S T F N E W S L E T T E RSTUDIUM THEOLOGIAE FOUNDATION, INC. (PHILIPPINES) • ISSUE TWENTY FOUR

POPE TO THE FILIPINO CLERGY & RELIGIOUS: “BE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST!”

Do you love me?” [the people: “Yes!”] Thank you, but I was reading the word of Jesus! Said the Lord: “Do you love me?… Tend my sheep” (Jn 21:15-17). Jesus’ words to Peter in today’s Gospel are the first words I speak to you, dear brother bishops and priests, men and women re-

ligious, and young seminarians. These words remind us of something essential. All pastoral ministry is born of love. All pastoral ministry is born of love! All consecrated life is a sign of Christ’s reconciling love. Like Saint Therese, in the variety of our vocations, each of us is called, in some way, to be love in the heart of the Church. (...)

“The love of Christ impels us” (2 Cor 5:14). In today’s first reading Saint Paul tells us that the love we are called to proclaim is a reconcil-ing love, flowing from the heart of the crucified Savior. We are called to be “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor 5:20). Ours is a ministry of rec-onciliation. We proclaim the Good News of God’s infinite love, mercy and compassion. We proclaim the joy of the Gospel. For the Gospel is the promise of God’s grace, which alone can bring wholeness and healing to our broken world. It can inspire the building of a truly just and redeemed social order.

(...)The Gospel calls individual Christians to live lives of honesty, in-tegrity and concern for the common good. But it also calls Christian communities to create “circles of integrity”, networks of solidarity which can expand to embrace and transform society by their prophetic witness.

The poor. The poor are at the center of the Gospel, are at heart of the Gospel, if we take away the poor from the Gospel we can’t understand the whole message of Jesus Christ. As ambassadors for Christ, we, bishops, priests and religious, ought to be the first to welcome his rec-onciling grace into our hearts. Saint Paul makes clear what this means. It means rejecting worldly perspectives and seeing all things anew in the light of Christ. It means being the first to examine our conscienc-es, to acknowledge our failings and sins, and to embrace the path of constant conversion, every day conversion. How can we proclaim the newness and liberating power of the Cross to others, if we ourselves refuse to allow the word of God to shake our complacency, our fear of change, our petty compromises with the ways of this world, our “spiri-

tual worldliness” (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 93)?

(...) The great danger to this, of course, is a certain materialism which can creep into our lives and compromise the witness we offer. Only by becoming poor ourselves, by becoming poor ourselves, by stripping away our complacency, will we be able to identify with the least of our brothers and sisters. We will see things in a new light and thus respond with honesty and integrity to the challenge of proclaiming the radi-calism of the Gospel in a society which has grown comfortable with social exclusion, polarization and scandalous inequality.

Here I would like to say a special word to the young priests, religious and seminarians among us. I ask you to share the joy and enthusiasm of your love for Christ and the Church with everyone, but especially with your peers. Be present to young people who may be confused and despondent, yet continue to see the Church as their friend on the journey and a source of hope. Be present to those who, living in the midst of a society burdened by poverty and corruption, are broken in spirit, tempted to give up, to leave school and to live on the streets. Proclaim the beauty and truth of the Christian message to a society which is tempted by confusing presentations of sexuality, marriage and the family. As you know, these realities are increasingly under attack from powerful forces which threaten to disfigure God’s plan for cre-ation and betray the very values which have inspired and shaped all that is best in your culture.

Filipino culture has, in fact, been shaped by the imagination of faith. Filipinos everywhere are known for their love of God, their fervent piety and their warm devotion to Our Lady and her rosary; their love of God, their fervent piety and their warm devotion to Our Lady and her rosary! This great heritage contains a powerful missionary potential. It is the way in which your people has inculturated the Gospel and con-tinues to embrace its message (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 122). (...)

I ask Mary, Mother of the Church, to obtain for all of you an out-pouring of zeal, so that you may spend yourselves in selfless service to our brothers and sisters. In this way, may the reconciling love of Christ penetrate ever more fully into the fabric of Filipino society and, through you, to the farthest reaches of the world. Amen. n

Pope Francis delivers his homily to the clergy and religious during the Holy Mass at the Manila Cathedral on January 16, 2015 AP/L’Osservatore Romano

Three STF AlumNI OrdAINed BIShOPS ThIS yeAr

The Philippines is blessed to have new bishops appointed by the holy Father Pope Francis. Three of them were priests who were assisted by the Studium Theologiae Foundation, Inc. for

their studies in Rome and in Spain. They are Most Rev. Marcelino Maralit, D.D., from the Archdiocese of Lipa and now Bishop of Boac, marinduque; most rev. dennis Villarojo, d.d. from the Archdiocese of Cebu and most rev. Oscar Florencio, d.d. from the Archdiocese of Palo, Leyte, both now Auxiliary Bishops of Cebu.

