At 6PM of January 23, Saturday, delegations of the various congregations of the Pauline Family present in the Philippines, came together at the Sanctuary of St Paul in Makati to celebrate the Sunday Liturgy of the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time with the priests and brothers of the Society of St Paul. Though he had been intently listening to the loaded meetings with the Team for Formation and Vocations Promotions (TFVP) and with the Team for the Apostolate (TFA) during the last full day of the fraternal visit in the Philippines, the Superior General Don Silvio Sassi presided over the Eucharist in English. He also preached the homily in Italian, with Fr Alinsangan as translator. The Eucharistic celebration marked the formal end of the fraternal visit in the Philippines.
Reflecting on the Word of God for the Sunday—which was also the National Bible Sunday, Don Silvio Sassi recalled the importance of the proclamation of the Word of God for the renewal of the covenant of Israel during the reconstruction at the time of Nehemiah and Ezra. In the Gospel lesson, Jesus also started out his Galilean ministry with the proclamation of the Scriptures in the synagogue. Hence, the Superior General stressed the importance of being faithful to our Pauline mission of proclaiming Jesus Master, Way, Truth and Life. This is the unitary project of the Pauline Family. And taking note of the presence of the delegations of the Pauline congregations, Don Sassi said that the Second Reading (1 Cor 12:12-30) is a picture of the challenge that each Pauline congregation should live out the task of proclamation according to its own competency. The Society of St Paul (SSP) and the Daughters of St Paul (FSP) proclaim Jesus Master through the means of communication. The Pious Disciples of the Divine Master (PDDM) proclaim Jesus Master through art and liturgy; the Pastorelle Sisters (SJBP) proclaim Jesus Master through their direct pastoral works. The various Aggregated Institutes and the Pauline Cooperators proclaim Jesus Master in their various lives of immersion.
After the liturgy, Don Silvio and Fratel Walter spent gracious time for picture taking with different groups that came to join the evening celebration. Everyone then proceeded to the Don Damaso Zanoni for agape. The “Halili School of Ballet,” a winner of a number of international awards, was invited to present a showcase of Philippine dances with a touch of jazz and ballet. Also joining the community that evening were: Sr Mary Niere, OCD, from Zamboanga—known writer and teacher on Contemplative Prayer—whose works have been published by ST PAULS, and Bishop Vicente Navarra of the Diocese of Bacolod.
Keeping you in touch—Fr Domie Guzman (Provincial Secretary)
