Month: January 2020

By PilikMata

To the right … to the left … to the right again … that was how we exchanged gifts as a culmination of our Christmas Party Celebration. This happened last December 1, 2019 as we celebrated our Christmas Party and Family Day at Indiana Aerospace University (IAU) which was our venue for some time now. This time we had it at the Gazebo behind the university chapel.

The whole day affair orchestrated by our Family Life Director Kuya Ram Loterte with her ever supportive wife Ate Mina , started at 10am with a Eucharistic Celebration at the said university chapel dedicated to St. Therese of the Child Jesus. After the Mass the members registered according to Unit. For per unit identification purposes, each member came in different attire colors; green for Unit A-Bondoc, blue for Unit B-Canezo, red for Unit C-Matheu, and the latest BCLP 27 graduates came in Yellow attire.

Our able Chapter Head, Kuya Rene Recamara, opened the activity with the warmest welcome and Christmas greetings. We then feasted over sumptuous lunch afforded by Ma. Lina Catering Services. Of course, who will ever forget the famous Lechon Baka which was yummy as well. Then we had games participated by not just BCBP members but family and guests as well. We held a “contestant can’t choose his/her song” singing contest with a gentleman and a lady constestant representing per unit. Ate Mitos Roco came out the champion for the Ladies, the men’s champion was no other than my best half, Kuya Rolly Olalo. Nobody went home empty handed, as we all got something from the raffled prizes, if not from the exchange of gifts.

As I reflected on our festive celebration and fellowship, I recall the Gospel of St. Mathew 14:13-21, when Jesus fed 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. Yes we were all blessed … that even to our right and to our left we all got something to bring home.

By PilikMata

(in this corner, we are encouraging members to be contributors, please hand in your write ups to Master YODA)

My work schedule on Sunday is always on morning shift as we hear mass every afternoon. Now with BCBP, I have to find ways so I could arrange to exchange duty on Sundays that we serve in the Eucharistic Celebration as a member of the Music Ministry. Sometimes I get the slot, sometimes not.

Then one time I needed to be free on a Sunday morning not for the Mass schedule but for a sharing in one of the BCBP chapters in the South. I was confident I could get to exchange my slot as I still had time. So yes, we had it scheduled. Then suddenly there was a disruption in my work schedule, I was made to report on a different schedule for an emergency reason of a co-worker. Needless to say, I just prayed and said, “Lord if you think that our sharing, our service to you is also an emergency, please let me find a reliever nurse at this time”. Oh well! Just in the nick of time an Ate nurse from the community volunteered to fill in for me. So everything went smoothly … just the BCBP way indeed.

Last Jan 25, 2020, around more than 250 men and women composed of Senior Leaders and Governance Team members with their beloved wives from the 14 different chapters of BCBP Cebu Area, gathered together to attend the BCBP Cebu Leadership and Regional Training and Teaching Center (RTTC) Training. The entire Governance Team of our Mactan CHapter were 100% in attendance.

Cebu Area Managing Director (AMD) Ani Serrato himself was the course leader of the whole day seminar which was held at Betania Retreat House in Nivel Hills, Lahug, Cebu City. And no less than former Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman, and now National Service Coordinator (NSC) for Formation Roy Calleja, together with wife Janet, was the resource speaker.

Tatang Ani remarked and described the gathering as one of the rarest occassions he encountered; all BCBP Cebu leaders together in one venue, together attending one training. It just showed that BCBP Cebu is serious in the business of doing service for the Lord, united in doing God’s work in the business and professions milieu.

The session started on time at exactly 8:00am with a lively Praise and Worship led by Tatang Egay Nicolas, Mandaue Chapter Head. After a brief introductory remarks by Tatang Ani, Tatang Roy then started with the objective of the gathering of leaders, which is “to establish and operationalize the Regional Training Center”. He also stated the purpose of the workshop which is for one “to grow in Spiritual Formation as a leader in the BCBP, not only in skill but most specially in Christian character”. After which he then proceeded to the seminar proper, a course on Discipleship Leadership Development Workshop (DLDW) Module 1, a Formation Program not only for Senior Leaders and Governance Team members who were in attendance, but to be cascaded later on to the existing Action Group Leaders and Ministry Heads and potential future leaders in the chapter level.

Tatang Roy also cited three highlights of what he will be discussing and which he hopes the participants will achieve;

1. To know by heart what is Spiritual Formation.
2. To grow in witness of faith and practice thru bible studies, gospel sharing and private personal prayer.
3. To learn to train leaders based on experience of Spiritual Formation for community leaders.

The entire DLDW Module 1 is comprised of nine session topics namely;

1. God’s Master Plan of Evangelization
2. A friend and a Witness of God
3. Questionnaire on Prayer Life
4. Maturing in Prayer Outline
5. Serve Your Brothers as I Have Served You
6. You Are Brothers – Not Masters
7. Can You Drink the Chalice of Suffering
8. I Bind Myself to You by Being What I Preach
9. I Bind Myself to You by Doing What I Preach

Tatang Roy shared a good number of rich stories which were very relevant and provided deep insights to the various topics. The attendees were not just mere listeners but interacted and participated in the proceedings since as customary with BCBP, a number of times they were grouped and huddled into smaller discussion groups to answer exercise questions and have a representative share to the body the outcome of their discussions.

Tatang Ani then capped the training by leading the discussion on the action plans on how to go about implementing the RTTC and cascading the talks to the region and/or chapter level.

