CBCP Monitor

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October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

Love is Our Mission

CFC leaders from the United States and Canada, together with members of the International Council, were present at the World Meeting of Families 2015.

THE WORLD Meeting of Families took

place in Philadelphia at the packed Pennsylvannia Convention Center from September
22-25, 2015. The WMOF began a week-long
focus on the current situation of the Family
but also a celebration of it, in anticipation
and preparation for the arrival and visit of
Pope Francis from September 26-27. More
than 17,000 participants came from all over
the world, the largest number in its history.
Among these were Couples for Christ from
the USA and from other countries, including
the Philippines.

Love is our Mission: The Family Fully Alive, the theme

of the WMOF, emphasized the challenges and fulfillment
that come from living out our God-given design as humans:
fully loved by Him and in response, called to love our families
and communities. The exploration of the theme spanned
over four days, during which thought-provoking speakers
engaged the attendees in five keynote sessions and over 70
breakout sessions.
The distinguished speakers included Bishop Robert Barron
who opened the first morning with his intellect-filled session
on living as images of God. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle
genuinely spoke from the heart on the family as a home for
the wounded heart on the third day. Other notable speakers
included Cardinal Robert Sarah, Professor Helen Alvare,
Dr. Scott Hahn , Dr. Juan Francisco de la Guardia Brin and
wife Gabriela de la Guardia Brin. Pastor Rick Warren and
Cardinal Sean Patrick OMalley tag-teamed the closing session of the WMOF.

Holy Mass was celebrated daily and beautifully. The Most

Reverent Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop of Philadelphia and
one of the main spokespersons of WMOF activities, presided
at the first Mass preceded by a long procession of the worlds
bishops and clergy. So long in fact, that the choir re-sung
the entrance hymn (Sound the Bell of Holy Freedom, the
official hymn of WMOF) many times.
The conference also featured a three-day open exhibit of
booths and vendors. Some Catholic elite" like Christopher
West (Theology of the Body) and Jason Evert (Chastity Project) stationed themselves at their booth and made themselves
available for casual conversations with passers-by. Religious
congregations (Salesians, Oblates of Saint Joseph to name a
few) also did the same, sharing their charism, mission and
opportunities for vocation retreats.
The different companies sold religious articles from
wooden crosses, to holy statues and Spanish mantillas,
fromPopeful shirts and active wear to books. Some also
offered services, such as Catholic radio, language services,
theology of the body and marriage preparation courses. Some
of these were freely given, all of these priceless in value, as
they serve as resources that enable the work of all family
missionaries.
In sum, the World Meeting of Families reminded all of
the attendees of the urgency of the common mission of
bringing the love of Christ to the families. We pray now for
the guidance of the Holy Spirit as the Ordinary Assembly
Synod of Bishops continues the discussion on the vocation
and mission of the family from October 4-25.
The next World Meeting of Families is to be held in Dublin, Ireland, in 2018. Until then, may we remain in unity with
others and in love with Christ as we move forward in our
own mission - families in the Holy Spirit renewing the face
of the earth. (Ellish Maigue-Talacca, CFC-Youth FTPW)

One Pinoy Voice

OVER a thousand people came
to support the Global Pinoy
Singing Idol (GPSI) USA finals
in Elgin, Illinois last Saturday,
October 10, 2015. For the past
four years, ANCOP Global
Foundation, Inc. and Couples

for Christ have been working

closely with ABS-CBN and
DZMM in staging the worldwide competition, which has
become not only a showcase
of Filipino talent but an avenue
ONE PINOY VOICE, C2

THE MISSION OF LOVE AT THE

WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES
LOVE IS OUR MISSION: THE FAMILY FULLY ALIVE
This was the theme for the recently concluded World Meeting
of Families held in Philadelphia last September 22-27, 2015.
Thousands of people came to the four-day congress featuring
well-known speakers, both Catholics and Christians, who
tackled the different issues about the families.
The WMOF Congress started with a morning Mass followed
by Keynote sessions. One of the keynote speakers was Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle who made the audience laugh, cry and fall
in love with his wit and grace as he discussed THE FAMILY: A
HOME FOR THE WOUNDED HEARTS. His session was
about learning practical ways to grow in love, including parWMOF, C2

The DZMM Global Pinoy Singing Idol, a partnership between ANCOP USA &
DZMM TeleRadyo, continues to highlight Filipino talent in the US.

CFC Joins Festival of Families

and Papal Visit
OVER 1500 priests and religious, plus
hundreds of thousands of Catholic faithful, gathered for the Festival of Families
and the Solemn Pontifical Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at the Benjamin
Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. We
had the privilege to be present at this
momentous event and could not help but
reflect on the singular honor and blessing
of being able to witness a celebration of
family, community, and faith!
Our reflections were profound. Just by
being in that assembly of Gods people
got us to thinking that the family is
something so important, yet often times
people fail to care for something most
dear. Pope Francis put it best when he
said: But the most beautiful thing that
God did, was the family. God made
man, and he made woman- all that love
he made in creation, he bestowed it in
the family. Now more than ever, we are
affirmed that the family is a crucial part
of the development of our society.
Like our faith, the centrality of Jesus
is essential. In our society, Gods original
plan for the family too is crucial. When
the Pope said that: Jesus was sent into the
world through a family. God sent him amid
a family, he wants us to remember that
the family is beautiful. The family is like
a factory of hope; a factory of resurrection.
Let us look after the family. Let us protect
the family. Because its in the family that
our future is at play. This message allowed
us to really internalize one of the two-fold
mission of Couples of Christ: to Build the

Church of the Home.

