CBCP Monitor

C1

Vol. 17 No. 9

April 29 - May 12, 2013

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

HOLD Icon 2013:

All for LOVE!

By Alma Alvarez
April 26 to 28 may have been an ordinary, hot summer weekend for many,
but for almost 6,000 women from CFC
Handmaids of the Lord, the weekend
was something they had been looking
forward to, as it was the weekend of the
20th HOLD International Conference.
Dubbed All for Love, the HOLD
ICon opened Friday with the celebration of the Holy Mass. Bishop Gabriel
Reyes, DD of the Diocese of Antipolo,
together with Msgr. Allen Aganon and
Rev. Fr. Joselito Santos, concelebrated
the Mass.
After dinner, everyone got ready for
Emerald Night, an evening of celebrating HOLD@20, where the ladies worshipped God, danced, sang and had
fun while reconnecting with sisters and
meeting new friends from the various
provinces and countries.
The Saturday gathering started with
the celebration of the Mass, followed
by Session 1, Upon this Rock, given by
Marite Tanjangco. In the talk, HOLD
was reminded about the 12 apostles of
Jesustheir being chosen despite their
weaknesses, and how they were able to
share the Word rapidly, covering vast
territories and witnessing to their love
for Christ.

In Session 2, Signs of the Times,

Grace Buntag walked the participants
through Church History and how, despite the apostles warnings against the
sins of the flesh, early Christians failed
to obey God and love one another,
thus putting the Church in a precarious situation. Heresies, persecution,
controversies, abuses, corruption and
conflicts beset the Church at that time,
but it was at this time that God raised
up good men and women to stand up
for the Church, some of them becoming saints.
After the afternoon worship, Jo Dano
of HOLD Davao delivered the third
talk titled Church Alive, where she discussed Vatican II and how it became
the Churchs instrument to bring in
reforms and open the Church to the
modern world. It was a new SPRINGTIME for the Catholic Churcha renewal that brought the Church closer
to the people through the translation of
the Eucharistic celebration in various
languages, the sharing of the clergy
and laity in priestly and prophetic
functions, promotion of unity among
all Christians, inspiration of the youth,
the fight against moral degradation,
witness of saints, deeper devotion to
Mary, the Mother of God, integration
of the social teachings of the Church,

evangelization being the mission of the

Church, and the New Evangelization.
In the last session for the day (We Are
the Church), Dory Sarmiento expounded on the role of CFC HOLD as part of
the global Couples for Christ family in
the work of evangelization, especially
in the Year of Faith as declared by Pope
Emeritus Benedict the XVI. She reiterated the five crucial points from the
recently concluded Synod of Bishops
that are relevant to the work of CFC in
personal transformation and evangelization. These propositions were:
Proposition 9 on New Evangelization and Initial Proclamation
Proposition 21 on Migrants
Proposition 22 On Personal and
Communal Conversion
Proposition 31 on New Evangelization and Preferential Option for
the Poor
Proposition 45 on the Role of the
Lay Faithful in the New Evangelization
In this session, sharers from different countries where there has been a
decline in morality and faith talked
about their experiences and struggles
in evangelization. They talked about
how they have risked their lives and
have become creative in spreading
the Gospel, especially multi-cultural
evangelization.
As a fitting end, the Global Praise
followed, where HOLD leaders from
North America, Europe, Oceania, and
Africa led the closing worship via songs
translated in their native languages as
a symbol of unity in the work of evangelization despite diversity in culture.
The final Session titled All for Love
was given by Didi Galsim on Sunday,
after the Mass. In the talk, she focused
on Gods call for CFC and CFC HOLD
for this yearObey and Witnessand
how the Handmaids can live this out
faithfully this year and the years to
come, all for love of Jesus. After all, it
was Christ who loved man first, thus
enabling each person to love God back,
to love himself, and to love others as Jesus emphasized in Matthew 22: 37 to 39.

To obey and witness all for love

does not demand grand gestures. As
evangelizers and missionaries, Galsim encouraged each Handmaid to
D.R.A.W., or to perform Daily Random
Acts of Witnessing. A witness to Christ,
she underscored, is one who stands in
His place so that others may see what
He is really like. Handmaids were
encouraged to witness through their
daily tasks and roles as mothers, working women, sisters, daughters, leaders
and members. Finally, as a symbol of
obeying and witnessing all for love,

heart-shaped pendants were given to

the participants.
Session 5 ended with a festive celebration of the Lord of love, with
praising and dancing while showers
of balloons and confetti rained on an
ocean of pink-clad Handmaids. To cap
the conference, Bernie Cuevas led the
praisefest. The Handmaids laughed
and cried all throughout the conference. There was much hugging and
smiling and saying, God loves you,
I love you, God has healed you! And
once again, God had manifested His
love to His beloved Handmaids.

Handmaids from the Philippines and abroad, worshipping and proudly showing off their love pendantsthe symbol of Gods perfect love.

