DIOCESE OF SURIGAO

PRISON APOSTOLATE IN BUKIDNON

"I WAS IMPRISONED AND YOU VISITED ME." JESUS SAID.

OBSERVATIONS AND 1 SOLUTION: JESUS

New Filipino Saint Perdo Calungsod

Posted by Online on Dec 25th, 2011 // Comments off-http://www.tempo.com.ph/2011/new-filipino-saint-perdo-calungsod/#

MANILA, Philippines — Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed seven new saints for the Catholic Church on December 20, 2011, the final step before the saints’ official canonizations. The Filipino martyr, Blessed Pedro Calungsod, is the second saint in Philippines religious history. The first was St. Lorenzo Ruiz, who was beatified on February 18, 1981, by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Manila, the first beatification ceremony held outside the Vatican. St. Lorenzo Ruiz was canonized by Pope John Paul II in Vatican City on October 18, 1987, making him the first Filipino saint and martyr.

Born in Molo, Iloilo City in 1655, Blessed Calungsod was a skilled sacristan and teacher of catechism. At the age of 17, he was killed while on a mission in Guam on April 2, 1672. His faith in God at a young age, his missionary work, and miracles shown through his intercessions served as an inspiration to Filipinos. He was beatified by Blessed Pope John Paul II on March 5, 2000.

Pope Benedict XVI signed a series of decrees by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, including decrees that testified to the authenticity of miracles attributed to the intercessions of the seven blessed. For Blessed Calungsod, the Archdiocese of Cebu submitted a case of an “unexplained healing” of a Cebuana, whose identity was not revealed to respect her privacy.

Apart from Blessed Calungsod, the six blessed whose canonizations were approved by the Pope were Italian priest Giovanni Battista Piamarta, founder of two religious orders – Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth for men and Humble Servants of the Lord for women; French martyr and Jesuit priest Jacques Berthieu, who was shot to death in Madagascar in 1896 for defending Christianity; Spanish nun Blessed Carmen Salles y Barangueras (Mary of Mount Carmel) who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception in 1892; Marianne Cope, a nun who traveled to Hawaii in 1888 to help Father Damien of Molokai, who was himself canonized in 2009, and ministered to leprosy patients for 30 years; Katherine Tekakwitha, the first Native American to be beatified in 1980 by Pope John Paul II; and Germany’s Anna Schafer, who suffered burns on her legs, was bedridden for 24 years, and offered her pain for the salvation of souls.

On this glorious season of Advent, let us seek the prayers and intercessions of the new saints for more spirituality, peace, and a better life for ourselves and our families in the coming year.

The Blessed Virgin Mary,
The Mother of God 

Solemnity

January 1st

drawing by Helen Hull Hitchcock

Mary is the Mother of Jesus, who is true God and true man.

Mary, Mother of God - Catechism of the Catholic Church

495 Called in the Gospels "the Mother of Jesus," Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as "the mother of my Lord." In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God".

From the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy
 
The Solemnity of the Holy Mother of God

115. On New Year's Day, the octave day of Christmas, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Holy Mother of God. The divine and virginal motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a singular salvific event: for Our Lady it was the foretaste and cause of her extraordinary glory; for us it is a source of grace and salvation because "through her we have received the Author of life"(127).

The solemnity of the 1 January, an eminently Marian feast, presents an excellent opportunity for liturgical piety to encounter popular piety: the first celebrates this event in a manner proper to it; the second, when duly catechised, lends joy and happiness to the various expressions of praise offered to Our Lady on the birth of her divine Son, to deepen our understanding of many prayers, beginning with that which says: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners".

116. In the West, 1 January is an inaugural day marking the beginning of the civil year. The faithful are also involved in the celebrations for the beginning of the new year and exchange "new year" greetings. However, they should try to lend a Christian understanding to this custom making of these greetings an expression of popular piety. The faithful, naturally, realize that the "new year" is placed under the patronage of the Lord, and in exchanging new year greetings they implicitly and explicitly place the New Year under the Lord's dominion, since to him belongs all time (cf. Ap 1, 8; 22,13)(128).

A connection between this consciousness and the popular custom of singing the Veni Creator Spiritus can easily be made so that on 1 January the faithful can pray that the Spirit may direct their thoughts and actions, and those of the community during the course of the year(129).

