An Invitation to Join IFFAsia for the Schoolyear 2011-2012

The Institute of Formation, Fondacio Asia (IFFAsia) is now open for application from potential applicants for the schoolyear 2011-2012.

The Institute hopes, through the formation, to build up young leaders and pastoral workers who can take initiatives, give leadership, and bring development and renewal in Asian Church and Society.

IFFAsia Promo Letter 2010

Download these forms for your reference.
IFFAsia Application Kit Dec2010

IFFAsia Information Kit Dec2010

Please be guided by our Application Process below.
IFFAsia Application Process 2010

Invitation to IFFAsia Open Session: Youth Ministry

The Institute of Formation, Fondacio Asia (IFFAsia) is holding its newly developed module on Youth Ministry for the public from 4 to 14 January 2011.

This youth ministry module will cover the situation and challenges facing the youth in Asia, the stages of discipleship, framework and principles of youth ministry, with practical workshops and rich exchange of experiences of mission.

We also would like to take this opportunity to have a dialogue (8 January) on youth situation and youth ministry in Asian countries.

We believe that this session and dialogue can help bring about new perspectives and equip participants with knowledge, skills, attitudes and relevant tools for the mission with young people.

Please download the brochure for your reference & send your name and contact detail to ifa.fondacio@gmail.com for registration.
IFFAsia Brochure - Youth Ministry 2011

Word of the Month (December 2010)

Psalm 72

Endow the king with your justice, O God,
   the royal son with your righteousness.
May he judge your people in righteousness,
   your afflicted ones with justice.

May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
   the hills the fruit of righteousness.
May he defend the afflicted among the people
   and save the children of the needy;
   may he crush the oppressor.
May he endureas long as the sun,
   as long as the moon, through all generations.
May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
   like showers watering the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish
   and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

May he rule from sea to sea
   and from the River to the ends of the earth.
May the desert tribes bow before him
   and his enemies lick the dust.
May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
   bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
   present him gifts.
May all kings bow down to him
   and all nations serve him.

For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
   the afflicted who have no one to help.
He will take pity on the weak and the needy
   and save the needy from death.
He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
   for precious is their blood in his sight.

Long may he live!
   May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him
   and bless him all day long.
May grain abound throughout the land;
   on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops flourish like Lebanon
   and thrive like the grass of the field.
May his name endure forever;
   may it continue as long as the sun.

Then all nations will be blessed through him,
   and they will call him blessed.

Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
   who alone does marvelous deeds.
Praise be to his glorious name forever;
   may the whole earth be filled with his glory.

      Amen and Amen.

What do you hope for?

All of us have hopes — greater and lesser hopes — by which we live each day. We have hopes for our families, our children, our friends and loved ones, our community, society and the world. And even as our human hopes are fulfilled there is the realization of the need for a greater hope, for the infinite, something that will always be more than we can attain by our own human efforts. The virtue of Christian hope directs our minds and hearts to God. “To come to know God — the true God — means to receive Christian hope” (Spe Salvi, 3, Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Benedict XVI on Christian Hope).

What does it mean to live by Christian hope today? How does our Christian hope as God’s children deepen our spiritual life and strengthen the building of God’s Kingdom here on earth?

With these questions in their hearts, Fondacio Philippines and the Institute of Formation Fondacio Asia (IFFAsia) venture on their first concert of hope, entitled “Dare to Dream” on December 5, 2010, 6:00PM at the UP Abelardo Hall, Diliman, Quezon City, featuring the award-winning Hail Mary the Queen Children's Choir.