Kids for ChristFollowing Jesus at the IKV

By Euan Tabuena
Sydney, Australia was the host
of the CFC Kids for Christ 16th
International Kids Village (IKV)
last April 19-21, 2013.
The conference was held in
Merroo, an hours drive from
Sydney.
There were more than 550 delegates from 6 countries around
the world (New Zealand, Malaysia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
United States, Philippines and
Australia) as well as delegates
from major cities: Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin, Perth, Adelaide,
Melbourne and Canberra.
The theme for the weekend
was Follow Jesus, in keeping
with Couples for Christ theme
for 2013, Obey and Witness,
both anchored on John 2:5, Do
whatever He tells you.
The Kids for Christ were
taught the importance of prayer
and reading the Bible, their
Power Book, to listen and
understand Gods will, and to be
inspired to follow Jesus through
understanding the significant
events in the life of Jesus.
The first day of IKV was a
fun-filled event, starting off with
praise and worship, kids style,
full of joyous songs and dances
led by Kids for Christ program
head for Sydney Australia and
R.O.C.K. facilitator, Justin Ocsan, and with the singing of the
Australian National Anthem
performed by the Kids for Christ

Sydney. The delegations were

welcomed by Nonoy Albano,
Head of Event in Sydney, after
which the conference was formally
opened by Nic Escalona, International Coordinator for CFC KFC.
The first day featured awesome production numbers showcasing the culture and sounds
of Australia, performances
from the different CFC family
ministries, the Praise Parade,
the Power Play, a short play
depicting how a family discovers
the Power Book and learns
powerful lessons from the stories
found in the book.
The first day was capped with
another exuberant Kids Praise,
this time led by Chino Santos,

fulltime pastoral worker from

the Philippines. He revealed
that the Power book is actually
the Holy Bible, important to all
because it contains Gods Word.
The second day of the IKV was
filled with adventure and excitement from the kids, beginning
with the four workshops in the
morning. In the first workshop,
the kids were taught the significant events in the life of Jesus
through a race challenge that
highlighted the four Mysteries
of the Holy Rosary. The second
workshop emphasized the importance of reading the Bible,
through five Bible stories depicting Jesus miracle of generosity,
obedience, faith, forgiveness

and love. The third workshop

created awareness on how the
kids can further mirror their faith
through their actions. The key
elements in this workshop were
simple acts of love and random
acts of kindness. The last workshop of the morning introduced
the kids to seven exemplary
saints who followed Jesus in
their own way at a young age.
In the afternoon, the kids engaged in the Sports competitions
and the Family Creative competitions including singing, dancing,
acoustic band, preach, artwork
and writing competitions.
While the kids were enjoying
their activities and workshops,
the parents had their own work-

shops, highlighting the role

of mothers as the light of the
family and the role of fathers as
provider, protector and pastor.
The night concluded with a
powerful Kids praise, exhorting
the kids to obey and follow Jesus, followed by the Champions
Night where some of the winners of the family competitions
performed.
The third day featured another
vibrant Kids Praise, the last session of the Power play about
kids becoming good examples
to others and a powerful exhortation from Nic Escalona. He
encouraged the kids to know
Jesus more and to follow Him
and to be inspired by Mama

Marys love for God.

The final mass of the conference was celebrated by the Most
Rev Julian Porteous, Auxiliary
Bishop of Sydney. In his homily
on that Good Shepherd Sunday,
he spoke about the different characteristics of the Good Shepherd
and the reasons the sheep follow
His voice. He pointed out that to
follow Jesus, the Good Shepherd,
the children need to learn to listen
to Gods voice through prayer
and the Holy Bible.
The conference ended with the
kids along with their parents and
the other delegates praising and
worshiping God through songs
and dances they had learned
throughout the weekend.

Ugnayan

C2

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 9

April 29 - May 12, 2014

Joe Yamamoto

Springtime in the Church

In many places in the world,
this is the season of springtime.
The earth becomes radiant with
symphony of colors. The cold
and gloom of winter is replaced
with flourishing evidence of life
making spring a symbol of new
life and new growth.
In the Philippines, where
the tropical climate limits the
experience of seasonal change
to summer and rainy season,
the notion of springtime is also
known in reference to a fresh
beginning.
One of the most popular and
well known celebrations of
Spring happens in Japan where
just the casual mention of haru
( spring season) evokes images of flowering Sakura (cherry
blossoms) and cool refreshing
weather. Anticipation and enjoyment of the sight of the Sakura
blossoms is not only a traditional
heritage and national pastime
but is ingrained in the life and
culture of the people. Hanami,
the Japanese traditional custom
of enjoying the beauty of the
flowers, especially Sakura, is
more than a thousand years old,
but it remains very popular even
today. Even though the blossoms
last only for a week or two, usually from March to April, still
the excitement and anticipation
of their beauty are sufficient for

the Japanese people to celebrate

and continue to hope and look
forward to such occurrence year
after year.
Spring has a religious significance for some religions.
This is the time for the religious
observance of the Passover by
the Jews. For the whole Christendom, particularly in Rome,
the seat of Catholicism, the traditional Holy Week observance
and ceremonies occur in spring.
Even the election of Pope
Francis, which came about as a
result of the unprecedented and
unexpected resignation of Pope
Benedict XVI, is seen as symbolic
of springtime in the Church.
The fresh approach and the
amiable personality of the new
Pope come as a new springtime
to the Vatican and to the rest of
the Catholic faithful around the
world.
The election of Pope Francis
I, as the new Shepherd of the
Catholic Church, is very much
an existential springtime. In
many ways, the Church is experiencing a fresh beginning.
The new Pope is an unexpected
break from the usual mold as
he is from the New World (the
Americas, specifically Argentina). He prefers the touch of
ordinary life. Pope Francis takes
on the governance and spiritual

leadership of 1.2 billion Catholics around the globe even as he

was not even in the list of the
most possible papabiles prior to
the Conclave.
Hours before the conclave that
elected the new pope, the future
Pope, then Cardinal Jaime Mario
Bergoglio, stated that he would
want to see the Church not to be
eschewed with self-absorption
and focus its energies outward.
The future Pope also warned
against the dangers of stagnation, stating that when the
Church does not emerge from
itself to evangelize, it becomes
self-referential and therefore
becomes sick. Pope Francis,
not knowing that he would be
elected, said he expected the top
pastor of the Church of Rome to
be a man who, from the contemplation of Jesus Christ, helps the
Church to emerge from itself to
arrive at the existential limits.
(from Catholic Conclave blog,
based on a document given to
Cardinal Jaime Ortega of Havana by then Cardinal Jorge
Mario Bergoglio).
The full text of that document
allows us to take a look into the
heart and mind of Pope Francis
I. Some salient points are described below:
1.Evangelizing supposes apostolic zeal. Evangelizing im-