117. New year greetings also include an expression of hope for a peaceful New Year. This has profound biblical, Christological and incarnational origins. The "quality of peace" has always been invoked throughout history by all men, and especially during violent and destructive times of war.

The Holy See shares the profound aspirations of man for peace. Since 1967, 1 January has been designated "world day for peace".

Popular piety has not been oblivious to this initiative of the Holy See. In the light of the new born Prince of Peace, it reserves this day for intense prayer for peace, education towards peace and those value inextricably linked with it, such as liberty, fraternal solidarity, the dignity of the human person, respect for nature, the right to work, the sacredness of human life, and the denunciation of injustices which trouble the conscience of man and threaten peace.

APOSTLES' CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

   maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
   who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
   born of the virgin Mary,
   suffered under Pontius Pilate,
   was crucified, died, and was buried.
   He descended into hell.
   The third day he rose again from the dead.
   He ascended into heaven
   and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
   From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
   the holy Christian Church,
   the communion of saints,
   the forgiveness of sins,
   the resurrection of the body,
   and the life everlasting. Amen.

JESUS SAID,"I WAS IMPRISONED AND YOU VISITED ME."

2ND MINDANAO ASSEMBLY OF CHAPLAINS AND VOLUNTEERS IN PRISON SERVICE (VIPS)

                          

EPISCOPAL COMMISSION ON PRISON PASTORAL CARE

Vision-Mission

Vision:  Towards a Total Human Development of the Members of the Prison Community
Mission:  Formation of Community of Disciples that will promote and provide programs and opportunities to meet the unique needs of the prisoners and their families, ex-prisoners and their families, victims and their families, the correctional employees and the volunteers in prison service.

Current Major Thrusts:

• Promotion and Organization of Volunteers in Prison Service or Restorative Justice Advocates in various arch/dioceses to deliver the Integrated Pastoral Program for the Rehabilitation of the members of the Prison Society i.e. Worship, Formation, Advocacy/ Networking and Service Program
• Continuing Advocacy of Enlightened Legislations that promote and serve Christian values and attitudes towards the members of the prison community.
• Establishment of Linkages and Partnerships with groups, agencies and organizations involved in prison.
• Sustained Program for ECPPC Staff and Volunteers towards deepening of their commitments and understanding of the prison ministry to better deliver services needed by the members of the prison community.
• Special Projects in relation to the ECPPC regular program.
• Direct Services like para-legal and educational assistance of children of ex-prisoners and prisoners.

Volunteers in Prison Service (VIPS) and Restorative Justice Advocates: Promotion and Strengthening

 To deliver basic services to the members of the prison community (Integrated Prison Pastoral Care Program i.e. Formation, Worship, Service, Advocacy and Linkages, Temporalities), the ECPPC has made as its priority the organization of Volunteer in Prison Service (VIPS) units and Restorative Justice Advocates in the different dioceses and archdioceses. The commission does this by conducting Orientation Seminar that aims to provide the volunteers an understanding of the ministry. As of 2011 we have about 86 volunteer units.

The commission also:

•  Publish VIPS Update quarterly to establish communication and provide information among each unit.
• Follow-up the units through our pastoral program officer and national coordinator of VIPS.
• Conducts General Assembly of VIPS and Chaplains every three years and Regional Assembly before the General Assembly.