Seeing and listening to Pope Francis
made us think about the ability of one man
to be able to inspire millions. Imagine if
each one of our leaders made the decision
to raise spirits, embrace a vision and carry
that out into reality, our world would be
such a different place! This made us realize
that it only takes one person to lead with
integrity and consistency in order for others to follow.
One of the most moving moments during the papal visit was when Pope Francis
put away his prepared speech at the Festival
of Families. He said, Once a child asked
meyou know that kids ask difficult
questionshe asked me: Father, what did
God do before creating the world? I assure
you, I found real difficulty in answering the
question. So I said what Im now going to
say to you: Before creating the world, God
loved. Because God is love.
The main message for the whole weekend was LOVE. We were created out of
love. We are meant to live in union with
others through love- through our relationships, through our community life, and
through our families. We should not be
afraid to love one another. All that love
leads us to Him. As people of God, we need
to realize that every day LOVE IS OUR
MISSION! The whole event was one huge
affirmation that our community was right
in having as our theme for this year Love
More. (Angelo Saludo and Khristine Joy
Florendo, CFC - Singles for Christ Full
Time Pastoral Workers, GTA)

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October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

The following guidelines are from the Philippine Movement for Transformational Leadership
(PMTL), a coalition of Christian faith-based communities who have decided to come together
to do Gods work in the political field, and ensure that God-centered and competent servant
leaders get elected into office in 2016 and onward. Couples for Christ, mindful of the coalitions
noble mission, has chosen to be part of this group.
CFC has made clear that it will not endorse any single candidate. However, it will encourage
everyone to take a look at the groups criteria, the GabayKristo, as helpful guides for assessing
every single candidate and ensuring that he or she passes the strict criteria. CFC believes that
the criteria present a fair assessment of what we should all look for in the leaders we shall
soon choose to lead us.

CBCP Monitor

Pope Francis UN Address and its

relevance to ANCOP
POPE FRANCIS, in his address on September
25 before the United Nations General Assembly,
reminded the faithful of the true meaning of global
poverty. His reminder is a useful guide to CFC
ANCOPs work for the poor.
The Holy Father said that in order to empower
men and women to escape extreme poverty, we
must allow them to be dignified agents of their
own destiny. This requires global and national
policy decisions to be driven not merely towards
the maximization of the economic benefit per se,
but rather towards the promotion of integral human
development and dignity.
In a post-papal visit assessment called in UN
language as Intervention, Archbishop Bernar-

dito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the

United Nations, submitted to the Second Committee of
the 70th Session of the General Assembly on October
8, 2015 afurther explanation that poverty is the lack
not only of material goods, but also of social, cultural
and spiritual resources and all those less tangible values
needed to lead a wholesome and dignified life as individuals and societies."
He continued: For this reason, lifting people out of
poverty does not just mean adequate food and water,
basic health care and decent work; it also means that
all enjoy the realization of their fundamental right to
education, to free speech, to religious freedom and
other fundamental human freedoms, (ANCOP USA
Communications)

WMOF, C1

Jun and Malou Clarito of CFC Canada show the delegates to the World Meeting of Families around the CFC booth.

ticipation in charity, prayer and

the spiritual discipline, scripture
and the liturgical and sacramental
life. His Excellency highlighted
his talk with lines from the song
A House is Not a Home, emphasizing the importance of love
and understanding within the
family. The following day, during
one of the breakout sessions, the
audience, in unified chanting,
asked Cardinal Tagle to sing A
House is not a Home which he
sang like a pro to the delight of
the audience.
The different breakout sessions
every day gave the delegates the
chance to choose which topic they
wanted. Topics ranged from challenges in rearing a child, intimacy

between husband and wife, care

for people with disabilities and the
elderly, the role of grandparents,
the loss of a spouse or child, the
effects of divorce as well as cruel
impact of immigration system on
families and children.
The CFC Toronto delegation
volunteered in one of the seven
sessions with the group called
HELPING HANDS in their meal
packing event to fight hunger. The
goal was to pack 200,000 nutritious meals over three days which
will be sent to Africa. The Toronto
group was able to pack 32,000
meal packs in less than two hours!
The WMOF Congress was
capped by the visit of His Holiness
Pope Francis, as he attended the

Festival of Families on September

26 and presided at the Papal Mass
on September 27, where more than
a million people from all points of
the world came to experience his
presence.
The Canadian delegations from
Toronto drove in convoy to witness this big event, not minding
the long train ride that they had to
take every day since the hotel was
one hour away from the venue.
And as they headed home, their
hearts were filled with renewed
spirit knowing that God has made
this event possible so that all will
cherish their families as they came
fully alive with His presence. (Malou Clarito, Fulltime Pastoral
Worker-CFC Toronto)

ONE PINOY VOICE, C1

Christian Governance in Simple Terms

Cong. Leni Robredo of the 3rd District of Camarines Sur sharedv about her late husband's Tsinelas Principles.