China Bank supports CFC ANCOP

Calamity Program

Last April 7, China Bank donated a significant cash donation to CFC ANCOP
to aid Mindanao typhoon victims. This was formalized during the Mission Core
Group Assembly, held in the Ateneo High School Gym.
The donation will support the CFC ANCOP calamity program for typhoon
Pablo victims. Chinabank was represented by First Vice President II Alex Escucha
and Malabon Branch Manager Nenette Baradi. Receiving the donation were CFC
ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto & wife Mila, President Eric de los Reyes and
Marketing Director Chito dela Cruz.

CFC ANCOP Forges

Partnership with Federal Land

plies that the Church should

speak candidly, coming out of
herself. The Church is called to
come out of herself and to go to
the peripheries, not only in the
geographical sense but also to
go to the existential peripheries:
those of the mysteries of sin, of
pain, of injustice, of ignorance
and of religious indifference, of
thought, of all misery.
2. When the Church does not
come out of itself to evangelize,
it becomes self-referential and
then gets sick. The evils that,
over time, occur in ecclesiastical
institutions have roots in referentiality, a sort of theological
narcissism. In Revelation, Jesus
says he is at the door and knocks.
Obviously the text refers to hitting from outside the door to
enter But think of the times
when Jesus knocks from within
to let himself out. The self-referential Church seeks Jesus Christ
within and does not let him out.
3. When the Church is selfreferential, unwittingly believed
to have its own light, it is no
longer the mysterium lunae
and leads to the evil that is so
serious: spiritual worldliness
(according to de Lubac, the
worst evil that can befall the
Church). Put simply, there are
two images of the Church: the
evangelizing Church taking

leave of itself which religiously

hears the Word of God and faithfully proclaims it or the worldly
Church living in itself, of itself,
for itself. This should shed light
on the possible changes and reforms that must be done for the
salvation of souls.
Pope Francis has introduced
new and personal ways of performing the responsibilities of
the papacy, such as asking the
faithful whom he faced from
the Vatican balcony for the first
time to pray for him instead of
simply praying for them. It was
not lost on the faithful who saw
and heard him that first day that
the new Pope brings so much
refreshing simplicity and humility into the seat of Peter. It is as
enlivening as the cool fresh wind
of spring time to read about the
simple lifestyle of Pope Francis,
preferring to live in austere
community conditions with his
fellow cardinals in the Vatican
Residence and riding with them
in the cardinals bus after the
conclave that elected him pope.
News reports show an emerging picture of a pope who is accessible and approachable. He
sought out and mingled with
the faithful after his first papal
mass and he has continued this
practice, much to the chagrin of
his security people. The picture

of well-worn black shoes the

new Pontiff wore during his
first audiences rather than the
customized red shoes of his
predecessors, speaks volumes
about his simplicity.
These are simple yet significant images and impressions of
the Pope who found his commitment for the poor at the heart
of his papacy. The choice of
the name Francis connects him
to St. Francis of Assisi, his role
model for holiness, poverty in
spirit, simplicity, humility and
obedience.
The relationality that Pope
Francis brings into his pontificate bodes well for the Catholic
Church. We now look forward
to a church that will be more
open and sensitive to the needs
of the faithful, especially the
poor. There is a building up
of optimism that the task of
evangelization and bringing the
gospel to the limits of existential
outskirts will be the welcome
fresh wind of springtime in the
Church. To the over one billion
Catholics around the world, the
message of Evangelii Nuntiandi,
the encyclical written by Pope
Paul VI, will find depth, meaning and relevance regarding the
need of the Church for more
witnesses. Pope Francis I will
lead the way.

ANCOP Global Walk 2013 launched

at the CFC Mission Core
By Lance Fernandez
The journey to the ANCOP Global
Walk has started. Last April 16, during
the Mission Core Teaching Night at
Christ the King Parish in Greenmeadows, the 2013 ANCOP Global Walk was
launched.
Child Sponsorship Program scholars
from various CFC ANCOP sites in North
A greeted the CFC members as they
entered the venue, giving out Thank
You cards as a token of gratitude for the
education benefit they are experiencing
through the selfless commitment of the
members to support this program.
After the teaching, the excitement
about the Global Walk was shared by
CFC BCOP Deputy Director & CFC ANCOP President Eric de los Reyes who
challenged the Mission Core Group
to walk the talk and participate in this
event to send poor children to school.
He also related this effort to the communitys theme of Obey and Witness
wherein Jesus is telling every Christian
to do something for the least of our
brethren as well as our community
asking every CFC to build the church
of the poor. Chito de la Cruz of CFC

ANCOP Scholars greet the Mission Core Members during the launch

ANCOP Marketing revealed that 80,000

walkers participated in the 2012 walk.
This year, the event aims to gather
150,000. He encouraged the Mission
Core Group to promote the event to the
clergy, parishes, schools and students as
well as the corporations.
The 2013 ANCOP Global Walk will
be on August 25, 2013 at the Quirino
Grandstand. Festivities will start with

a dawn Mass at 4:30 AM.