Advocacy, Networking Partnership and Linkages for Enlightened Legislation

A.  Linkages and Networking.  The CBCP-ECPPC is an active member of the following coalitions and organizations;

• Coalition Against Death Penalty (CADP). The coalition, which is a non-stock, non-profit organization, aims to abolish the death penalty. It is composed of 18 non-governmental organizations.  It meets once a month.  The ECPPC acts as the Secretariat of the coalition.
• Philippine Action for Youthful Offenders (PAYO).  The organization  aims to address concerns affecting children in conflict with the law. It meets once a month. The ECPPC also acts as the Secretariat.
• Integrated Correctional Association of the Philippines (ICAP).  It is a non-stock, non-profit organization whose goal is to seek reforms and changes in the correctional field.  It meets once a month.  The ECPPC is the office of the association.
• Pope John Paul II Foundation for Prisoners Welfare (FOPRIW).  It is a non-stock, non-profit religious organizations establish by ECPPC with the sole purpose of raising funds to finance the program of the ECPPC.  It holds office in the ECPPC.
• International Prison Chaplains Association (IPCA).  It is an international organization of different denominational group involved in prison work.  It seeks to establish linkages among the prison workers and to support each other.  It holds conference every 5 years.  The office is in Ottawa, Canada.
• International Commission of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care (ICCPPC).  It is an international group of catholic chaplains that seek to institute reforms in the penal system and establish strong relationships among catholic prison workers.  It holds conference every 4 years. Its office is in Netherlands.
• Technical Committee on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice of the National Police Commission.  This body is composed of the members of the 5 pillars of the criminal Justice system that meets quarterly to address concerns affecting the criminal justice system
• Sub- Committee on Executive Commitments of the Inter- agency to Monitor the Implementation of the Persons Deprive of Liberty Summit.

B. Advocacy.  The CBCP-ECPPC is advocating and lobbying for the following:

• Adoption and advancement of restorative interventions in our justice system
• Total Abolition of the Death Penalty
• Passage of the Pre-trial Release Program or Release on Recognizance Act
• Creation of the Department of Corrections

Special Projects

• Annual Prison Awareness Sunday Celebration every last Sunday of October.  The commission spearheads every last week of October to awaken the public on the plight of the members of the prison community.  This coincides with the celebration by the government of the National Correctional Consciousness Week.  Each VIPS unit prepares their activities. The highlight of the celebration is the granting of Gawad Paglilingkod Award to individuals and groups who have shown outstanding service in the prison ministry.
• Paralegal Training Seminars are given to volunteers who would provide paralegal assistance to inmates.
• Service Consciousness Seminars are conducted to the correctional employees to inculcate the value of service and to imbibe among them the gospel values
• Seminar Workshop on Restorative Justice-Justice That  Heals are held to promote and advance the adoption of restorative justice paradigm in addressing the problem of criminality.  It promotes the kind of justice  that heals the wounds caused by crime.

4.  Sustained Program for ECPPC Staff and Volunteers

The commission holds reflection seminars for the staff to deepen their commitment and understanding of the prison ministry to better deliver services needed to promote the interests of the prison society.

The following activities are held:

• Advent and Lenten Retreat
• Evaluation and Planning every 6 months
• Study and Reflection Day every first Friday
• Theological and Pastoral Updating
• Fellowship every summer and Christmas
• Staff Meeting and Faith sharing session once a month

Direct Services of the ECPPC

• Para-legal Assistance.  The commission gives para-legal assistance mostly to convicted prisoners by way of interceding for executive clemency and parole.
• Educational Assistance. The commission provides educational support to children of prisoners and ex-prisoners.  It comes in various forms such as tuition fee support, monthly allowance, and supplies assistance.  As of today there are 20 scholars
• Livelihood and Loan Assistance. The commission also provides livelihood support to prisoners and ex-prisoners on occasional basis.  A maximum amount of P10, 000 is allowed.
• Medical Assistance.  The commission also gives medical assistance to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families whenever the need arises.
• Other assistance. The commission also grants transportation assistance to release inmates, funeral assistance and counseling services.

2011 CBCP-ECPPC Bishops and Personnel

CBCP-ECPPC BISHOPS

Chairman   : Bishop Pedro D .Arigo

Vice Chair: Artemio Rillera

Treasurer: Bishop Manuel Sobreviñas

Members:

             Bishop  George B. Rimando

             Bishop Warlito Cajandig

CBCP-ECPPC STAFF

Exec. Secretary     :  Rodolfo S. Diamante

Accountant            : Angelito J.  Cariaso

VIPS Coordinator : Gerard Ian V. Bernabe

Pastoral Program Officer: Michael V. Bartolome

Cashier: Rolando C.  Arriola

Office Secretary;  Ester G. Alicante

Office Assistant:  Dolly L. Pangilinan

                                  

Consultants/Resource Persons

a) Auditor/Finance: Juliet B. Rafael

b) Publicity/Promotion :  John Nelson Tan

c)Volunteer Organization: Alfonso S. De Ocampo/ Gerard Ian Bernabe/ Lee Fresnosa