THE STMA (ST. Thomas More and Associates),

one of the social development programs of CFC,
invited the honorable Ma. Leonor G. Robredo,
Representative of the 3rd District of Camarines
Sur, to speak on Issues on Good Governance for
its scheduled STMA Breakfast Forum last October
10, 2015 at the Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan
City. The invitation was extended to Rep. Robredo
several months before but because of her many
commitments to her home province, the date was
moved back several times.
Rep. Robredo arrived in the middle of a highly
Spirit-filled worship. As she explained in her
opening statement, she was so moved by the
worship that she was opting to do away with
her prepared speech. Instead she delivered an
extemporaneous presentation of what Christian
governance entailed, the principles of which were
ably demonstrated and lived by her late husband,
former DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo.
For the STMA members present, these principles
are what we too, as Christians, not necessarily as
public servants, need to demonstrate in our daily lives.
My husband served for a total of 19 years in Naga
before he became Secretary. And these simple tenets,
which we call his Tsinelas Principles, are what I and
our daughters hold on to now that he is no longer
with us, Robredo began.
Why Tsinelas Principles? For one, the late Mayor
of Naga was often seen in the streets of the city clad
in street clothes and, what else? Tsinelas! (Slippers)
When Jesse died, his friends got together and

created Jesses List, a roster of principles that they believe

would answer the question, How and where can we
find another Jesse?, Robredo shared.
Number one on the list is faith and family first.
For Jesse, quality time is also quantity time, Robredo shared of her late husband. She added, He was
also very devotional. He went to confession two or
three times a month, and whenever our daughters had
exams, he would excuse himself from meetings, go to
the restroom, and call me so we can pray the devotion
to the Infant Jesus of Prague together.
Other items in the list were:
2. No entitlement. Be uncomfortable with
perks.
3. Simple is beautiful.
4. Be resilient.
5. Cost-effectivity is key.
6. Every individual counts.
7. "Kayo muna bago kami, sila muna bago
tayo."
8. Engage, engage, engage.
9. Hanapin ang saysay.
10. Matino, mahusay, may puso.
In a way, Rep. Robredo honored the memory of her
late husband Jesse in her talk at the STMA Breakfast
Forum. Never mentioning her recent proclamation
of candidacy for the Vice-Presidency, ostensibly in
recognition of the fact that the invitation to her was
made way before this development, she chose to focus
on what makes one a good servant to others. It was a
perfect reminder for all to focus on those principles as
well as we serve Gods people. (A. Alvarez)

to raise valuable funds for the education of financially

disadvantaged youth in the Philippines. Although
ANCOP Illinois hosted the 2012 and 2013 GPSI
Regional Finals, this year is its first time to host the
USA finals.
The pre-show, hosted by events specialist and
cultural education advocate Rian Mari Francisco,
began with a message from Philippine Consul General to Chicago Honorable Generoso D.G. Calonge,
followed by special numbers by talented US-based
Filipinos. The main show, hosted by Global Pinoy
Singing Idol Director and DZMM anchor Ahwel Paz
and Chicago-based theater actress Christine Bunuan,
included an invocation led by CFC Regional Head
for North Central B Don Paras, a production number
featuring the US finalists and World Carazan Global
Pinoy Singing Idol winner Jing Wenghofer, a message
from DZMM's station manager Marah Capuyan, a
welcome speech by ANCOP USA President and CFC
USA National Director Eric Villanueva, and a message
from ANCOP USA Board Member and Executive
Director Roger Santos.
No less than the "Concert King of the Philippines"
Martin Nievera and TV actress Kaye Abad graced the
event as special guests, much to the delight of the
audience. The show was broadcast live on DZMM
630, via cable TV on Teleradyo, and online.
Eleven finalists from different parts of Illinois,
California, Delaware, Florida, South Carolina, Texas,
and Delaware competed for the chance to represent
the United States in the 2015 Global Pinoy Singing
Idol World Finals to be held in the Philippines. Aside
from their impressive singing talent, what was truly
amazing about the candidates is their shared desire to
be part of the noble cause of helping poor Filipinos
gain access to quality education. Each one of them
felt deeply honored to contribute to an endeavor that
will positively change the lives of deserving youth.
Two extremely gifted young ladies were named
Global Pinoy Singing Idol U.S. winners. Alodia
Alcala is a dual-student pursuing a nursing program
while completing her senior year in high school from
Florida. Her winning performance was a rendition of
"On My Own" from Les Miserables. South Carolinabased college student and model Shane Ericks sang
and played the guitar to "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia
Keys. Ericks has won a number of singing contests
and has appeared on the TV shows Your Carolina and
Carolina 62. Both are ecstatic to join the other Global
Pinoy Singing Idols from all over the world in Manila
in a few months.
The Global Pinoy Singing Idol 2015 US finals had
been in the works for a year. Exactly one year from
the event's staging, CFC-ANCOP Illinois Coordinator
Laurel Malibiran and wife Minnie reserved the Hem-

