The Philippine Conference on the New Evangelization that has been convoked by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle in celebration of the Year of Faith will be a feast for the soul and the senses.
Hundreds of Church experts in various topics will give simultaneous conferences, titled “Streams and Pathways,” at various venues in the University of Santo Tomas where the conference on Oct. 16 to 18 is taking place.
The Liturgical Commission of the Archdiocese of Manila will also prepare the celebration of the Misa ng Bayang Pilipino, the conference’s opening Mass.
The Misa ng Bayang Pilipino, the inculturated Eucharistic celebration for dioceses in the Philippines, communicates to the Filipino Catholic faithful the spiritual and doctrinal wealth of the Roman Order of the Mass with the use of language, gestures and symbols culled from the Filipino pattern of thought, speech, behavior and cultural values.
The Misa ng Bayang Pilipino offers the Filipino faithful a kind of worship that reflects their culture and that which they can call their own. The Synod of Bishops paid particular attention to the inculturation of the faith: “The New Evangelization calls for particular attention to the inculturation of the faith that can transmit the Gospel in its capacity to value what is positive in every culture… Inculturation involves the effort to have the Gospel take flesh in each people’s culture (CCC, 854)” (Proposition, 5).
Unceasing guide
Another feature of the conference is the exhibit, Lumen Fidei, which is the title of the first Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis.
The exhibit shows how the Gospel has been the unceasing guide and inspiration in the 500 years of evangelization in the Philippines, from the first proclamation of the Gospel in 1521, to the brave efforts to forge a more just, free and humane society today.
Baptism is the sacrament of faith. The exhibit features a wooden baptismal font from Abra and a Paschal Candle form the centerpiece. A painting by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo depicts the baptism of Reyna Juana of Cebu on April 15, 1521. Otep Bañez’s contemporary painting of the Baptism of Jesus serves as a contrapunto.
A timeline of the 500 years of the Gospel in the Philippines features the Santo Niño de Pandacan (recalling Ferdinand Magellan’s gift to Queen Juana on the occasion of her baptism); Nuestra Señora de Guía (the oldest image of Mary in the Philippines; a banner of the Black Nazarene; and other artifacts from the UST Archives.
Texts culled from Church documents on the faith are also placed beside what people today say about faith for them, because faith is not simply a doctrinal profession: It is alive incarnated and grows among the Christian faithful. For example, Ivy V. Frando is one of the very few deaf catechists in the Church. She does not consider her condition as an obstacle in preaching Christ to others. Through sign language, she eloquently speaks and shares the love of God to all.
She says, “For me, faith is to continuously trust in God. My faith in God has a lot of impact in my life. I have experienced many problems, pain and suffering but I continue to trust in the Lord. There are times that even my husband is are very difficult to invite to attend Mass because of my illness, but I still go out and participate in the church activities and celebration, to teach and give catechism to other deaf; to assist them and give them advice that they may be enlightened; the importance of prayers and the Mass; that God is always there ready to give help.
A millennium concert will also be held on the second day of the conference at 6 p.m. This is being presented by Jesuit Communications Foundation under Fr. Nono Alfonso, SJ.