Tagum ends Year of the Laity

“Usa kaTumong, Panaw, Tikang sa Pagkabalaan.”

This is the theme of the culminating event of the Year of the Laity in the Diocese of Tagum. The gathering, which was attended by almost two thousand lay people representing the different parishes, was held last 15 November 2014 at the Christ the King Cathedral Parish in Tagum City.
The function started with significant preliminary activities, one of which is the perspective setting delivered by Rev. Fr. Noel A. Gastones, the Diocesan Pastoral Director and over-all in charge of the said event. He welcomed all the participants and gave a brief explanation of the theme and as well as the relevance of the activity.

One of the highlights of this culminating activity is the input which was given by the Keynote Speaker, Rev. Fr. William Larousse, MM. The community was awed by the sharing of this American missionary which was delivered in the vernacular language (Visayan). Fr. Larousse clearly expounded on the theme and also stressed on the missionary role of the laity in our Church today.

“Choose to be Brave: Called to be Saints, Sent forth as Heroes”. This is theme of the Year of the Laity as declared by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. Two exemplary Filipinos are portraits of this theme. They are Saints Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calungsod. Their lives where reenacted by the seminarians from the Queen of Apostles College Seminary. Afterwards,three lay persons gave their inspiring experiences on how they have stood firm in their service to the Lord, striving in a humble way to be saints and heroes despite the many challenges they have encountered. The first one to share is Mr. Lito Mabanding, a lay volunteer in the Social Action Apostolate of the diocese. He relayed his unforgettable experience during the onslaught of typhoon Pablo in December 2012. He recalled how his house, as well as his entire family was miraculously spared from the wrath of the typhoon and flash flood. He believes that this happened for a purpose and that perhaps he was called by the Lord for a special task—that is, to help all the other victims of the calamity. The second sharer, a noted couple in the Diocese of Tagum, is Mr. and Mrs. Pedro and Nene San Jose. Both seniors are still very much active in their respective ministries. Mr. San Jose is a Lay Minister and still serves every single day during the 6 am mass at the Cathedral, while Mrs. San Jose is a devoted member of the Catholic Women’s League and the Mother Butlers’ Guild. The couple is noted for their humility in service. Mr. San Jose shared to his co-church workers that the reason why they are still strong as lay church volunteers is because they feel a certain kind of JOY in serving the Lord! They start their day serving the Lord, and that gives them inspiration throughout the day. The last person to share her experiencehas been in the ministry for 57 years! She is Ms. Estelita Garcia, a member of the consecrated lay community, the Lay Missionaries of Mary (lmm). She said that to be able to withstand the years of active service in the Lord, one must be strong, “dililud-anon” or over-sensitive. She starts her day with this prayer — the Prayer for Generosity:

“Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous;
teach me to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to seek reward,
except that of knowing that I do your will..”

After praying this, she is already inspired and sets forth to her daily work in the church – every single day. “With a generous heart, a lay worker will always work with enthusiasm and not count the rewards he will receive in serving the Lord,” shares this cancer-survivor who is already 72 years old and still volunteers in the Catechetical Apostolate – the work which she calls a Ministry, and not a job.

In the afternoon, service awards were given to all lay workers who have served their respective parishes or the diocese for 25 straight years or more. The highlight of the gathering is the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, with Most Rev. Wilfredo D. Manlapaz, DD, the Bishop of Tagum, as the main presider. In his homily, Bishop Manlapaz challenged the lay to be witnesses in their respective work areas and also to be heroes no matter how hard it is and no matter what obstacles they encounter.This should neverhinder them from serving the Lord. “We should never be ashamed of our Faith!” is the final challenge ofthe bishop, who incidentally, will celebrate his 50thPresbyteral Anniversary on 6 December 2014.