mens Cultural Center as venue. Armed with faith in

God's provision, strengthened by the encouragement
of their Couples for Christ Illinois family, and inspired
by ANCOP's hopeful scholars in the Philippines, the
Malibirans took on the challenge of being the lead
servants of the project.
When asked about their most significant insight
from the whole experience, the couple cited the
awesome way the Holy Spirit has worked in everyone involved in GPSI. Laurel shared, "Sometimes
we are not even aware that God through the Holy
Spirit is giving us everything we need as we serve.
We may be done with one area of service such
as an event like GPSI, but the Holy Spirit's gifts
implanted in us throughout the process remain in
us. When God develops these gifts in us through
a particular experience, He doesn't take them back.
These gifts are forever ours for God to continue to
hone and nurture."
Members of the National Council of Couples
for Christ USA flew in from different parts of
the country for the weekend to express their support. Numerous CFC USA chapters generously
contributed to the project, demonstrating true
community spirit. Of course, CFC Illinois was
in full force as production, marketing, logistics,
and finance volunteers. Pinky Santos headed the
production team; Efren and Lou Jose together
with Mon and Mia Pacheco spearheaded the
marketing efforts; Joel and Lourdes Mercurio
and Don and Gemma Paras directed the logistics
team; and Dany and Beth Dizon led the finance
and registration functions.
By God's grace, ABS-CBN DZMM continues to
make ANCOP Foundation its GPSI partner and
beneficiary. Other sponsors and donors include
DMI Medical Supplies, MX3, Generics Pharmacy,
Philusa Corp, Department of Health, St. Luke's
Medical Center, Isetann, Davis Paints, Cebuana
Lhuillier, Generika Drugstore, Gambacorta Law
Office, Skyline Furniture, Mark Tan, FAMBA,
Castle Honda, Nutraway/Carico, Ultra Care Home
Health, Dr. Emelita Marquez Wong, Dr. Leo G.
Pepa, Primerica, Creative Impressions Plus, Manila
Fiesta, Darlene Sales, Care for Life, One Philippines, Pinoy News Magazine, Via Times/CPRTV.
The success of the GPSI USA finals means more
ANCOP scholarships will be sustained. CFCANCOP Illinois currently supports 20 scholars
in the Philippines and continues to find ways to
steadily increase this number. In the pipeline are a
Valentine fundraiser, which the group held for two
previous years, and a major project with a special
partner in the Philippines come April or May 2016.
(Jane Marie Santos-Guinto)

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

Michael C. Ariola
IC Oversight

Zenaida A. Gimenez
Editor-in-Chief

Alma M. Alvarez
Associate Editor

Deomar P. Oliveria
Layout Artist

Evangeline C. Mecedilla
Circulation Staff

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
Direct line : (+63 2) 709-4856
www.couplesforchristglobal.org
cfcglobalcommunications@gmail.com

facebook.com/CFC.Global.Mission

@CFChrist

CBCP Monitor

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October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

AMOR VINCIT OMNIA

MORE THAN 250 men travelled to
Calgary, Alberta to participate in this years
National Mens Conference, put on by
Couples for Christ Servants of the Lord
(SOLD). The conference was entitled,
Amor Vincit Omnia which translates to
Love Conquers All. Truly, this weekend
was a demonstration of that. The two-day
event was not only well attended but it was
also yet another opportunity for the community to come together and Love More.
This was a monumental undertaking
for the National SOLD ministry as this
was the first time they were able to put

on a conference of this magnitude and

caliber. The conference featured inspiring speakers such as Canadas National
Director, Greg Parillas, ANCOP Canada
President Ricky Cuenca, Canada SOLD
National Head, Rosco Doromal and
CFC International Council member and
overseer for the Americas, Joe Yamamoto.
Suffice it to say, every man was touched
that weekend!
The brothers not only listened and
learned from the speakers, they were able
to share and support one another through
group discussions and processing as well.

They were also able to cultivate camaraderie by participating in minute-to-win-it

games, a friendly round of dodge ball, and
a night of laughter with their first-ever
Lip-sync Battle.
The weekend flew by faster than anticipated but in its wake, the SOLD brothers
are left waiting in joyful hope for what is
to come next year. Everyone was simply
grateful for Gods provisions and blessings
as the conference said goodbye to Calgary
and now look forward to next years Regional Mens Conferences in Montreal,
Winnipeg and Vancouver.

CFC SOLD took Canada by storm during the Canada National Men's Conference

Catholic Women Shine in The Colors of Love

THE COLORS of love shone bright through 225 women
who attended the Catholic Womens Conference 5 (CWC5)
on Sunday, September 13, 2015 at the Church of Our Lady of
the Assumption, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. The
women discovered how to LOVE MORE through the inspiring
talks and testimonies that were the highlights of the conference.
As with every conference of Couples for Christ, each of the delegates came away from the conference with a heightened sense of
her relationship with Jesus. Aside from the talks and testimonies,
the delegates found the videos and creative numbers a redeeming
and joyful experience. Bishop Cornelius Sims opening remarks
reassured the women, Sharing the fruits of love and joy is sharing
fruits of the Holy Spirit.
The journey of harvesting the fruits of love and joy that day
began when the women had to answer the most difficult question
that Jesus asked Peter: Do you love me? Luisa Obida, the first
speaker, emphasized that authentic love means loving the Lord
with heart, soul, and strength, leading the delegates to ponder: If
God loved me before I was formed in my mothers womb, what
have I done to love him back?
Maria Magpusaos inspiring sharing made it clear that following
Jesus is not an easy choice. Magpusao shared how searching for
truth about God and learning to love Him more after her husband
passed away caused her to rise above her sorrow and allow God
to turn her mourning into glorious joy.
Selfless love is what Jesus is asking from every one of us,
explained Lynda Geraldez in the second session. She encouraged
everyone to change the way they love, in order to transcend human love into self-giving love, as exemplified by John the Baptist,
who said of Jesus, He must increase but I must decrease. She
added, Self-giving is to deny oneself, to take up Jesus cross and
follow Him.
Ammie Alano, in the third session, affirmed that Jesus was true
God yet true man. In His humanity, He chose to love more by
laying down His life for all. Truly, there was no greater love than
this. This session prompted the delegates to reflect if she was
capable of laying down her life for others.
Tootsie Lopez, in the fourth session titled, I Will Follow