Hail Mary the Queen Children's Choir (HMTQCC) is the masterful blending of voices of children, seven to eighteen years old. With the primary objective of singing in Eucharistic celebrations and other liturgical feasts, HMTQCC started its roots as a parish choir adhering to their motto of “Prayer and Service through song”. They have been part of the music ministry of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral Parish since 1999, Mary the Queen Parish since 2001 and Christ the King Parish since 2004. The choir has been nurtured by the untiring efforts of their choirmaster, Maria Theresa Vizconde-Roldan together with collaborating artist, Jude B. Roldan. In the quest for excellence, the choir joined the 3rd Choir Olympics in Bremen, Germany in July 2004 and came home as the Olympic Champion in the Music of the Religions Category. Since then, they have used their talents in helping various organizations in their fund-raising projects and are a mainstay in cultural events. Most recently, they participated in the Asian Choir Games where they won several medals.

As we reflect on the presence of a radical and life-changing hope in today’s world, we invite everyone to a beautiful evening of music and songs, and testimonies of hope.

Together, let us all dare to dream and to make our hope for God’s Kingdom a reality!

Manny San Luis
Fondacio Philippines

We invite you to celebrate hope with us on Dec. 5, 2010. For inquiries regarding ticket reservations and sponsorships, please contact

Ms. Betty San Luis (Fondacio Philippines), mobile nos. +63-917-8570320 or +63-923-4479316, or

Ms. Maribel Castillo (IFFAsia), mobile no. +63-905-3305863 or landline +63-2-9373681.

Word of the Month (November 2010)

Isaiah 2: 1-5

The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

In days to come
   the mountain of the Lord's house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
   and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
   Many peoples shall come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord;
   to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
   and that we may walk in his paths."
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
   and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
   and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
   and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
   neither shall they learn war any more.

O house of Jacob,
   come, let us walk
   in the light of the Lord!

Word of the Month (October 2010)

2 Timothy 1: 6-8, 13-14

For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God.

Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

Understanding the Word of God Today

IFFAsia invites each one to attend a Theological Series entitled "Understanding the Word of God Today". This series, which is being conducted as part of IFFAsia's Laity in Mission Program, consists of four (4) sessions, discussing different topics which tackle the relevance of God's Word to one's faith life today. It will be conducted during four Saturdays, starting September 25, 2010.

Topics covered are:
Session 1 - The Meaning of Renewal in Vatican II (September 25, 2010). It discusses the basic thrusts of Aggiornamento and Ad Fontes, and the importance of revelation as God's Word in the document Dei Verbum.

Session 2 - Word of God as Unconditional Loving (October 16, 2010). It deals with the meaning and implications of God's Word for lay spirituality.

Session 3 - Word of God as God's Offer of Life and Love in History (November 13, 2010). It explores ordinary experiences in the world as the setting for salvation.

Session 4 - Faith as Obedience to the Word of God (December 11, 2010). It presents a contrast between rationalistic and personalistic interpretation of faith.

Resource speaker is Dr. Jose M. de Mesa, a noted Filipino Catholic lay theologian.

A minimal fee of P250 will be charged for each session, to cover cost of snacks and session materials.

Interested participants can contact the Administration Office of IFFAsia at telephone number (02)937-3681. For more details, please refer to the attached invitation.
IFFAsia 2010 Theological Series

IFFAsia First Youth Pastoral Team - Journey of China Summer Camp

Fondacio Asia was invited to conduct a Summer Camp in Northern China, which was organised for university students and high school graduates. More than 350 youth attended this 2-week camp. We were a team of 7 animators composed mostly of IFFAsia graduates from China and Malaysia sent on this mission trip. This is the first time for most of us to be there.

During the time in China, we shared food and experiences with the young, we helped them to discover themselves as the beloved children of God, to know the attitudes in building a community and how to face the challenges in daily life and in community. We journeyed together with faith, walked through the pilgrimage of Exodus Walk, searching and experiencing God's greatest Love from the ancient to the modern world.

Despite our differences and challenges, we experienced together the Spirit of Communion, witnessing the Love of God in our lives and also sharing our Hopes for the young people of China. May God bless this land and her people. Amen.

