September-October 2007

. ‘MOUTHED’ PRAYERS

A Catholic woman was bitten by a deadly poisonous snake at Njao, one of my outstations.  Rushed to the hospital she survived.  ‘While being carried what did you do?’ I asked her during the catechism class. ‘I placed my rosary in my mouth, Father.’

By Frater Felmar Castrodes Fiel SVD

The author is studying for the priesthood as a member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) where seminarians in vows are known as ‘Frater’, the Latin for ‘Brother’.

I once lived in a Catholic compound surrounded by Muslims.  I was still in Grade Two when my parents decided that I should live with my grandparents to continue my studies. This was hard for me since it meant new acquaintances, new surroundings and a new school.

By Eden Po

This is not a story of an old lady who saved the world but rather a memento of a beloved woman who captured many hearts.

Mrs Lutgarda T. Bayona, a woman unfamiliar to most of you, passed away on 21 October 2005. She was a bride of Christ in words and deeds.

Mrs Bayona was a teacher by profession. She had been assigned to many schools around Himamaylan City and Binalbagan, Negros Occidental. I was not around then when she was teaching a great number of students, but I know she did a wonderful job, as seen in the lives of her beloved children and grandchildren.

By Fr Geraldo Costa CICM

What makes a summer camp a camp? Is it the indoor and outdoor games? Maybe the fun activities _ pitching a tent, lighting a bonfire at night and roasting hotdogs and marshmallows? Through the eyes of a young child (or a child at heart), such a scenario could be an ideal picture of what a camp should be. This picture was enhanced and made more significant when Sunflower Children's Center came up with an idea for a Development Camp that would cover all these activities and more _ much, much more.

By Mitzi Ramos

Father Joe hails from Gaang,which according to him is a small village. Found in the mountains of Kalinga, the native culture is still quite alive and has been preserved. Father Joe proudly declares that his ancestry is that of the original settlers of the region, with no foreign bloodline mixed in. He is the youngest of a brood of twelve and the only one who has gone beyond elementary studies. He attributes his vocation to the presence of the CICM missionaries in Kalinga who were welcomed by his father into their home even in the absence of being able to offer food, which other locals thought was what the missionaries required. He remembers vividly walking behind the CICM missionary who would go around the playground praying the rosary.