You, emphasized that loving more is serving God wherever and

whenever help is needed without seeking any reward. The women
were challenged to go farther to bring the lost, the last and the
least to God as He calls everyone to feed His lambs, tend His
sheep and feed His sheep.
It was overwhelming to see the Couples for Christ - Handmaids
of the Lord (CFC-HOLD) encouraging ordinary women to do
extraordinary acts of love for the lost, the last and the least, turning lip-service into joyful service.
There can be no holding back when people are called to follow Jesus in feeding and tending the lambs and the sheep. Lerie
Villanueva shared her struggles in following Jesus amidst her
difficulties and trials, not the least of which was learning how to
forgive her unfaithful husband and sacrificing her own desires to
do Gods will for her life for His greater glory.
The last session was a reminder that any follower of Jesus will
always testify to love for as long as he or she lives. However, no
follower is exempted from facing struggles with herself and with
the devil. Nanette Ramos, the last speaker, shared the good news
that Jesus would rescue everyone from pride, fears, the sins of the
past, inertia and attachments that keep one from loving more.
Jesus Christs victory can conquer the devils four tactics: Deception, Division, Diversion and Discouragement.
Blanchie Renomeron testified how she was able to overcome
her struggles with Jesus by her side. And, with Mother Mary
and her guardian angel as her powerful allies, Jesus rescued her
from her past painful experiences and made her a faithful servant
leader. The transforming love of Jesus restored everything that
was good in her. That goodness painted her life with a burst
of colors pink for love that is sweet and thrilling, green for
love that hopes, blue for love that is loyal and sincere, yellow
for love that is expressed in service, purple for love that hurts
but endures, orange for love that is intense, red for passionate
love, white for love that is pure and gold for love that is made
perfect in heaven.
Indeed, every word of every story in CWC5 painted Love in
beautiful colors and allowed every woman present to Love More.
(Maria Theresa Pagaduan-Cordova, CFC-Brunei member)

Mission in the Land of the

Pyramids
SEPTEMBER 18 was a significant date for
CFC-Egypt because of the Bible Congress.
This Bible Congress was so important
to CFC Egypt because the content was
centered on the family. The presence
and involvement of the clergy and lay
people from diverse communities at
the congress and the fact that CFC is
still establishing a foothold in Cairo,
presented a great opportunity for expanding CFC presence in this part of
the world.
The CFC mission team from UAE
and Philippines, headed by International Council member George Campos
and wife Cynthia, flew to Egypt and
stayed from September 15 to 27, 2015.
It was the third CFC mission trip to
Egypt this year.
The Bible Congress 2015, which was
held at St. Joseph Catholic Church in
Zamalek, Cairo is an annual event
which started in 2010. The congress
main title this year is Family Mission
in the Bible which coincided with the
Synod on the Families and the visit of
Pope Francis to Philadelphia, USA.
A variety of lectures by various
presenters from Catholic and other
denominational circles in different
languages provided a unique learning
experience. The first lecturer was for the
Italian speaking community, which discussed The Family Today, followed
by a session in Spanish, which tackled a
topic regarding, Honoring our Fathers
and Mothers. In the afternoon, it was
mostly talks for the English speaking
community although it started out
with a single discussion in French about
Instructions for the Family. Other
English language forums centered on
Being a Father and a Brother and a talk
on Interfaith Relationship and Families which culminated in a lecture and
practical teaching on Marriage, Divorce
and Annulment in the Bible entitled
When Love gets Broken.
The organizers of the Bible Congress,
headed by Fr. Alberto Sanchez and
host Fr. John Korir, Parish Priest of St.
Joseph Church, involved Couples for
Christ for the first time. Taking into
consideration the charism of the Family
Ministry of CFC, Fr. John requested
Joel Sarmiento and his wife, Lany,
CFC-Egypt Country Head, to provide
for a lecturer/resource person to discuss
Marriage, Divorce and Annulment in
the Bible
George and Cynthia Campos gave a
talk primarily primarily anchored on
the experiences they had in the Synod
of the Families in the Vatican last year.
Through his lecture, George was able to
expound on the subject as well as introduce CFC, its vision and mission and

the work it has been doing in the area

of Family Ministry in the global scene.
CFCs involvement in the Bible Congress was not restricted to the lectures
alone. Joel, the person in-charge of
coordination with the clergy together
with the CFC-Egypt team, were active
weeks prior to the event for the preparation and during the event itself. They
provided for the logistical and technical
requirements of the congress, i.e. the
audio-visual needs of the breakout sessions and final worship for the closing
ceremony in the main church. Support
for the Bible Congress 2015 was not
only confined to those who were in
Cairo. CFC-UAE; the CFC Global
Mission Center (GMC) from Manila
also extended a helping hand. Ramuel
and Beth Garcia, CFC North Africa
Regional Coordinator, provided much
needed support with their prayers and
approval to send a mission support
team to Cairo. Additional support
was provided by the CFC Middle East
Regional Mission Center (RMC) which
organized the SFC Mission Exchange
for the second time this year.
Joel led the vibrant closing worship,
ably aided by the SFC MEX 2 from
UAE, at the St. Joseph Main Church.
The SFC MEX 2 was composed of
Gibs Mariano and Melay Gomilla
(team leaders), and mission volunteers
Cecille Catapang (SFC Abu Dhabi),
and Chanel Bruce and Rhea Dinglasan
(SFC Jebel Ali, Dubai), who were also
in charge of documenting the event.
Father John Korir ended the Bible
Congress by thanking all the people
who contributed to the event. Afterwards, a joyful fellowship dinner was
hosted by the parish for all the attendees. The Bible Congress was truly
a blessing for Couples for Christ. The
relationship that was created with the
clergy assures the sustaining support
for the mission of CFC in Cairo, expanding its reach from Maadi to Zamalek and hopefully, by Gods grace in
other districts of Cairo and the whole
of Egypt.
After the Bible Congress, the team
continued with the preparation for the
Coptic Arabic CLP to be conducted in
October by giving Evangelization and
CLP training to the CLP team and
general membership. To wrap up the
weekend, three simultaneous Pastoral
Formation (PF) teachings were held
for the Handmaids of the Lord and
Singles for Christ with the Handmaids
Enrichment Retreat (HER), Knights
Tale (KT) and Princess Diaries (PD),
respectively at the Anafora Monastery.
(Roni & Malou Rasco, CFC Eg ypt
Country Coordinator)

CFC President George Campos speaking at the Bible Congress on their Synod experience last year.