(Video presented by Mag Chin, IFFAsia Batch 2006-2007)

Word of the Month (September 2010)

Wisdom 9: 13-18

"For who can learn the counsel of God?
Or who can discern what the Lord wills?
For the reasoning of mortals is worthless,
and our designs are likely to fail;
for a perishable body weighs down the soul,
and this earthy tent burdens the thoughtful mind.
We can hardly guess at what is on earth,
and what is at hand we find with labor;
but who has traced out what is in the heavens?
Who has learned your counsel,
unless you have given wisdom
and sent your holy spirit from on high?
And thus the paths of those on earth were set right,
and people were taught what pleases you,
and were saved by wisdom."

"Let's Hang Out!"

The 14 students of the Institute of Formation, Fondacio Asia (IFF Asia) who come from Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, China, and the Philippines facilitated a club to 19 teenagers and 20 children of Santuario de San Vicente de Paul in Tandang Sora, Quezon City last August 14, 2010 from 9 am to 12 noon with the theme: “Let’s Hang Out!” A club is a Fondacio youth activity with different components including fun, food, learning and prayer. It was a fun-filled day for both the students of IFF Asia and the children and youth of Santuario. The club will be a monthly activity at Santuario and the next one will be held on September 18, 2010. The students are hopeful to have more youth attending this activity as it will help the youth to meet new friends, have fun, learn more about things that interest them and pray with others.

Bel Castillo
IFFAsia staff

Word of the Month (August 2010)

Luke 14: 1, 7-14


On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.

When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, 'Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invited your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

China Summer Camp: Random Reflections

Participants to the recently held youth camp in China last July 20 - 31 share their thoughts and reflections on significant moments during the event.

Building Up the Chinese Youth

"This summer camp’s organizational scale and its effects would definitely benefit our country. I have always had this desire “to go on a pilgrimage” and through this camp, it is realized today.

Last July 20, filled with happiness, I boarded the bus for the venue and arriving there, I admired the place and felt so much at home. All the members of the service team, brimming with brilliant smiles, were welcoming the arrival of each participant. Their warmth, patience and attentive serving us took away our initial unfamiliarity. In this extremely friendly environment, I also blended with this group which exuded with Christ’s life and love.

This camp certainly helped so many young people’s faith and love to be nurtured further. Hopefully one day, it will lead the Chinese youth to the Lord allowing them to spread out in every corner and share the Lord’s love and fragrance with others."

Washing Each Other’s Feet

"This afternoon, the group dynamics on the “washing of the feet” touched me deeply. I didn’t have much predominant feelings within as I wash other people’s feet, but when it was the turn for the other person to wash my feet, I really didn’t relish it. In my daily life, the impression of not having the pardon of the Lord and that of my fellow brothers and sisters surface within me. Have I the virtue or the capability to allow others to wash my feet? As I watch my fellow brothers and sisters washing the feet of the others, I think of the future - of how I can use my heart to love and transform each brother, and also at the same time have much hope for my community to be like a devoted and loving big family.

Today, I surrender myself to wash the feet of the other, but tomorrow when I return home, can I wash the feet of my parents? Even though I think of allowing my love to be expressed, the gap between my parents and myself does not allow me to express it!

In this community I let go of myself, becoming a devoted and a loving family member, and tomorrow I take this kind of love to the big group, to my own family and to the whole society. For the moment, I hope that each one of us brothers and sisters, upon returning home, can seriously at least once wash the feet of our own parents."

Related story: Fondacio Asia Conducts Summer Camp in China

Everyday-Life Cooking

I still remember the first time I cooked in the restaurant that I was working in. I was very worried because I didn’t have the experience. I prepared the salad, mixed everything and made it presentable, and then I tasted it. Oh, wow, it tasted good! That was the first time I discovered that I can cook. I had been working in the restaurant since my first year in the University to help finance my studies. I started as a waiter and then after only one month, I was given the chance to be a cook when the assigned cook got sick, and I volunteered to be pan assistant cook because no one else wanted to. Thus, I started my journey into cooking.