Most Rev. Marcelino Antonio Maralit, D.D., S.Th.D.

Bishop of Boac

Bishop Marcelino Maralit, D.D. is the fourth bishop of Boac, Marinduque. He was ap-

pointed by his holiness Pope Francis on de-cember 31, 2014 and was ordained bishop by His Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, D.D.,

Archbishop Emeritus of Manila on March 13, 2015 at the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Sebastian, Lipa City, Batangas. He took possession of the Diocese of Boac on March 17, 2015.

he took his philosophical studies at the St. Francis de Sales major Seminary in lipa City, Batangas and his theological studies at the uni-versity of Navarre, Pamplona, Spain. he was ordanied priest for the Archdiocese of Lipa on March 13, 1995.

He later attended post-graduate studies on Church History at the Pontifical university of the holy Cross in rome, Italy.

Most Rev. Dennis Villajoro, D.D., Ph.D.Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu

Bishop dennis Villarojo, d.d. is one of the two newest auxiliary bishops of Cebu, the

other being Bishop Oscar Florencio, d.d. he will be assisting Archbishop Jose Palma in serv-ing the Archdiocese of Cebu.

Bishop Villarojo was born on April 18, 1967 in Cebu City. he took his philosophical studies at the San Carlos Seminary College in Cebu and then his theological studies at the university of Sto. Tomas in Manila., where he also obtained his licentiate degree in Ecclesiasti-cal Philosophy.

After his ordination to the priesthood on June 10, 1994, he served as personal secretary to Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, D.D., who was the Archbishop of Cebu during that time.

He then pursued for his doctorate studies in Philosophy at the Pon-tifical university of the holy Cross in rome, Italy and obtained the degree in 2001.

he was appointed by his holiness Pope Francis as Auxiliary Bish-op of Cebu on July 3, 2015 and was ordained to the episcopate by Archbishop Jose Palma on August 10, 2015 at the Metropolitan Cathe-dral of the holy Name of Jesus, Cebu.

Most Rev. Oscar Jaime Florencio, D.D., S.Th.D.Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu

Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio, d.d. hails from the Capoocan, Leyte and was born

on February 5, 1966. he took his philosophi-cal studies at the Sacred Heart Seminary, Palo, leyte and his theological studies at the univer-

sity of Sto. Tomas in Manila. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Palo in 1990.

From 1994-1999, he was sent to rome to study Sacred Theology at the Pontifical university of the holy Cross where he obtained his licentiate and doctorate degrees.

He was then assigned as professor and formator at the St. John the Evangelist School of Theology (SJEST) in Palo, Leyte upon his return from Rome. Eventually, he became the rector of SJEST in 2013.

He became the coordinator of the relief operations of the Archdio-cese of Palo after the onslaught of Supertyphoon Yolanda in 2013.

he, together with Bishop dennis Villarojo of Cebu, was appointed as auxiliary bishop of Cebu on July 3, 2015 by Pope Francis. Arch-bishop John du of Palo laid his hands on and ordained Florencio to the episcopate on September 4, 2015 at the Metropolitan Cathedral of The Transfiguration of Our lord, Palo, leyte. Two days later, on Septem-ber 6, 2015, he was formally welcomed to the Archdiocese of Cebu by Archbishop Jose Palma. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Let us give thanks to the Lord for the blessings bestowed on the Church in the Philippines. We continue to pray for our new bishops that they may be the image of the Good Shepherd in their respective dioceses. n

LETTER FROM AN ALUMNUS

Greetings from the mission islands! Sorry for not having written any letter for some years.

Thanks God now I have an opportunity to tell you of some news about my diocese.

A month ago my bishop sent me to a mission place. This little town is called Obo, a place with no more than 200 families. A good number of these families belong to a sect in the Philippines, Iglesia ni Kristo, which teaches that Christ is not a real God because he is only a human person. At the same time it does not accept the Virgin Mary as the true Mother of God. Their presence in my mission is more noticeable than in other places. In fact the first temple in the island of Catanduanes which the members of this sect built was here. They have been visiting each family almost weekly to persuade our faithful to accept their doctrine. People are invited to visit their temple which is seen to be more beautiful than our chapel. When my bishop saw this situation, he decided to send me to this small town to take care of the spiritual needs of our faithful. When he asked me whether I would like to start this pastoral work, without any doubts I accepted it joyfully although I knew well that life in these mis-sion places is very tough.