CFC Agusan del Norte turns 24

CFC Agusan del Norte, grateful for 24 fruitful years, clockwise from top: CFC Agusan del Norte leaders
with IC members & elders from Manila; Bong Bautista leading the worship; CFC local leaders ready for
the boodle fight; retired Bishop Ite Jimenez inspiring the membership in his homily.

HOLD ICore member Lynda Geraldez (left) and Bishop Cornelius Sim were among the bearers of the Good News to the women of Brunei.

THE 24th Provincial Anniversary celebration

of CFC Agusan del Norte in Butuan City
last October 4, 2015 started with city-wide
motorcade, followed by the morning worship, various games competition and contests, exhortation, and a sumptuous lunch
enjoyed by everyone. The anniversary Mass
with Bishop Ite Jimenez (retired) followed.
The presentations by the various sectors
and family ministries added to the festive
mood of the anniversary. CFC President
George Campos, in his anniversary message, encouraged all to love, and love more.

The weekend was a wonderful time to

gather & affirm friendship, strengthen CFC
family, and be in the company of brethren.
Around 4,000 people were there to experience the joyful celebration.
Earlier, in the evening of October 3,
a conference for all CFC leaders of the
province was held at the SMS Gym. The
conference highlighted inputs from Campos, and the personal testimonies of his
wife Cynthia, and the Banaynal couple,
Dodong & Inday, who are long-time leaders in the area.

C4

October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

Couples for Christ and ANCOP USA Participate

in the World Meeting of Families

CFC International Council members Joe and Babylou Tale (extreme left) , Joe and Mila Yamamoto (second from right) and Jimmy and Lorna Ilagan (extreme
right) pose for a souvenir photo with Roger Santos of CFC USA and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadephia

COUPLES for Christ (CFC) encouraged all of its members

across the globe to participate in the once in a lifetime World
Meeting of Families, the highlight of which was the Papal visit,
from September 22 to 26, 2015. The response was positive as
the CFC International Council, together with CFC members
and their families from across the USA, Canada, Australia, Africa and the Philippines, came as WMOF delegates, volunteers
or simple attendees in the Papal Mass.
CFC attended the Papal Mass in Philadelphia and Madison
Square Garden in New York. Roger Santos, CFC New Jersey,
was invited by the Holy See to be present for the Papal Visit
to the UN on September 25, 2015.
Aside from physical contributions, CFC-USA put up a
booth to showcase the community mission and vision to
all delegates of WMOF. The booth was open during the
WMOF Congress from Tuesday, September 22 till Friday,
September 25.
CFC USA led in the preparations for the meeting. Their
pre-event work included setting up website registration to track

all CFC attendance; booth space registration; booth structure

rental; arranging alternative hotel sites for CFC members, hosting and transport arrangements; and handling the registration
of volunteers/
The CFC USA team headed RogerSantos as over-all coordinator and Alex Algarme as Regional WMF Coordinator.
Members included Ricky Coronel, South West B Region
Head, Norby Perin, Northeast-B Regional Head and Romy
Dacayanan, Northeast-A Regional Head.
CFC-Pennsylvania was given the task to serve during the
Mass of Archbishop Tagle for all Filipino delegates.
Through the booth display and participation, CFC-USA
had good exposure to all WMOF Congress attendees who
came from 150 countries, mostly members of the clergy and
leaders of different Catholic organizations.
CFC USAs active participation and proactively offering
of support at this event made it possible for the community
to recognize its strength and value in supporting the Church
in America and in fortifying its relationship with the clergy.

CBCP Monitor

The Challenge to Plug In to the

Ultimate Power Source
CATHOLIC communicators from different dioceses, organizations and religious
congregations, including the delegates
from the various communication groups
of Couples for Christ, gathered at the
Sta. Rosa, Laguna City Hall Auditorium
for the fourth year of the Catholic Social
Media Summit (CSMS v4.0) last October
10-11, 2015.
The event officially opened with Holy
Mass celebrated by the head of the
Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) Media Office, Msgr.
Pedro Quitorio III, concelebrated by the
priest-delegates in the event. The Hon.
Arlene Arcillas, Mayor of Santa Rosa City,
welcomed the participants by quoting
Pope Francis: Faith does not remove us
from the world, but draws us more deeply
into it. Each of us, in fact, has a special
role in preparing for the coming of Gods
kingdom in our world. The message was
also an affirmation of what Msgr. Quitorio
shared in his homily about social media as
a responsibility and as a powerful tool to
spread Gods message to the world.
The fourth wave of the summit, organized by Youth Pinoy, invited speakers to

talk about the five focus topics: Content

management, crowd sourcing, mobile
technology, online marketing and gaming.
Sean Patrick Lovett, Vatican Radios
director of English Language Section and
the summits keynote speaker, encouraged
the participants to be effective social communicators by using what they have and
by practicing what they post. He delivered
the talk in a creative way, including a brief
sketch of how talking to God on the phone
would be like. Lovett shared, Whenever
we talk to God, (we) are the ones who
hang up. He never hangs up the phone.
One of the core messages from the summit was also shared by Rommel Lopez,
Head of Marketing, Communications,
and PR of Knowledge Channel, Inc. He
emphasized that the purpose of media is to
inform, entertain and educate.
As OMGs or Online Missionaries of
God, the challenge posed to the participants was to use social media as a tool
to spread and communicate the Gospel
and to use technology to enhance each
persons spiritual walk as he or she plugs
in to God, the Ultimate Power Source.
(Yvonne Dolorosa)