The registration fee is Php 280 for
those who will be registering on or
before the 32nd CFC Anniversary celebration on June 22. As a promotional
tie-up, registrants have a chance to win
a three-day accommodation at Alta
Vista de Boracay. For those who will
be registering after the Anniversary in
June, registration fee will be Php 300.

Central Luzon CANA Weekend:

Do whatever He tells you

CFC ANCOP recently gained a new

partner in Federal Land, with the signing of a MOA between the two parties.
In compliance with the Board of Investments provision on socialized housing,
Federal Land donated a significant
amount for the construction of ten initial
houses in the CFC ANCOP Federal
Land community in Caloocan City.
Handing over the donation on behalf
of Federal Land is Atty. Michael Luciano
P. Aranas, Assistant Manager of the
companys Legal Department. On the
other hand, receiving in behalf of CFC
ANCOP are President Eric de los Reyes
and Operations Director Rizal Ting.
Federal Land is a real estate firm
under the Metrobank Group of Com-

panies. Originally known as Federal

Homes, it now manages properties such
as the GT Tower International, Bayview
International Towers, Bay Garden Club
and Residences and the Oriental Garden
Makati. In 2007, the company won the
Developer of the Year award from the
Chamber of Real Estate and Builders
Association (CREBA).
CFC Ancop (Answering the Cry of the
Poor) is the institutional foundation for
the work with the poor of Couples for
Christ. CFC Ancop programs include
Education, Health & Community Development (i.e. Shelter & Livelihood)
which aims to holistically transform
the lives of the poor, both materially
and spiritually.

CFC Health Professionals Gather for a Cause

The Give Kare (Gkare) Health Foundation arranged a series of fellowship and
lectures for all health professionals in CFC. This is the first of a series of gatherings
to spearhead the implementation of the ANCOP Health Programs.
The activity was led by Dr. Jose Yamamoto, BCOP Head (Building the Church of
the Poor). The GKare and ANCOP programs are part of BCOP. The affair marks
the start of a better coordinated working relationship between CFC health professionals already actively managing the health concerns of ANCOP communities,
and those who still have to be fully integrated in the work with the poor.
Dr. Noe Babilonia, the ANCOP Health Program Director enlisted the help of
the entire GKare Board and staff to organize the occasion held at the Aventura
Hall of the Philippine Heart Center last Thursday, April 18, 2013. The event is
envisioned to be the start of a regular get-together aimed at coordinating and
strengthening the participation of the health professionals in the expanding work
of CFC and ANCOP.

By Bella Panlilio
The annual weekend retreat of CFC
Central Luzon was held at Baguio Convention Center, Baguio City on March
9-10, 2013 with the theme Do whatever
He tells you, an echo of the conference,
dubbed Cana Weekend held at the
same venue in the first week of January
for the CFC leaders of Metro Manila. The
venue was filled with approximately
1,200 delegates representing the provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva
Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales.
The activity was hosted by the service
team of Pampanga province headed by
Ten Limson.
The first day started with the celebration of the Holy Mass officiated by
Msgr. Allen Aganon followed by the
morning worship led by Lito Saturnino,
AGT member of Nueva Ecija, accompanied by the CFC Pampanga Band.
The first talk entitled The Wedding
Feast in Cana was delivered by Lito
Tayag, PAH (Davao), who explained
both the spiritual and traditional secular
views on marriage.

The second talk Do Whatever He

tells You by Jun Uriarte, member of
the International Council (IC), tackled
the following lessons from the verses
of John 2:3-5: a) Mary teaches us how
to pray; b) Jesus prepares the way for
the revelation of Marys new mission;
and c) Mary tells us to obey Jesus unconditionally.
The third talk Empty Jars, Filled to
the Brim was lifted from the gospel
of John 2:6-7. The speaker, Joe Tale,
IC member, based his reflections on
the events when Jesus acted upon the
intercession of His mother.

Right after the talk, an atmosphere

of prayerful spirit was experienced
by all participants during the blessing
and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by the celebration of the
Lords Day. The night was capped with
the different presentations of the Area
Governance Team (AGT) members of
each province.
The fourth talk was about the Radical Transformation: from Water to
Wine delivered by Bong Arjonillo,
sector head of MM Central A. According to him this miracle makes us realize how our human efforts, combined
with His divine actions, can make a
radical change in our personal lives, in
our families, in the society, and in the
world.
The fifth talk Witness! Gods Glory
Revealed by Mannix Ocampo challenged everyone to continue to stand
as witnesses to Christs miracle of
transformation and to live in righteousness according to Christs teachings and
examples.
The event culminated with the praise
fest led by Dixie Banzon, Provincial
Area Director (PAD) of Bataan followed
by the celebration of the Holy Eucharist
and the most awaited renewal of marriage vows of all couples.

Ugnayan

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 9

April 29 - May 12, 2014

Theology of the Body goes to China

Fr. Joel Jason (left) giving tha Thelogy of the Body course.