Today, I am a student at IFFAsia, and I have a big responsibility to my classmates. My task is to prepare the menu and estimate how much we need to cook. I am very happy every time I cook and see the smile on their faces when they eat my food. Every time I cook, I remember my family, because I give joy to them. In my family, everybody cooks together and helps each other to prepare the food. After, all of us join to eat together. My mother motivates me to cook for each other. She said, “Learn how to cook and have more patience because wherever you go, people will LOVE you if you know how to cook and you know how to be a servant for food.” Yes, it is true that my skill in cooking helps so that others can build their trust in me.

Cooking is part of my life. Whether I feel happy or sad, I just cook. I want to make others happy through cooking; it defines my service to people. Since I am a flexible person, I act depending on my environment. My life is just like the food I cook. It will taste depending on how I want it to be; but it doesn’t always taste good. In life, I sometimes struggle and it doesn’t go my way; but I try to find ways to make it better.

In relation to God, cooking is an act of giving love. Every time someone cooks, his goal is to make another person happy. This is also one of the characteristics of God. He makes our life happy. Cooking is a way of sharing one’s talents with others; similarly, God shares himself with everyone through his son.

We can see God in our everyday life, no matter how ordinary it may be to others. So, if you want to eat, I can share my time with you and cook for you. 

Sonesacksith Solaphong (Baow)
(Baow, 25 years old, comes from Laos. He is a civil engineering graduate. Before coming to IFFAsia, he was serving actively in the youth ministry of his diocese.)

Encountering the Forgotten God of the Trinity

“Since I was a child, I had always been happy whenever I received gifts; there’s always a joy in my heart which brings a genuine and vibrant smile of thanksgiving for those who gave me the gifts. However, when I grew up, I began to think that maybe it’s time that I be the one to give gifts rather than receive or ask for them. But, I deeply realized that even when I was still in my mother’s womb I already received a very precious gift from my Father, a gift that was waiting to be accepted and unwrapped - the gift of life and love.”

Last July 17-18, 2010, a Life in the Spirit Session was conducted for the students, interns and staff of Institute of Formation, Fondacio Asia (IFFAsia). It was animated by members of Fondacio Philippines. The session was an empowering and assuring weekend; it was an encounter with the forgotten God of the Trinity – the Holy Spirit. It helped me to reveal this beautiful gift of life and love from Christ Jesus and allowed me to experience the unconditional love of God through the Holy Spirit. During the session when we had our solitude, we reflected on three parables in the Gospel of Luke, which talks about how much God loves us. Pondering most especially on the parable of the prodigal son, I received this message, “I will always carry you in my heart. I love you as you are and I will never stop showing and letting you feel how much I love you.” It really assures me in my personal journey today.

I believe it is true when Manny San Luis, of Fondacio Philippines, said, “Real transformation can only happen in our lives when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us.” That is, when we don’t fill our emptiness with worldly things that surround us, and instead allow ourselves to be open to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit that is in us and let Him be the one to fill our emptiness and brokenness. He added that in every person there are two wolves, the black and the white, that always fight within us, and then he asked, “Which of those two wolves do you think will win?”, which he also answered, “the one you are feeding is the one who’s going to win.”

He describes the Holy Spirit, the God in us, by using imagery of Milo, a chocolate drink. When we prepare a cup of Milo and just put hot water without properly stirring it, the tendency is that it just settles at the bottom of the cup. Similarly, when we receive the Holy Spirit, but don’t allow Him to lead us or become part of our lives, He gets stuck in the very core of our lives, waiting to be stirred and consulted.

Through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the process of allowing the Spirit to pray in my behalf, using my body in praising God, it touches the very core of my being which makes me say that I am truly a child of God.

Rod Babiera
(Rod, 21 year-old Filipino, belonged to Batch 2009-2010 of Basic Formation at IFFAsia. He is currently undergoing a 2-year internship program at the Institute.)

Fondacio Asia Conducts Summer Camp in China

Following is the correspondence from Alice, of IFFAsia, who is currently leading a mission team in China.