Personal Testimony

CFC at the WORLD MEETING OF

FAMILIES: Some Thoughts
THE FIRST World Meeting of Families
(WMOF) was started by then Pope John
Paul II in Rome in 1994, the International Year of the Family, to strengthen
the sacred bonds of the family unit across
the globe. That very same objective is underscored all the more 21 years since that
time because its author is now venerated
as Pope St. John Paul the Great after his
canonization by the Holy See.
This year the World Meeting of Families celebrated the theme LOVE IS OUR
MISSION: The Family Fully Alive.
Pope Francis wrote to the 2015 World
Meeting of Families that: the mission of
the Christian family, today as yesterday, is
that of proclaiming to the world, by the
power of the Sacrament of Marriage, the
love of GOD. From this very proclamation a living family is born and built, one
which sets the hearth of love at the center
of its human and spiritual dynamism...
Following the pontiffs lead, a spring of
overflowing wisdom shared by a long list
of notables touched on a variety of topics
ranging from the Image of GOD, The
Family, Marian Themes, Parents as Pri-

CFC International and National Council

representatives, regional and local members, and guests from distant lands of the
Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya, Puerto
Rico, Sierra Leone, Canada, up to the far
reaches of North America and across the
globe indicative of our worldwide family.
Stimulating workshops that offered
varied applications in order to achieve
the central theme were conducted during
the remaining half of the day.
As a CFC, I enjoyed the blessing of
having been hosted by Alex and Enely
Algarme. They were a lovely couple
with two sons and five daughters. Alexs
parents live with them in a colonial house
in the prairie. They are the typical CFC
praying family who braved the long
queues, rushed for the train, walked for
miles, stood for hours on end to hear the
Papal Mass and participate in the Festival
of Families. I practically lived out the
congress during my brief stay with them.
Their family epitomized everything that
was talked about in the sessions.
All in all, the 2015 Apostolic Journey
of Pope Francis to the United States

they will receive the same Gospel daily

lived by them. And such a family becomes
evangelizers of many families. (Dr. Scott
Hahn)
On Family life The family is the
basic unit of society, it is the gateway to
the future. The family is challenged by
forces hostile to the Christian family. The
best defense to the threat on the family is
the Christian family. (St. JPII)

CFC Plugged in, clockwise from top: KCOM with Sean Patrick Lovett, Vatican Radios director of
English Language Section; Bishop Buenaventura Famadico of the Diocese of San Pablo celebrating
Mass; Rupert Ambil II, Executive Director of Move.PH talking about the importance of social media
during disasters.

The Son rises in Quebec

VISION

We are Families in the Holy Spirit

renewing the face of the earth. The
most beautiful thing God made so
the Bible tells us was the family. He
created man and woman. And he gave
them everything. He entrusted the world
to them: Grow, multiply, cultivate the
earth, make it bear fruit, let it grow.
All the love he put into that marvelous
creation, he entrusted to a family. (Pope
Francis)
MISSION

Our two-fold mission in response to

our vision is: Building the Church of
CFC Youth Canadaupholding the Church and sharing the joy of the Gospel in Quebec

The WMOF was indeed a blessing where CFC leaders were able to take home inspiration, wisdom, and new-found friends.

mary Catechist, Unity in Multicultural

Diversity, Sanctity of Marriage, Vocations; to Respect for Life, Social Justice,
Grandparents and Great grandparents,
Celibacy, New Evangelization; even
some dealing with Divorce, Separation
and Interfaith Marriages to name a few.
To be part of the World Meeting was
like entering into another dimension of
supercharged spirituality. Imagine four
days of high Mass presided by cardinals
and bishops and concelebrated by a retinue of even more cardinals, archbishops
and bishops. Gregorian hymns were sung
in Latin by a choir in full symphonic
range accompanied by a pipe organ bellowing harmonies of heavenly worship!
The Liturgy of the Word illustrated
through exhortative homilies that culminated in Holy Communion was the daily
starter. Then came the keynote speakers
totally grace-filled, inspiring, oftentimes
hilarious yet profound, life changing yet
subtle in approach. Fine cuisine over
hearty banter was the brand of fellowship
during lunch break. Everyone would
troop to the expo for the afternoon recess
where commerce intertwined with social
networking echoed from the booths.
The logbook at our CFC WMOF
exhibit booth read like a whos who of
Gods Joint Chiefs of Staff. On the list
were high-ranking princes of the church,

segueing from the World Meeting of

Families and commencing with the Festival of Families was a powerfully glorious
master plan that heralded the message of
LOVE IS OUR MISSION: The Family
Fully Alive not only in Philadelphia but
to the farthest corner of the globe. Dr.
Scott Hahn quipped Pope Francis is the
High Definition of Pope St. John Pauls
divine initiative.
The flurry of activities gradually shifted
from best to AMAZING! As I sat down
to gather my thoughts at post conference, I asked the LORD What is your
special message to me? The revelation
came clear as a bell. I was moved to draw
parallelisms between my being a CFC
member and correlating that with lessons
from the WMOF. I picked up quotes
and paraphrases that took shape into the
following affirmation:

CHARISM

Couples for Christ is blessed with the

charism of Evangelization Pope Paul
VI said, The family, like the Church,
ought to be a place where the Gospel is
transmitted, and from which the Gospel
radiates. A family that is conscious of
this mission have all the members evangelize, as we are evangelized. The parents
not only communicate the Gospel to
their children, but from their children;

the HOME. Pope Francis, in his last

encyclical, Laudato Si, urges us to care
for our common home, and to take care
of the gifts; to be protectors of the gifts.
He so often urges us to take care of each
other. Thats why were here, to build
a civilization of love; to be that field
hospital that makes present the merciful
love of Christ. (Dr. Scott Hahn) Even
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagles keynote
speech was entitled The Family: A Home
for the wounded heart.
On Building the Church of the POOR
Everyone struggles with painful situations such as loneliness, poverty, disability, illness and addiction and unemployment. In our families and churches, we
must walk with each other in love and
support, even carrying those with great
need. Social justice is the natural progression of family love. But what are the
links between love within a family and
the Christian imperative to follow the
example of the Good Samaritan? How is
this possible in a busy, distracted, expensive world? Part of the answer lies in an
ongoing examination of conscience and
continual conversion according to the
lived example of Jesus Christ. It also lies
in developing practical habits of living as
a man or woman for others. (Cardinal
Tagle/ Prof. Helen Alvare) (Ricky Coronel, CFC SoCal)

SHERBROOKE, QC- "May our souls be

revolutionized!" exclaimed Rolando Medina,
21, as he led the opening praise and worship
at CFC-Youth's July 17-19 Eastern North
American Conference held in Bishop's
University.
Medina, a CFC-Youth Chapter Head
from Montreal, was one of the more than
700 CFC-Youth delegates from all over
Eastern North America in attendance. A
fun-filled weekend of keynote sessions,
workshops, testimonies, competitions, praise
and worship, and daily Mass, the conference
rallied the delegates to be part of the 'Love
Revolution', the conference theme inspired
by the Scripture verse, John 21:15-17.
The 2015 Eastern North American Conference was one of several conferences conducted across the globe -- in Southern California (Western North America), Belgium
(Europe), the Philippines (International),
and across the Middle East -- within a span
of weeks from each other. Delegates did not
just meet new people and make new friends.
They met brothers and sisters who are from
different cities, even countries, yet are part
of the same global community, sharing the
same Catholic faith.
This was evangelization for the Web 2.0
generation or crowd- sourced evangelization.
Sharing one's faith is no longer just through
Bible Study nights; the conference suggested
many creative ways by which faith is communicated using the audience's own language.
The CFC-Youth production team extensively
used Snapchat, lnstagram, and other social
media platforms to not only broadcast the
event, but to provide content during and
after the conference - allowing those present
or away to fully share the experience. With
hashtags such as #LoveRevo2015 and #IMLove2015, delegates were encouraged to become themselves promoters and evangelizers,
by either reposting official content or making
and posting their own - a model intended to
be brought back to their local communities
so they can continue the Love Revolution.
Keynote sessions focused on opening
minds and hearts to empower the youth to
proclaim the Good News. No punches were
pulled as the speakers touched on topics
relevant to young lives today.
"None of us can ever dream beyond
what God has planned for us. Sometimes
we forget. Sometimes we lose sight of the
love and strength God gives us. Sometimes

we lose sight of the goodness of the Lord."

Lawrence Quintero, CFC-Youth International Coordinator, explained during the
first keynote session of the conference: 'The
Truth Exposed'.
The teenagers present shared about their
loneliness and love life, about struggling with
constantly wanting more from the world, and
about constantly seeking love and affection
from others. But all of them, after going
through the struggles, found one truth - the
only true necessity is God.
Nic Escalona; International Coordinator
for the CFC Kids for Christ Ministry, led
the second session entitled 'Declaration of
Dependence'. The highlight of the session
was the compelling sharing of a young
woman who detailed her struggles, since
the age of 16, to fit in and to find herself.
She grappled through anxiety and bulimia,
fought with emotional numbness, resorted
to self-mutilation, and relied on drugs, sex,
alcohol, and partying to maintain her euphoria to escape her reality. The session taught
that whether we are at the highest or lowest
point in our lives, Christ always chooses to
walk with us, as His love is constant.
The third and fourth keynotes were led by
Yvette Malicay (Chicago) and Kevin Muico
(Toronto), lay missionaries for the CFCYouth community. Both sessions were about
the response to God's invitation and His
love for us. As the weekend wound down,
the youth learned the necessity of coming
down from a mountain, leaving behind the
safety and the joy of each other's company,
to bring the Gospel to their communities
and neighborhoods.
The biggest revelation of the weekend was
the degree of talent young people have. The
conference featured a full-scale production:
staging, projection lights, sounds, dance
routines and bands filled the main venue
for sessions and worship concerts, coupled
with the coordination of all the other competitions and workshops. It seemed like a
professional event but this was run, led,
choreographed, and animated mostly by
high school and university students.
The weekend gave the youth a glimpse
of the Church of tomorrowa Church
that is alive and thriving. The 2016 CFCYouth National Conference will be hosted
by Toronto, Canada. (Brian Vidal &
Martin Angeles, in collaboration with
Ville Marie Online)