Since I am the first priest who is going to live in this mission place after so many years of the absence of a parish church or mission chapel where I can stay, I have to finish its construction within the year and refurbish the chapel beautifully that is worthy of a dignified liturgical celebration. I ask for your prayers for this new pastoral and missionary

work. I also request you to find some persons who can be benefactors for the needs of this mission.

In the meantime I am living in the parish of San Miguel, which is the nearest one to my mission district. Each time I go to celebrate the Holy Mass I need to cross a river and walk for some minutes to the chapel. Apart from this place I still have to celebrate the Mass each Sunday in 4 other towns and barrios where I have to cross under the sun some riv-ers. This tires me and is difficult but I am filled with joy seeing the great desire of the faithful to be with the Lord during the celebration of the eucharist. What happiness to be the instrument of our lord taking care of his flock!

Before beginning this mission work, my bishop presented during the Holy Mass in the chapel 2 modern saints, Pope John XXIII and St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, for the parishioners to choose as their new patron. The faithful chose our Father, St. Josemaría. This is why my bishop calls it the St. Josemaría Escrivá Mission Church. I was very happy that the faithful chose our Father. It was a great surprise to me which made me shed tears. I told them that I was present during the canonization ceremony of our Father in rome. And that the saint they selected is very near my heart. I see clearly the work of God.

I would like to request that you pray so God can give me the graces to undertake my pastoral work.

Fr. Raymund A. Fajardo

(Editor’s Note: Fr. Raymund Fajardo is a priest of the Diocese of Virac. He was a scholar of Studium Theologiae Foundation and he took his theological studies at the University of Navarre (Spain) from 2000-2004.) n

Support the Training of a Priest

There are many dioceses in the Philippines that need both the facilities for higher ecclesiastical studies and the financial means to send their future seminary formators and professors

to the ecclesiastical Faculties of the university of Navarre (Pamplona, Spain) or the Pontifical university of the holy Cross (rome, Italy).

To address this situation, Studium Theologiae Foundation, Inc. launched the project “Formation of Priests and Seminarians for the local Churches” in 1986.

For 29 years now, donations from people from all walks of life have allowed us to assist at least 250 priests and seminarians to study in the aforementioned institutions. We invite you to join us in multiplying good deeds in order to help the Church and the world.

The approximate expenses per year for a priest or seminarian studying at the university of Navarre or at the Pontifical university of the holy Cross can reach up to 14,000 Euros or PhP 791,000.00.

How can you help?

*Pray for the success of this project.

*Send your financial contributions to:

STudIum TheOlOGIAe FOuNdATION, INC.5/F Quad Alpha Centrum Bldg.,125 Pioneer Street1550 Mandaluyong City, Philippines

or deposit them to our bank account:

BANK OF The PhIlIPPINe ISlANdSAccount Name: Studium Theologiae Foundation, Inc.Account Number: 1891-0015-13 (for peso deposits) or 1894-0661-01 (for foreign currency deposits).

NEW BATCH OF SCHOLARS OF STUDIUM THEOLOGIAE FOUNDATION FOR THE SY 2015-16

For the University of Navarre (Pamplona, Spain)

From left to right: Fr. Emmanuel Magno (Kabankalan), Sem. Gio Abastillas (Cebu), Sem. Honesto Villanueva, Jr. (Masbate), Sem. Rindyll Wakit (Bayombong)

For the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome, Italy)

From left to right: Fr. Michael Aguilar (Calbayog), Fr. Ian Calabria (Malaybalay), Sem. Brian Victor de Castro (Sorsogon)

pAlumni from the University of Navarre (top photo) and from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (middle photo) together with other priests (bottom photo) attended the Updating Seminar organized by Studium Theologiae Foundation, Inc. at the Tagaytay Conference Center in Mendez, Cavite from October 12-17, 2015. Subjects included topics on Patrology, Canon Law and Cases on Moral Theology.

pMajor seminarians from the Sedes Sapientiae Formation House of the Diocese of Masbate led by their director, Fr. Jomel Ian dela Cruz (seated, left) had their retreat at the Latag Study Camp from October 19-22, 2015. Fr. Jimmy Liao, Executive Director of Theological Centrum (seated, right) was the retreat preacher.

Seminarians from different dioceses in the Philippines and China who attended the 2015 Seminar for Seminarinans.