Fondacio Asia is conducting a Summer Camp in China! The camp is organised by a local diocese for university students and youth in the parishes since some years now.

The theme of this year’s Summer Camp is “Youth, Hope of Families”. Topics include self-discovery, experiencing God, the meaning of love, the importance of family, and bringing hope not only to family but also to society.

The guiding text for this camp is: "You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world".

Schedule for the camp is as follows:
July 20 - 24         Leadership Training Camp (for 80 youth leaders)
July 25 - 31         Summer Camp (for 400 university students)

The team of animators composed mostly of former IFFAsia students from China (Wendy, Becky, and Lina) and from Malaysia (Mag, Nina, and Cecilia), and Alice has been sent on this mission trip to China. It is the first time for most of us to be sent here. The food, water and weather need adapting to. Some of us need to take extra care in terms of what we eat. Thank God, we feel very much being led by the Spirit and our sense of dependency and docility seems heightened.

Now, all of us are so much into speaking Mandarin. I feel that the team is doing well, and each one seems to be improving each day. God is truly with us!

To symbolize our solidarity and communion as one community, we carry the candle from the Fondacio Congress 2008, and will light this during our sessions and prayer time.

We ask you to be with us during this time. Please pray for us. We ask for the grace of docility to the Spirit and communion within our team, with the Church and the community.

In the spirit of mission,
Alice


We encourage each one to pray, most especially during the days of the summer camp, for the success of this mission trip and the well-being of everyone in the team.

Word of the Month (July 2010)

Luke 10: 25-37


Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

A Voice of Sandakan Girl to Home

Dear all in the Diocese of Sandakan,

How have you been doing? I hope that you are all fine and happy. I am fine and happy and just recovered from my knee injury.

Today, 30^th June 2010 is a historical event for the Philippines. Today is the 15^th presidential inauguration for the newly elected president, Benigno Aquino III. In our morning mass earlier today, we offered up to God our prayer for the new elected president, hoping that he will make a change in the Philippines.

So it has been a month being in IFFA. In just a month I have learn to discover and unfold myself little by little. It is quite challenging for me because to learn to accept the past is very difficult unless we are willing to really let it go and be open to let God enter our life. It is rather funny as I flashed back the moment I told myself that I had let go everything in order for me to really focus in this formation yet God has HIS own way helping me dig up things that I do not want to remember. I can say that the formation I undergo now is all about me. I must first know myself, I must know who is God to me and I must first accept myself as being me before going for my mission.

Along my formation I learn to accept my fellow friends from other countries, formation team and the staff of IFFA. Living as a community here in IFFA is hard at first because we came from diverse part of Asia and culture. Yet the formation is inviting me to be open, to trust and respect.

In IFFA it is all about community. Each of us is scheduled to do out duty like cooking for the community, cleaning up the formation house, disposing the garbage and leading the evening prayer. Every once a month we will be having a community prayer. Every Tuesday and Wednesday we will be having class at St Vincent, School of Theology and every Monday, Thursday and Friday will be the in-house formation. Every Saturday is our weekly integration where we will reflect on the happenings of the whole week.

There are so many things to share. Hhhmmm the most significant experience to me is the “Self – Discovery and Uniqueness”. As I shared earlier it is about discovering me as me. In this session we reflected how life is when we are pretending to be somebody, someone else to hide the real us. I remembered wearing a mask to cover the hurts and difficulties that has been burdening me. It was painful. Did I really let go? No, I did not let go. There a point where I shared to the formation team that I hated the question. But as I reflected it again it is God’s way to heal me. I only have to trust and open to HIM. (^ v ^)….. God to me is the “EYES” to my life who will always keep watch over me. My new insight in this session is I am not a MISTAKE! I was created according to HIS image. No one can look down on me, only if I permit that person to do so and only in God that I can seek the special in me. I am a gift and I am a blessing! Wow….

