News
Read the news from events, activities and other updates on the different communities here in the Philippines
A leadership camp for the youth with the theme “Empowered” was conducted by the Verbum Dei Missionary Family, at the Center of Evangelization in Tagaytay City, last June 6-9. Each day was filled with activities like formations, prayer guidelines, Holy mass, games, movie screening, and star gazing. Everyone was welcomed by a session from Joy stating the necessity of healthy self-esteem. Following this, Youth Camp Olympics started with the pledge of sportsmanship led by Fr. Bong. Each day, games like trust fall, blindfold guide, centipede walk, and acid river were played to strengthen everyone’s skills. Next day started with Carmela’s guidelines about God’s communication to all of us, in every way. Then, Sr. Cecilia gave a formation which focused on the importance of listening and dialogue in our relationship with God. This was followed by Fr. Iwao’s formation that emphasizes traits as Good Shepherd. The third day began with the reminder of loving despite the pain from Christel followed by Sr. Cecilia’s formation about conflict management. After that it was Abel’s guideline that left a question, “Who’s your mission?” Then everyone formed into groups for a workshop about the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Finally, Sr. Adriana conducted a formation about the evangelization of digital natives that left a question, “Am I being truthful in what I share?” The camp ended with the hope that the youth who experienced these will lead and spread the Word of God now and in the future. After all, youth are the hope of our motherland and our God. And we are called to be fully alive. Pope Francis said the words “I would like to say to every young Christian are these: Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!” (Christus vivit, no. 1) With thanks from the WordNews team
Fill Me UpA Prayer Camp for Teens and Youth From May 31-June 2, thirty-six teenagers from different parts of Cebu came together to attend a Prayer Camp with the theme “Fill Me Up.” It was facilitated by the youth missionary disciples led by Sister Adriana Haro, and supported by other members of the Verbum Dei Family. After a change of venue from Toledo City to Mt. Manunggal in Balamban, we were treated to a real camping experience in a forest. Here is a sharing of Cherry Miñoza, a camper from Toledo City. It was my first time to join a prayer camp. Just thinking about the camp, I was really excited and at the same time worried. I'm scared with the thought of being alone throughout the prayer camp, but I was totally wrong. As soon as I arrived at the camp, someone introduced herself to me and I also introduced myself. That was the time I've met a friend at the camp and found other new friends during the first day. We had a game and an opening speech from one of the campers. We've also set our tents and I really find it funny because all of us in the group didn't know how to set up a tent, but later on we were able to set it up, that was already an achievement. When it was time for sleeping, we all went to our assigned tents and I was excited because I'd be sleeping with my new friends. The next day was such a wonderful day because we went to the falls to take a bath. Even though the path or road was quite tricky, I was more excited of seeing the falls. When we reached our destination, I was mesmerized with the beautiful scenery right in front of me. God is so amazing for letting me see his beautiful creation which is the nature. The atmosphere was really relaxing with the cold breeze. We also played different games and I love how my teammates were so energetic during the games. Then we were asked to have some sharing with my team, and I was happy because all of us were able to share. Their openness with me allowed me to open up with them as well. Also the talks by the facilitators were really inspiring, I just love how open they were about sharing their experiences with God. On the last day of our prayer camp, I was really sad because it's time to say goodbye to all the people in the camp. The weather wasn't good but that didn't stop us from enjoying the moment. We had our breakfast, last talk by one of the facilitators, and a mass. After that, we cleaned and arranged our things then we had our lunch. A few minutes later it's already time to say our goodbyes to everyone. Then someone asked me, "Did you regret joining this prayer camp?" and I answered, “No, I didn't regret because it was such an awesome experience. I learned lots of lessons and it brought me closer to God.” I was filled with so much happiness and the memories during the camp were all worth keeping. Here are some photos of the event: With thanks to the WordNews team