By Joy B. Katigbak
It all started with a prompting.
It came unexpected, brief and
direct to the point: Bring TOB
(Theology of the Body) to China.
TOB is Theology of the Body,
a series of teachings by Blessed
John Paul II on what it means to
be human, on why God created
us male and female, His design
for sex and marriage, and what all
these have to do with our destiny.
It was difficult to imagine how
we could bring this very dense
body of teaching to China given
the language barrier, and the
strict control of the government
on religion and on families. But
when God commands, we follow,
for we know He will always have
great things in store.
In March 2012, I was asked to
give a talk on the Theology of
the Body to the Chinese trainees
who were in the Philippines for
a month to undergo the Chinese Leadership Acceleration
Program (CLAP). This was a
program that would immerse
and train our Chinese CFC and
Family Ministry leaders on CFCs
culture and programs so that they
could implement these in China.
It was there that I met Jenny, an
SFC trainee, who translated for
me during my talk. After the
session, Jenny shared with me
how she had come across the

TOB in China through a foreign

nun who was serving in a center
for women in pregnancy crisis.
Jenny had gone there to bring a
friend who was contemplating
abortion and the nun had given
her a paperbound photocopy of
a material entitled Theology of
the Body by Christopher West
written in Chinese! She had read
it and her interest was aroused
and so when she heard there
would be a talk on TOB during
their training, she volunteered to
translate. It was then that I realized that TOB was already slowly
inching its way to China.
The date for the mission trip
was finally set last April 1823, 2013. Fr. Joel Jason, our
main TOB teacher in CFC,
would be traveling to
Beijing to conduct the
teaching. Fr. Joel has been
patiently conducting Theology of the Body courses
for us in CFC since 2011
and has been our spiritual
guide in asking the Lord
for this work to grow.
My husband Aldy and I
were to accompany him to
share about how TOB has
affected us as individuals
and as a couple, and to see
how we could proceed in
the future.
The first official activity
of the mission trip was a

whole-day TOB seminar for CFC,

SFC, and HOLD leaders consisting of five talks covering the eight
cycles of the TOB. This was held
in North Cathedral. Before the
first session began, we met Fr.
Joels translator, Martha, who
was a friend of an SFC member
who was majoring in English
at the university. Martha, we
learned that day, had just finished
translating to Chinese two English reference materials on love,
sexuality, and marriage which
were intended for the youth.
As we browsed through their
English versions, we realized
that these included the Theology
of the Body! Thus, Martha, in
translating these materials, was
unknowingly already preparing
herself for the translation work
she would do for CFC during this
mission trip.
We also met Jenny again at
this TOB seminar and we later
learned from her that the TOB
material in Chinese which she
had shown me in the Philippines
was now a published book available in Hong Kong! This meant
the participants could order a
copy to use as their reference
material for further study after
the seminar.
Thus it was clear: God had
been preparing everything for
His message to reach His people.

He had chosen and prepared the

best translator for us (after all, this
was a crucial ingredient), made
sure there would be available
material for further study, and
most of all, he had prepared the
hearts of His people. It was evident from the way everyone eagerly listened, took notes, asked
questions, and later shared their
reactions, that the seeds were being planted.
The same held true for the
succeeding sessions: a two-hour
talk to CFC, SFC, and HOLD
members at the South Cathedral,
an intimate one-hour session with
English Mass servants (a small
multi-racial group consisting of
one American, one Chinese, one
Colombian, and a few Filipinos),
and lastly, a session with 40
seminarians from Beijing Seminary. Wherever it is brought, the
Theology of the Body never fails
to stir and capture peoples hearts
regardless of their race, language,
and background.
Bring TOB to China? Yes, by
Gods grace TOB is officially in
China. We pray that the Lord
water and nurture the seeds that
have been planted in His own
perfect way, in His own unmistakably perfect time.
(Aldy and Joy Katigbak are the Couple Coordinator for CFC Gift of Life.)

CFC UAE Conducts Retreat on

Deepening Prayer Life

By Elle Los Baos

AT least 174 members of CFC-UAE Mission Core Group attended

the retreat on Deepening our Prayer Life held at Carlton Hotel,
Sharjah, UAE last March 15.
The whole day event was led by CFC Church Integration Office
Head Rouquel Ponte and his wife, Nina. They came to equip the
MCG members to have a deeper connection with God through
prayers and in the process know themselves better. The Pontes drew
their theme from St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross who
had the same message: One who takes prayer seriously becomes a
better, more mature person, who is more empowered to face reality
of lifes tempest by doing Gods will.
Ramuel Garcia, National Director of CFC-UAE said the Spiritual
Deepening Retreat helped to strengthen the faith of the leaders. We
really cannot give what we do not have. So we continue to pray
deeply, reading and knowing the scriptures more deeply, learning
how to pray to God in a way that it will be heard by Him always,
Ramuel explained.
He added that the retreat is an important CFC activity which can
guide and empower the leaders to do greater things.
Youth for Christ-Dubai Area Coordinator, Roger Bogs Garcia,
described his retreat experience as feeling closer to God. He further
shared that it was very nurturing spiritually and that it prepared the
participants to be still in the midst of so many problems, knowing
God is with them.
Elvie Maliorca, wife of one of Sharjahs CFC chapter heads, on
the other hand, looks forward to share with her members what she

has learned.
At the end of the deeper prayer workshop, participants committed to be true and devoted Apostles of Prayer by every day praying,
reading and praying the Scriptures, reflecting/meditating on the
Scriptures frequently, doing contemplative prayer for at least 15
minutes regularly and maintaining a journal on Scriptural readings.

CFC participates in the 1st CBCP National Social

Communication and Media Summit

By Samantha Catabas Manuel

Various Catholic groups,
religious and secular media
practitioners gathered last April
23, 2013 for the 1st National Social Communication and Media
Summit at the University of Asia
and the Pacific.
The event was initiated by
the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Social Communications
and Mass Media in cooperation
with the University of Asia and
the Pacific (UA&P). This is in
line with the celebration of the
Year of Faith and the 47th World

Communications Sunday. With

the theme, Living Our Faith in
the Realm of Media and Politics,
the event sought to help the
participants understand deeper
the challenges that confront
Catholic Communicators and
come up with effective resolutions in strengthening the faith
in the midst of the realities faced.
Lay missionaries of CFC and
its Family Ministries participated in this event in order to
discover more ways to support
the New Evangelization work of

the church in their different areas of service.