Let me share you our class in St Vincent, School of Theology. All IFFA students took the four Gospel and Theology for Beginners subject. To be honest to understand the scriptures is hard. Ha ha ha ha ha our first day in class, we learn about Mathew 1: 1-17, the genealogy. Oh gosh only that verses we end up two hours and a half to truly understand the passage. Just imagine how much time we need for the whole bible…!!! For our Theology class we learn about God in our everyday living. What I like so much about this class is it is full of inspiration. I never think of God in my everyday doing like brushing me teeth, taking my bath, walking, drink water and etc… HE is everywhere, anywhere in my everyday life. I wonder if other people realize it…

I am looking forward to this formation. I really need your support and prayers. May your prayers be accompany me throughout this formation year. Once again thank you and may God Bless a special person like you every day. Till then Goodbye and have a nice day.

Here are some picture taken during my one month formation here in IFFA.

Anna Amandus
IFFA, Batch 2010-2011

Word of the Month (June 2010)

Luke 15: 3-7


So he told them this parable:

"Which one of you with a hundred sheep, if he lost one, would fail to leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, I have found my sheep that was lost.'

In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner repenting than over ninety-nine upright people who have no need of repentance."

Word of the Month (May 2010)

John 17: 20-26


After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said,

"I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

"Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

IFFAsia Mission Internship in Malaysia (Updated Version)

On behalf of the students and staff of the Institute of Formation Fondacio Asia (IFF Asia) we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for your kindness to have welcomed them into your homes and parish, the input and guidance you gave them, and your prayers and thoughts that accompany them.

As you know these young people and staff are being trained by Fondacio – Christians for the world to serve in various missions in their countries and in the Asian region. This solidarity and communion among churches and Christians are very important.

As our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI says in his message for the World Mission Sunday 2009, “The Church's mission is to spread hope “contagiously” among all peoples... The universal mission should become a fundamental constant in the life of the Church... The whole Church must be committed to the missio ad gentes... Missionary zeal has always been a sign of the vitality of our Churches”.

We truly appreciate your support and generosity to missions. We are blessed by your gift and look forward to an on-going friendship and collaboration. Be assured of our prayers too.

Sincerely,

IFFAsia Director

Charles Bertille

Word of the Month (April 2010)

Mark 16: 9-15


Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation."

Fondacio Going Out To Meet The World 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oiuvZl1Z6M

IFFAsia Mission Internship in Malaysia-2010

http://www.ucanews.com/2010/03/23/youths-learn-about-interfaith-migrant-issues

ASIA - Youths learn about interfaith, migrant issues

Published Date: March 23, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR (UCAN) — A one-month Church-run program in Malaysia focusing on interfaith and migrant issues has been an eye-opener for 14 mostly young Asian participants.

“I realize now that they are so many refugees living in another country, and my mind is now open to this reality,” said 27-year-old Pale from Myanmar.

Pale saw for the first time, the situation that refugees from Myanmar, as well as other undocumented migrants, face in Malaysia.

Pale was one of the delegates from China, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam and Zambia who attended the immersion program organized by the Institute of Formation, Fondacio Asia (IFFAsia) in Kuala Lumpur.

Fondacio is an international lay Catholic organization based in France. It established IFFAsia in Quezon City, Philippines, in 2006.

The immersion program, which ended recently, was the last phase of a 10-month program to train participants to be youth leaders in their own Church communities.

During the immersion program, the first of its kind for the organization, participants learnt about the two pressing issues the Malaysian Church is facing – interfaith dialogue and ministry to migrants and refugees.

Learning about other religions

Josephine Tey from the Kuala Lumpur Archdiocesan Office for Human Development (AOHD) facilitated a program on refugees and migrants while Father Michael Chua from the Church of Visitation in Seremban facilitated an interreligious workshop.

During the workshop, participants had a dialogue session with Patricia Martinez, a Malaysian who researches and gives talks on Islam in Southeast Asia, and also visited Sikh and Hindu temples.

Han Lina, 27, from China, said she was moved by the beauty of the different religions. She shared that the situation in China is not conducive for interreligious dialogue.

