Tagaytay City, Philippines. On October 7-11, amid the demands and challenges of becoming a synodal church, the Claretian Missionaries of the Fr. Rhoel Gallardo Province find themselves in a week of spiritual renewal. A retreat centered on the theme “We are Missionaries: Joyful Witnesses of the Gospel” proves a much-needed opportunity for the missionaries to reconnect with their charism and discover the joy that comes from sharing the Good News.
The key to this year’s retreat is in its form. Moving away from the usual experts and masters of content, this year’s annual retreat was directed towards listening to the stories of 11 collaborators and brother Claretian priests.
On the first day, Fr. Samuel Canilang, CMF, guided the missionaries through the documents and current developments of the Catholic church’s synodal journey, laying the foundation for the retreat. Sister Marta Bratti, MC of the missionary sisters of St. Anthony Mary Claret, shared with us that the synodal spirit is already alive in the Claretian way of doing church in her native country. It is, in fact, the context of her vocation in Latin America.
The second day was dedicated to listening to the stories of the collaborators from the Basic Ecclesial Communities of both the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish-Quezon City represented by Cops Mercader and Claret Itinerant Mission Team-Ormoc by Eva Abenojar who shared their experiences in their communities. The call was to journey with them. Their desire is for the missionaries to walk with them in the same streets they are on. Fr. Jo Stephen Cagaanan, CMF, a parish priest of Maluso, Basilan, in his unconventional way of approaching the faithful in the streets, proves there is no lack of laborers for the harvest. He was able to gather men to be lay ministers for the parish.
On the third day, the theme of walking with them echoes in the sharing of Fr. Aldrin Castillones, CMF. As an educator and administrator of the Claret School in Maluso, he would walk the corridors to meet the students. He makes sure that he is seen and even stands with them in flag ceremonies. He may be seen as a strict administrator, but his discipline is founded on his love and value for the students and teachers. This fuels our lay administrators to value the students too. As the missionary values the collaborators, it was easy for them to value their work and the students, as shared by Mr. Danilo Lemi of Claret School of Quezon City and Ms. Agnes Rabaca of the Claret School of Tumahubong. It was difficult to hear that a student would ask if vegetables can be used as payment for tuition, says Ms. Agnes. This is how the students value their education, a reflection of how the teachers value their work.
The youth and the indigenous peoples’ ministry stories covered the fourth day. In the shaking nerves of the young speakers, the message was clear. The missionaries are invited to meet them where they are. Mr. Adrian Rodrigo from the Claret Youth Ministry and Ms. Rebecca Tuwa, a scholar from the Tagakaulo community in Sarangani, shared the stories of their joy at working with the Claretians in the province. They shared that when we change the life of a youth, we gradually change the life of the family, too. Fr. Efren Decreto, CMF, who was assigned to the indigenous peoples’ ministry for many years, reminded everyone of the importance of knowing them first and what they truly need, not imposing on them what we believe. He added they are co-travelers on the journey of mission.
As the retreat drew to a close, the missionaries shared their journey stories in the retreat. Through spiritual reflection, communal prayer, and the holy Eucharist, they left the Carmelite Missionaries Center of Spirituality in Tagaytay City afire as joyful witnesses of the Gospel.
By: Fr. Jay Coching, CMF