Formation on social media at Verbum Dei-Tagaytay Retreat House It was an empowering day, June 9, 2019 after the Pentecost Sunday Mass at Verbum Dei Chapel in Tagaytay when participants of the on-going VD Youth Leadership Camp gathered together to attend the seminar on "Evangelizing the Digital Natives" conducted by Sr. Adriana Haro, FMVD in collaboration with the VD Missionaries and VD Retreat House-Tagaytay. The group was also joined by some members of the VD-Tagaytay Adult S.O.W. group. The call to evangelize is not only a call for the religious, but for all people, especially the "digital natives." The young people are now being sent to be witnesses to the "digital continent," now considered as the 6th continent representing the biblical place, called the "ends of the Earth." But who are the "digital natives?" It was interesting to note that there are different "citizens" in the Digital Continent:
Both known as the "Digital Immigrants"
Hence the Digital Natives are being called to do the work of "inculturation" which is a necessary pathway toward Gospel evangelization of cultures in the Digital World. This new world can offer a lot of distractions, both good and bad. Every "citizen" in this 6th continent can become addicted to many digital activities which expose them to negative behaviors and problems. That is why, there is truly a need to listen to the voice of the Lord as in Isaiah 6:8 "Whom shall I send?" Can, you, the Digital Native reply: "Here I am, send me!" Sr. Adriana told us that God has always counted on young people to transform reality. Even our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal said: "The youth is the hope of our motherland." Finally, how and where do the Digital Natives begin? First, by knowing what they are looking for. It is obvious that they are looking for themselves, for other people and their place in the world. They need to know who they really are and to project this image into the world. Honesty and sincerity in what one posts can be a good start to real reaching out. Occasional breaks from digital connection and from social media can also be a good way of recharging and finding oneself, even others, in the real world! Holy Spirit, guide us! With thanks from the WordNews team
6/10/2019
We Came, We SOW, We Conquered...We Came, We SOW, We Conquered... Mission update from Verbum Dei Tagaytay The merry month of May was indeed joyful for the Verbum Dei-Tagaytay Adult School of the Word (SOW) group. Apart from our regular Friday afternoon SOW gatherings, we also come together to do various activities, like:
The month of May also saw us bonding together for a refreshing Summer Outing at Rio Villa Spring Resort, Indang, Cavite. The fresh spring water quenched our thirst for coolness and refreshment, not only for our physical bodies, but the spirit as well remembering that the Spirit is “grateful coolness in the heat” (Sequence of the Holy Spirit). For the coming months, we look forward to strengthening more our Adult SOW group by inviting additional members, targeting at least one new member per current member. So we invite you to come, "taste and see the goodness of the Lord" (Psalm 34:8) at the Verbum Dei - Tagaytay for a refreshing experience of the Word of God. We hope to see you soon! With thanks from the WordNews team
Protect our Children!A course on protection and safeguarding of minors and vulnerable persons Jesus held the children in high esteem. In his public life he announced “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14). He also warned, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea...” (Matthew 18:6). Our Lord himself loved the children and condemned any maltreatment. It is with profound regret that Pope Francis had to call our attention as Church to the issue of abuse of minors and vulnerable adults. He announced that “The protection of minors and vulnerable persons is an integral part of the Gospel message that the Church and all its members are called to proclaim throughout the world.” (Apostolic letter On the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable persons, 26 March 2019). The Pope repeated his teaching again in his most recent apostolic letter entitled “Vos estis lux mundi” (You are the light of the world) which came into force on 1 June 2019. “The crimes of sexual abuse offend Our Lord, cause physical, psychological and spiritual damage to the victims and harm the community of the faithful. In order that these phenomena, in all their forms, never happen again, a continuous and profound conversion of hearts is needed, attested by concrete and effective actions that involve everyone in the Church.” The “Child Safeguarding Institute” of the Emmaus Center, Ateneo de Manila, seeking to respond to this urgent call of the Church, has been running a “Basic Orientation Workshop on Safeguarding of Minors.” This is a 5-day course which overviews basic aspects of child safeguarding, and emphasizes safe self, safe community and safe ministry. One of the Verbum Dei missionaries, James McTavish, participated in the course and the subsequent 3 day “Write shop” for policy writing for his community. He said “this was an excellent course. I was impressed by the overall content and the new emphasis on care of victims first. The inputs by Dr Gabby Dy-Liacco, (a current member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors), Msgr “Nonoy” Maculino and Dra “Titay” La Vina were both helpful and thought provoking. I realized we all need to work together to make a new culture of safeguarding towards minors and vulnerable adults.” Further information about this theme can be found below.