“All the while, I thought that one must be baptized for one to be saved, and that there is no salvation outside the Church,” she said. “But after the formation program and experiencing this interreligious workshop, I have a new understanding of salvation.”

According to IFFAsia director Charles Bertille, organizers chose Malaysia for the formation program as they felt it was a good place in the region “for our Asian students to experience interfaith and migrants and refugees issues.”

During the program, participants stayed with host families in three parishes, and also part in parish evangelization activities.

AS09187/1594 March 23, 2010 41 EM-lines (377 words)

Word of the Month (March 2010)

Luke 10: 25-37


Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?"

He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"

He said, "The one who showed him mercy."

Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

"Go and See" - Asian Pastoral Gathering 2010

“Go and See”. This was the theme of the 5th Pastoral Gathering held last Jan. 29 – Feb. 2, 2010 at the Sacred Heart Novitiate.

Charles Bertille gave a very meaningful reflection on Mark 6:34-44, the guiding text for the theme. It truly speaks to all the participants, as pastors of the community today.

A. The Situation
The disciples follow Jesus to a deserted place, a difficult area with no conveniences. When Jesus suggests for them to share food with the people, they have a very strong reaction. The disciples understand that it means spending money. What he invites them to do is to see what they can share. Then Jesus asks them to check again what they have. It seems unreasonable that the people only have 5 loaves and 2 fishes as they surely will have some food on them since they travel far. The disciples only seem to give a minimum as a response. But, Jesus takes this response and engages them.

We can find a connection in our life, as we are often in similar difficult situations. We find this connection in the different contexts of our missions. For example, in each country, it is difficult to invite persons to participate; to engage them is tough. In these situations of difficulty, Jesus reveals the nature of God, a God of dialogue. He engages us to respond. Our ministry starts with this initiation to compassion.

B. The Pastor
Jesus took, looked up, blessed, broke and gave. This is similar to the Eucharistic action of taking, blessing, breaking and sharing.

How do we live as pastors in our lives? As pastors, we make the others see that God is at work. We make them see that there is never nothing, that there is always something. We make them see that there is always abundance, and never scarcity.

As pastors, we give value to what is offered; we take the ordinary situations and give life to it. When we accompany, evangelize, or animate, we are living the pastor’s role of calling others to life. We are allowing the moment to transform lives, and to make God’s grace flow.

Only we can take the cup of our lives and share it with others. Unless we are broken, we cannot give ourselves fully in mission. And as pastors, we experience being broken often, when there is non-collaboration or when we receive hurtful responses from others.

C. The Kingdom of God
Why do we need to pick up the left-over, the remnants, the crumbs? Why is Jesus concerned about this? In asking the disciples to pick up the crumbs, he is telling them that there is value in these remnants (the poor, the forgotten). Jesus wants us to give value to the offerings of the poor. When we pick up the crumbs, we acknowledge that even the small people can contribute. Their offering may seem insignificant, but we affirm that what they give has value. We need to go and pick up the remnants. We may have a call to work with the youth, the professionals, but we need to pay attention to the remnants, the small ones, and give value to them.

Jesus also seems to say, don’t waste my Father’s work. Don’t take things for granted. Don’t criticize each other so quickly. God is doing his work through each one, including the small ones.

Finally, in the text, Jesus organizes the people in groups. The Kingdom is about communities. God is raising communities to build His Kingdom. Then, Jesus tells his disciples to feed them; he delegates. He is raising the experience of pastoral care in the people. Jesus wants us to organize, to delegate and share our work, to put structure in our communities.

In the end, all will be satisfied. All that we do has meaning and contributes to the building of the Kingdom.


View pictures of the gathering here.

Word of the Month (February 2010)

2Corinthians 5:20 - 6:2


We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you."

I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.

Asian Pastoral Gathering 2010 - Photos Recap

Word of the Month (January 2010)

Luke 4: 14-21

Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."