Seminar for Seminarians 2015: “Called to Give Mercy and Compassion” by Sem. Brian Victor de Castro

Visit the Theological Centrum website at www.theologicalcentrum.orgEmail us at theologicalcentrum@gmail.comLike us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/theo.centrum

The flame of Pope Francis’ influence as the successor of St. Peter spread around the world the moment he was elected. his influ-ence to the Filipino people was even made stronger during his

pastoral visit in the Philippines last January 2015. In a press briefing soon after the departure of the holy Father, manila Archbishop luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said: “may I recommend first of all that we spend time relishing the event. The event is so deep—so deep. There is so much to reflect on, so much to pray over, so much to learn. And it is only in medi-tation, in prayer, in silence, that we can really get to the depths of the pro-found meaning of this event.” In response to the invitation to reflect on the papal visit messages, the annual seminar for seminarians organized by the Theological Centrum (TC), in collaboration with various diocesan seminaries in the Philippines, was held from may 23 to 26, 2015, having as its theme: Called to Give Mercy and Compassion. Fifty seminarians from fifteen dioceses in the Philippines (Bacolod, Balanga, Bayombong, Calbayog, Cebu, Daet, Ilagan, Legazpi, Lipa, Malolos, Masbate, Pasig, San Pablo, Sorsogon and Tarlac) and 2 dioceses (Xuanhua and Zhaoxian) of mainland China gathered at St. Michael Retreat House in Antipolo City for the said seminar

Four months have passed since the unforgettable experience and, in view of the forthcoming start of the new school year in the seminaries, Fr. Jim-my L. Liao, Executive Director of TC, reminded the seminarians in his opening orientation that the seminar was intended for everyone to have a deep personal encounter with Jesus in prayer, activities, and through the speakers assigned in each conference and talk. The four-day seminar schedule included daily guided meditations, confessions, Liturgy of the Hours, Holy Mass, Holy Hours, conferences, talks, and a pilgrimage to Our lady of Antipolo at the Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje. The speakers, armored with abundant wisdom and affected by the “Fran-cis effect”, shared their reflections on the Pope’s messages to the Filipi-nos in the following places: at malacañang Palace given by dr. Bernardo M. Villegas (Columnist, Manila Bulletin and Philippine Daily Inquirer); university of Sto. Tomas grounds by Fr. raymund “lucky” Acuña (dio-cese of Tarlac); manila Cathedral by Fr. mark emman h. Sese (diocese of Pasig); rizal Park by Fr. Alex O. Bautista (diocese of Tarlac); Ta-cloban Airport by Fr. Jomel Ian e. dela Cruz (diocese of masbate), and

in the Mall of Asia Arena given by Most Rev. Gabriel V. Reyes, bishop of Antipolo. The six conferences were complemented by three talks en-titled: “Catalysts for Change” by Mr. Mann Rentoy (Character Education Partnership Philippines), “The Francis effect--From euphoria to reality to mission” by Fr. roy m. Bellen (Vice-President of radyo Veritas, Gen-eral Manager of TV Maria), and “Philosophical Considerations on Think Well, Feel Well, do Well “ by Fr. roque l. reyes (PAreF Woodrose School). The participants were encouraged to continue on being ambassadors of Christ, good pastors, and seminarians as priests for the future, living the three languages of love (of the mind, of the heart and of the hands), know-ing their identity as children of God, learning not just the truth, but how to communicate it, on being aware of what the holy Father reminded the faithful on “ideological colonization, and especially through prayer, and intimate union with God.”

Other activities were included, such as the tertulia (family get-togeth-er) after every lunch and dinner, during which priests and seminarians shared their life or vocation, thus camaraderie and fraternity among them were strengthened. Daily sports were also part of the schedule wherein the seminarians were divided into 4 groups, that is, Mercy and Compas-sion (Group 1), Feel Well (Group 2), Think Well (Group 3), and do Well (Group 4). They battled again in the Musicale, a simple show on the last night wherein all shared their different talents on singing, dancing, act-ing, and interpretative dance. The seminar may have ended on the afternoon of may 26, 2015, but the refreshed inspiration to mission for the seminarians has just begun. They parted ways carrying with them the joy which our lord Jesus Christ manifested in the Gospels, the same joy which the holy Father spread in his visit to the Philippines, to their respective places of mission in their dioceses.

(Editor’s Note: Sem. Brian de Castro is from the Diocese of Sorsogon and a scholar of Studium Theologiae Foundation, Inc. He is now hav-ing his seminary formation at the Sedes Sapientiae International Semi-nary and theological studies at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.) n