, SM can be seen around the parishes especially at the Virgen delos Remedios Parish in Toril. Although he is half Chinese and could not speak fluent Filipino or Cebuano, Fr. John is very much Filipino by heart. He is currently the chaplain at San Miguel, Eden, Toril. The archbishop asked their congregation, Society of Mary to take the responsibility since their formation house is just a few meters away from the St. Michael the Archangel Chapel.

While he is a religious priest, he’s been invited a few times in the different parishes to celebrate mass. Right now the Marist Fathers take charge of the shelter for boys Balay Pasilungan in Bankerohan. As Fr. John began the chaplaincy in Eden last July 1, the community has been very much welcoming and the Eden employees help him in maintaining the chapel. The employees are very happy because Fr. John initiated a weekly Saturday mass inside the Park so that they would not have to leave the premises and visitors could also attend.

The community in Bayabas Toril now enjoy masses at 5:00 in the afternoon from Tuesdays to Fridays, 4:30 on Saturdays and 8:30 in the morning on Sundays. Fr. John likes to think that like Mary he is ever ready and willing to answer the call of God, and right now it is in this community at Eden Nature Park.