The activity started
with an inspiring opening remark by Fr Francis Lucas, of the CBCP
Commission on Social
Communications and
Mass Media, which
was then followed by a
video message from His
Eminence Luis Antonio
Cardinal Tagle.
The first session was
delivered by Edwin
Lopez, the International
Marketing Manager for
Asia-Pacific, Australia
and New-Zealand of
EWTN. His talk on the
Realities in Todays Communication reminded everyone how
crucial faith is in the realm of
Catholic media, wherein the
key message should be the language of the cross. In the second
session, Living Ones Faith in
Todays Media, GMA 7s Mike
Enriquez, gave a talk on the
challenges of remaining true to
the Catholic faith and principles
in media. He further inspired
everyone with the message that
living ones faith is a deliberate
undertaking. It may be difficult
but one should always strive for
honesty, credibility and being

true to ones core values.

In the next session, Dr. Riza
Bondal of the University of Asia
and the Pacific explained clearly
the essence of the Catholic Vote
a church advocacy for Catholics
to vote as Catholicstaking
into account their knowledge of
doctrines and morals.
Finally, in the last session,
Atty. Rene Sarmiento talked
about Politics and Moral Law,
wherein he discussed what
the Bible said about these two
interrelated and indivisible principles, quoting scripture from
Deuteronomy 17:14-20, 1 Samuel
12:1-4, Daniel 1:21, 10:1, 2:14-23,
Nehemaiah 5:14-18, Micah 6:8,
and Acts 20:32-37.
Attendees were then divided
into three workshop groups.
The breakout sessions were facilitated by Mariz Umali-Tima
of GMA, Jasmine Romero of
ABS-CBN and Justine Marasigan. The workshop allowed
the participants to share their
personal challenges and ideas on
how each one can support one
another in the shared goals and
effort of promoting our Catholic
faith in media.
After the reporting per group,
Dr. Jose Maria Mariano, President of UA&P, delivered the
closing remarks.

C3
DZMM GPSI in Hawaii
concludes with two
Singing Idols

CFC leaders Jack Macalalad, Eric Villanueva, with winners Jona Peralta and
Katrina Lopez, and ANCOP USA President Roger Santos

By ANCOP USA Communications

HONOLULU, HI - In a demonstration of partnership and
cooperation with various Filipino groups in the Aloha State,
ABS-CBN (DZMM Teleradyo) and ANCOP USA successfully
conducted the 2013 Global Pinoy Singing Idol (GPSI) contest
last April 6 at Ala Moana Hotel in this city.
Ahwel Paz of DZMM Teleradyo announced at the conclusion of the singing competition that of the 13 contestants, two
came out as winners. They are Katrina Lopez (Hawaii) and Jona
Peralta (California). Katrinas winning piece was Cabaret,
while Jonas was What Kind of Fool Am I. The two received
$1,000.00 each as 1st place prize and free round trip tickets to
the Philippines, plus a free weeklong stay in Manila where
both will represent the USA in the 2013 GPSI Grand Finals
next January.
The Board of Judges was composed of: Mrs. Mahra Capuyan,
ABS CBN DZMM Station Manager; Joel Mangahis of Cebuana
Lhuillier and Mrs Bella Tomas, formerly Mrs Hawaii and 3rd
runner up in an earlier Mrs America beauty pageant held in
Fort Worth, Texas.
Three leaders of CFC ANCOP USA graced the event --Eric
Villanueva, CFC USA National Council Director & ANCOP
USA President; Roger Santos, CFC and ANCOP USA Director
and ANCOP USA Executive Director, and Jack Macalalad, CFC
and ANCOP USA Director.
In addition to Paz, ABS-CBN was represented by Mrs. Mahra
Capuyan, DZMM Station Manager and actors Gaby Concepcion and Melissa Ricks. Like last year, the 2013 GPSI in the
United States is sponsored by ABS-CBN (DZMM Teleradyo)
in partnership with ANCOP USA. Proceeds from this event
will be used to sustain the projects of ANCOP USA for the
poor people in the Philippines. The World Caravan Global
Pinoy Singing Idol (GPSI) is a global search for talented overseas Pinoys (short for Filipinos). Spearheaded by Philippine
media giant ABS-CBN and DZMM, the World Caravan aims
to promote the Philippines and DZMMs unparalleled reach
worldwide. The talent search was started in 2009 and has
been widely participated in by Pinoys in the USA, Canada,
Australia, Japan, the Middle East, Singapore and Hongkong.
CFC ANCOP USA and ABS-CBNs DZMM acknowledged with
thanks and appreciation the cooperation of the following (in
Honolulu) whose selfless partnership contributed immensely
to the success of GPSI 2013 in Hawaii: Program and Emcee
Lead Anne Romaguera of Nix Performance Arts Center; Ed Nix
owner of Nix Performance Arts; Emmie Anderson, President
and Owner KPHI 96.7 FM, Art De Guzman of 3 Star Gourmet
Restaurant; Leth Evangelista of Muzic Drive Entertainment;
Danny Villaruz, President of the Ilocos Surian Asociation of
Hawaii; Councilman Joey Manahan, lead representative of the
local government officials; Philippine Consulate in Honolulu;
and Olelo Community Media.
The following were the finalists who participated during the
contest: Randy Leano; Mgayan Navarrette; Jona Peralta - What
Kind of Fool Am I; Rickie Ulin Aranas - Youll be in My Heart;
Steven Giongson Lady; Israel Savellano My Way; Vanessa
Hopelessly Devoted to You; Katrina Lopez - Cabaret; Victoria
Inseparable; Almirah Tumameng - Dont Cry Out Loud; Almalyn
Abante Isang Lahi; Michael Arucan Go the Distance; and
Jesibel Leano - One Moment in Time.
Two important activities were announced during the singing event, namely: ANCOP Global Walk in Hawaii to be held
on August 31, 2013 and launching of the DZMM TLC Book
reading by Ahwel Paz, Gabby Concepcion and Melissa Ricks.
The 2014 USA GPSI will be held in Orlando, Florida.

