By: Maurice L. Galasa CICM

The author is a seminarian in vows of the CICM Congregation and is working at present in Zambia. He is from Bontoc, Mountain Province.

God had sent me here to Zambia and it was indeed a wonderful experience to integrate myself with the people. I listened to their noble stories of how God is actively present in their struggles of pain. It was in listening to these that I was ‘converted’ to God and became part of their journey. An encounter with Mrs Anne Banda in one of my house visits in Bouleni, Lusaka, helped me appreciate God’s calling me to be a missionary.

By Father Abraham Aquino CICM

Street children are found all over the world. Most people are quick to conclude that poverty is the root cause. But if you look more deeply into the problem, you’ll find that parents are often blamed. Father Abraham, a missionary in Zambia, tells us why.

I visited the parents of a street child whom we had taken home a few months before. In the beginning, everything was going well. He was going to school. But after a while he went back on the streets. On a few occasions I tried to convince him to go home, but he refused. So I decided to find out from his mother what had happened. She told me that the child was stubborn and preferred to stay on the streets. I asked her what her plan was for him. She said, ‘Bring him to the police to be beaten so that he will learn his lesson.’ Her statement hit me like a bomb. I got angry. Is this the best a mother can think of for her child? I said ‘Goodbye’ and told her sarcastically that I’d do exactly what she had suggested.

By Fr. Eugene Canete, CICM

On the afternoon of December 18, 1995, I was ordained a priest in Mandaue City, Cebu, the event was like a Family Day, a grand reunion of relatives, friends and confreres. Some interpreted the occasion as standing for the missionary animation of my parish. For myself, it was more of a Thanksgiving Day for a dream come true. Truly, I thank God for all that has been in my life.