New Apostolic letter “Vos estis lux mundi” of Pope Francis: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20190507_vos-estis-lux-mundi.html Website for the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors: http://www.protectionofminors.va/content/tuteladeiminori/en.html "Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity." - Colossians 3:14 On a clear sunny day last May 26, 2019, Verbum Dei Pasig and Verbum Dei Manila joined together for a day of fun filled bonding: playing, singing, dancing, swimming, chatting, and what was clearly the most enjoyable... eating. There was a splendid array of appetizing food and snacks on the table as each brought something for sharing. I took notice of that sinfully delicious large chicharons, so delectable it could not be dismissed. We took pleasure in the privacy of Greenwich Clubhouse at Corinthian Gardens exclusively for our use on that Family Day event. The lush greenery and blooming flowers covering the landscape offered a relaxing and invigorating sight to behold. It was truly a great weekend getaway to reconnect, nurture relationships and foster camaraderie with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and partners in the mission of evangelization. The activity being so essential to keep us in love and in unity. As Jesus teaches us, "If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand." - Mark 3:25 Here are a few more photos of the event: With thanks from the WordNews team
Reaching Out Beyond Comfort ZonesVerbum Dei Singles Outreach Program in Tingo, Olango – May 19, 2019 Every year, VD Singles Reality in Cebu goes to the nearby island of Olango to give school supplies to the poor children who attended the Flores de Mayo. It is a real community activity, possible with the collaboration of many members of our Singles Reality, some of whom help in the fundraising, others in the buying and packing and finally some others join the distribution of the school supplies to 120 children. Of course, as Verbum Dei disciples, we could not give only the material supplies, but we also gave some short faith input, reflection and dynamic to the kids. This year, 16 of us volunteered to go to Olango to distribute the school supplies and give some merienda snack. Below is the experience of Elvie de Guzman who joined the VD Outreach program for the first time. " Verbum Dei got out of their comfortable, safe Sunday and reached out to the Tingo Flores De Mayo kids. I am embarrassed to say I did not do much except to tag along, carry some bags of bread and join in with the team. To see the VD disciples carry such big and heavy boxes, witness Arman and Bethel reach out to and be responded in equal and sometimes more enthusiastic measure by the children, to see the rest of the VD disciples joining in, working hand in hand, then to be welcomed by our VD disciple originally from Tingo - Olango, be invited along with her to a fiesta lunch (yummy), all in 36 degrees centigrade, sweltering humid weather (heavens bless Ann for her umbrella!). Although I am new to Verbum Dei, I felt privileged to have witnessed Jesus in action through this Outreach Program. It was Jesus in each one who painstakingly sorted out all those school supplies, donated, bought and distributed the food. It was Jesus who lifted and carried those big heavy boxes across the boat’s narrow gangplank; Jesus who made time to sing, dance, play and show the Father’s love... Jesus who patiently found a way to include a baby VD member (me!), who upon seeing all the plastic garbage floating in the sea between Mactan island and Olango asked herself, “is mankind even worth saving?” and found the answer in a smiling child’s eyes while singing the faith song and shaking this little boy’s hand – I witnessed and enjoyed seeing Jesus in action!” Here are some more photos of the event: With thanks to the WordNews team
Two Verbum Dei Missionaries received an invitation to join the event organized by the Philippine Bible Society last May 17, 2019 launching the New English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible, Catholic Edition. The ESV bible is a formal translation (essentially literal) meaning it tried to translate the bible from its original text word for word as compared to translating it thought for thought (dynamic translation).
It is a revision of the Revised Standard Version or RSV. The original ESV was published in 2001 by Crossway and in 2018, in partnership with an Indian company, Asian Trading Corporation (ATC) launched this Catholic Edition. A group of 20 bible scholars in India worked on checking the translation. We give thanks to people who dedicate their lives spreading the Word of God! Into the Heart of Every Family(May 18, 2019 School of the Word) Yesterday’s School of the Word was extra special. It was special because the family in Verbum Dei Cagayan de Oro was able to do something extra creative and candid. Each family present was asked to make a poster of how love has been communicated in their family, based on the Gospel of John 13,34-35 “I am giving you a new commandment, love one another as I have loved you.” The youths, single men and women who were there, were grouped accordingly, and individually were also asked to draw how love has been present in their homes. Each group came out with their unique drawings and theme – one group had their theme as ‘Banquet of Sharing, another ‘Fixed Love’ and another ‘ Extended Love’. Each may have had different depictions and themes but we all share the same struggles and limitations when it comes to love in marriage and in the family. However, at the end of the day, we choose love above and over everything. Even with challenges and trials, love triumphs! Love conquers! “Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away” (Songs 8:6). Love wins over all! Here are some other photos of the event: With thanks to Rey Bagares and the WordNews team
Called and ChosenLast May 19, 2019 was an important day for the Pansol, Quezon City Youth Group because it was the day of the Youth Election. Before the election began Fr. Bong Guinoo gave us some guidelines of prayer to help the participants in choosing the next leader that will be elected. He said that a leader must be someone who follows the example of Jesus. He shared also about Saint Peter and how he was chosen as the first leader of the Catholic Church. There was a short sharing after the time of prayer, and immediately after that the voting began. After the counting of votes, it was Gab Lanada who was elected as the new Head of the Pansol, Quezon City Youth Group. Here are the Official Core Members of Verbum Dei Pansol Youth Group:
![]() The Core Group already had planning afterwards about the activities for the second quarter of the year. Congratulations Gab! We wish you the best in your new mission as the Pansol Youth Head. We make our prayer like the psalmist “Grant success to the work of our hands Lord, grant success to the work of our hands” (Psalm 90). And may our work help many youth and bear much fruit in the lives of many young people! With thanks to Francis Santos and the WordNews team
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