CFC Goes on Mission

to Seychelles

CFC Chairman Ricky Cuenca (seated, 4th from left), together with
top CFC leaders from the Philippines, recently went on mission to
Seychelles.
They met with the CFC Clergy at Domus (priest house), Cathedral
of the Immaculate Conception, Victoria Mahe last April 15. The Mission Team also paid a courtesy call to His Eminence Bishop Denis
Wiehe C.S.Sp. (seated, 5th from left), last April 11.

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ
The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the
Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation, Inc.,
with editorial offices at 156 20th Avenue, 1109 Cubao, Quezon City.
Editorial trunk line: (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23 l Direct line : (+63 2) 709-4856
www.couplesforchristglobal.org l cfcmultimedia@couplesforchristglobal.org
Melo Villaroman, Jr.
IC Oversight
Zenaida Gimenez
Editor-in-Chief
Samantha Manuel
Associate Editor

Alma Alvarez
Layout Artist
Vangie Mecedilla
Circulation Staff

Marivie Dalman
Managing Editor

Ugnayan

C4

CBCP Monitor

Vol. 17 No. 9

April 29 - May 12, 2013

JESUS EXPOThe 20th YFC International

Leaders Conference

By YFC Docu Team

Mary then said to the servants,
Do whatever Jesus tells you to do.
John 2:5
The success of this years International Leaders Conference
of the CFC Youth for Christ is
an unquestionable affirmation
that Jesus is with the youth.
Over 9000 participants from all
over the world gathered at the
Marikina Sports Complex with
over 13000 online delegates
joining in all the activities of the
much-awaited conference.
For its 20th ILC, the YFC
returned to the heart of the mission, Metro Manila. Breaking the
tradition of the usual three-day
conference, this years ILC struck
new ground with a week-long
Jesus Expo that lasted from April
1-7, 2013. These events had the
objective of encouraging the
young people to obey and witness the calling of the Lord.
A benefit concert called RAK
the World! which featured
local artists and bands was the
kick-starter of the seven-day
conference. This was held at the
Eastwood Central Plaza.
The second day highlighted
one of YFCs newest advocacies,
the A+. Participants were invited
to go to the Manila Boys Town
where they got the chance to get
to know and teach children who
are less fortunate.
The Young Leaders Forum for

Good Governance was also held

on that same day.
The third day featured the Gproject, conducted in coordination with ABS-CBN Inc. In this
activity, YFCs were brought to
Estero de Pandacan, a tributary
of the Pasig River, where they
faced the arduous yet rewarding
task of cleaning the river.
The fourth and last day of the
pre-ILC activities consisted of
the four program conferences:
High school-based; Campusbased; ROCK, TORCH and
Community-based integrated
into one and the YCOM conference. The Ultimate Reunion
was held on the night of the
fourth day. This reunion party
welcomed YFC alumni and
introduced them to the newer
generations of YFC.
The fifth day of the ILC, which
marked the start of the conference proper, was greeted by
waves of participants coming
in from all across the globe.
Different creative and sports
competitions were held on this
day along with the Church Integration Congress. However, the
most awaited part of that day
was the Liveloud concert held in
the evening. The Liveloud concert introduced four new songs
written by YFCs own mission
volunteers and full time pastoral
workers. It also stood as the first
session of the ILC.
The second to the last day of

the ILC was the most pastorallynourishing day of the ILC conference. It consisted of whole day
workshops for the youth and
one for the couple coordinators
as well. In the evening, session 2
began with a performance from

El Gamma Penumbra and was

followed by a very charismatic
Fr. Dave Concepcion who gave
his talk entitled More than
Enough. Fr. Dave indicated that
personal emptiness can only be
filled with humility, obedience
and service. Session 3 entitled
Turning Water into Wine
incorporated a skit about a boy
named Tommy who must face
different dilemmas in his life.
Gelo Saludo, a full-time pastoral worker assigned in Canada,
was the speaker for this session.
He emphasized that people are
made for something greater than
themselves and it involves living for others. Session 3 ended
with the participants asked to
make their own personal vow
to the Lord.
Dillon Naicker from South
Africa, currently training to become a full-time pastoral worker,
shared his own personal vow
and how he decided to give up
the life of being a local celebrity

Go Fish: The SOLD and CFC

Mens Conference

By Bobbee Mella
Magandang Gen San po!
These words reverberated within this city beyond
the sea last March 22-24 as almost 400 men and women
joined the 12th CFC SOLD Mens International Conference
held at London Beach Resort in General Santos City. The
Home of the Champions became home and host to true
men and women championing the cause and mission of
God for three scorching days inspired by the theme for
this year, Go F.I.S.H. Faithful In Serving Him.
Undaunted by the heat wave as well as the recurring
Mindanao blackouts, the annual conference opened Friday
night with a blazing worship led by Ricky Rico, member
of the SOLD NCG, immediately after an afternoon mass
and a sumptuous luau/dinner/tuna festival courtesy of
the hosts. A spectacular program showcasing the native
cultural dances of the region ensued followed by the
welcome of the petite but energetic mayor of the City
by the Bay, Ms. Darlene Antonino. The first session then
followed, with Manny Garcia, IC member and SOLD
NCG member, reminding the pack about the Lessons
From the Master.
The breaking of dawn by the sea was the fitting backdrop for the Iron Man Doubles Competition (swimming,
running and kayaking) ushering in the much awaited
Saturday morning events. Another mass was celebrated
after this dawn activity, then the next session, aptly called
Survivor Gensan followed which saw team competitions that enabled brothers and sisters to unite their wits
and will in hurdling the various challenges, yet finishing
the races with determination and grit as true men and
women of God!
After another lavish lunch, the next session started,
Ready to do Your Will where the participants were
divided into two separate workshops: one for a forum

on leadership training conducted

by Mannix Ocampo, IC member,
and one for forum on emotional
response. The regular Haka competition, an allstar football and an
allstar beach volleyball, capped
the afternoon events laying the
ground for the celebration of the
Lords Day.
After another seafood festival
filled the physical longings of
all, the spiritual nourishment
continued with Willy Padida,
SOLD NCG member recapping
how Surviving the Challenge
strengthened more the attendees
resolve in being faithful to Gods
calling. The night ended with
Joemar Salumbides, SOLD International Coordinator, exhorting
everyone to Do Whatever He
Tells You To Do in the concluding session.
The final day of the confab commenced with a powerful worship led by Mike Bucuhan, after which Joemar
officially gave the sending-off blessings and empowerment to all the brothers (and sisters as well) to make
themselves true fishers of men. Awards and tokens of
appreciation were given to various delegations and
winners of competitions preceding the praisefest led
by the CFC GenSan governance team which capped the
3-day annual event.

for missionary work . He then

led one of the most passionate
Praisefest ever in the history of
the YFC. The entire Marikina
Sports Park was illuminated as
each participant held on to their
own candle to signify the light of
Christ within themselves.
The last day of the ILC began
with a Holy Mass. Julius Comia, full-time pastoral worker
assigned in Eastern Visayas,
delivered the last session entitled Livin It Up. This talk
highlighted how YFCs are called
to witness Christ to others and
how this creates a ripple effect so
that more people can be touched
by Jesus. The reflection activity for this session required the
participants to write their own
Jesus Exposition story on a piece
of paper which they then folded
into a paper airplane. About
9000 paper airplanes exploded
into the sky as the YFCs released
their Jesus Expo stories. Kevin
Muico, another full-time pasto-

ral worker in training, took to

the stage for the final Praisefest
before the end of the ILC.
The delegates were definitely
empowered to continue the YFC
mission to bring Christ wherever they are. The International
Leaders Conference was not
only a celebration of the YFCs
longevity in enduring 20 strong
years but it was also a hallmark
of the victories that are yet to
be won.
YFC week-long event highlights,
clockwise from far left: visiting the
Manila Boys Town; the Marikina Sports
Complex teeming with young people
despite the summer heat; a YFC highschool-based program leader pepping
up the crowd; Goi Villegas leading the
powerful worship;Msgr. Allen Aganon
blessing YFC leaders and coordinators
during the Mass.

CFC HOLD Global Leaders

Meet for the Foreign
Missions Summit

By Alma Alvarez
Prior to the CFC HOLD ICon, the
205 delegates from Africa, Asia, The
Americas, the Middle East, and Oceania
gathered for the 2013 HOLD Foreign
Missions Summit held in the morning of
April 26, 2013 at the First Pacific Leadership Academy in Antipolo City.
After the opening worship led by
Yvonne Lim of Singapore, Couples for
Christ Chairman Ricky Cuenca welcomed the foreign delegates, reminding
all the participants how special CFC
HOLD is, being the heart of the CFC
Family Ministries, and how the ministry has become an inspiration because
of its vibrancy and rapid growth in the
different parts of the world. Cuenca
likewise encouraged HOLD to live out
this years ICon theme, All for Love, by
sharing Gods love to those who have
not experienced the love of Christ.
A brief honoring of Sis Julia of HOLD
Singapore, who had recently succumbed to cancer, was given, a fitting
tribute to a sister who continued to serve
the Lord through HOLD despite her
failing health.
The sharing of best practices and
experiences on the conduct of various
HOLD pastoral and BCOP programs
such as the Handmaids Enrichment Retreat 4 on Contemplative Prayer, HOLD
Adopt-A-Scholar Program, ANCOP
fund-raising strategies, Moral Values
Re-orientation and the Migrants Retreat,
as well as the formation of the HOLD
Core in each country and evangelization updates on each region became the
highlight of the summit.
Mannix Ocampo, CFC Director for
Family Ministries, likewise spoke to

the HOLD global leaders, acknowledging HOLD as an effective instrument in

responding to migration, answering the
cry of the poor, new evangelization, and
pastoral formation.
Ocampo inspired the HOLD foreign
leaders to commit themselves in doing
random acts of kindness, which could
become triggers to evangelization, and
to contemplate on Psalm 23 as their
guide to planning in their respective
areas by looking at themselves as coshepherd of the Good Shepherd. He
likewise urged the sisters to reflect on
Luke 2, pondering on the family life of
Jesus, their personal holiness, their own
family life and their service in HOLD.
As we bring God closer to the people and vice versa, via what we do, in
our connectivity, let us not forget to
strengthen our foundation, Ocampo
added.
Hyacinta Wong of HOLD Sarawak
closed the mornings summit with a
prayer before the participants prepared
for the HOLD ICon that afternoon.

Yvonne Lim of HOLD Singapore