We pray to our gracious God that he will bless this nationwide BCBP community endeavor, for the good and greater glory of His Name.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Yes brothers and sisters, our very own BCBP Mactan Taytayan Newsletter is back. After a hiatus of almost three years we finally have re-launched Taytayan under a formidable team of eager and dedicated Publication Ministry servants who’ll be recording, documenting and publishing all our significant community events and activities; from the local chapter, region, area or even national level.

Yes brothers and sisters, our very own BCBP Mactan Taytayan Newsletter is back. After a hiatus of almost three years we finally have re-launched Taytayan under a formidable team of eager Publication Ministry servants who’ll be recording, documenting and publishing all our significant community events and activities; from the local chapter, region, area or even national level.

Looking back, the first issue of the Taytayan Newsletter was released on October 8, 1995, Mactan’s second anniversary, it was still an outreach then.

In that first issue, the writer explained why it was named Taytayan:

So as you can see the name of our Taytayan newsletter is divinely inspired. Want further proof? Not only it is aptly named in the above original explanation or that it geographically depicts one of Mactan’s most popular landmarks; the bridge (now there are two, a third is on its way to completion), but the Latin word for Taytayan is Pontem, and those who build bridges are in Latin called Pontifex. The etymology, or the study of the history of words states that Pontifex consists of the Latin word for “bridge” and the suffix for “maker” or in other words “bridge-builder”. Wikipedia states that the College of Pontiffs was a body of the ancient Roman state whose members were the highest-ranking priests of the state religion.

And who is the Supreme Pontiff? Your guess is as good as mine. The Pope is the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, the Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the Vatican City State, Servant of the servants of God.

From the above paragraphs we can rightly conclude that our Taytayan newsletter is divinely inspired. Thru its articles it bridges us together, not only within our chapter but to the BCBP nation and the Catholic universe … and to our Heavenly Father, the Almighty God. Being BCBP members we have bridged ourselves to one another thru our common faith in God.

So come on then brothers and sisters. Let’s keep this Taytayan standing tall and proud as a beacon of BCBP Mactan, let us all contribute in whatever way we can with our articles, stories and pictures.

by Rene Recamara – Chapter Head

Mary can both be an invitation to Catholicism and to many Protestants, an obstacle to Catholicism. Even in the life of a young Pole named Karol Wojtyla who later became Pope John Paul II, Mary a bit of an obstacle. He began to question his devotion to Mary, believing that if it become too great, it might end up compromising the supremacy of his devotion to Jesus Christ.

But during the Nazi occupation of Poland in World War II, Karol Wojtyla started reading a book entitled True Devotion to Mary, by a French theologion named Monfort. Monfort taught in his book that all true devotion to Mary was Christocentric or Christ-centered as it necessarily points to Christ. And since it always points to her Son, it is not only Christ-centered, it is also Trinitarian.

A Swiss theologian by the name of Hans Urs von Balthasar, considered a genius of the modern Catholic world, has written a book entitled The Office of Peter and the Structure of the Church, wherein he suggested that the church in every age is formed in the image of the great figures in the New Testament.

The Church of Proclamation and Evangelization for example, is formed in the image of St. Paul, the great apostle of the Gentiles. The Church of Contemplation and Mystical Insight, is formed in the image of the apostle John, the beloved disciple who rested his head on the Lord’s breast at the Last Supper. The Church of Authority is formed in the image of Peter, to whom Christ gave the power of the keys, the power to bind and loose. And the Church of Discipleship, which is the basis of everything else, is formed in the image of a Woman, Mary, whos is the first of disciples and thus the Mother of the Church.

How? Because it is in Mary’s Fiat, “Be It Done Unto Me According To Your Word” that we discover the pattern or form of all Christian Discipleship. Through this Fiat, we learn a lesson that will take a lifetime to learn. The lesson is that we are not in charge of our lives. God is in charge of our lives.

To know that is to be liberated in the truest sense of human freedom. To knpw that is to be set free from the restlessness that besets every human heart in every age. Mary’s Fiat at the Annunciation, “Be It Done Unto Me According To Your Word” is completed by Mary’s silent Fiat, the reception of the dead body of her Son at the foot of the cross which some ancient spiritual writers referred to as “Mary’s Martyrdom”. In both instances, Mary teaches us to trust in God’s wisdom which so often contradicts the wisdom of this world.

Indeed, to have devotion to Mary is to take our first steps in the spiritual discipline of trust and dicipleship.

Our able formation head Mon Figueroa with her bubbly and pretty wife Helen planned to have a joint R & R for both music and intercessory ministry members. Our able formation head Mon Figueroa with her bubbly and pretty wife Helen planned to have a joint R & R for both music and intercessory ministry members.Together with the dynamic music ministry head Alvin and Lelet Leal and the amiable intercessory head Nida Billones with hubby….they all made it happen on the 30th day of December 2019. Some members of the Governance team came to celebrate with us. This was held at The SVD Rest House and it was a fun filled whole day activity.

I was pretty late but I did not miss much, I supposed, because the fun and laughter and exchange of ideas came right after a sumptuous lunch. One game was a blockbuster authored by Grace Casinillo .The SIOMAI ..the SIOPAO and .. SUMAN game.. (Must try…TIP: do this when you are alone…say these 3 words repeatedly and you will end up laughing by yourself) . Our Chapter wife Susan Recamara bested all “bato2pickers” in the game of chance, bringing home the loot money while the other wives were very much happy and contented showing off there bar soaps as winnings from other games.

After the games, was the meeting of the minds. There was a sort of an open forum for both Ministries so that we were asked to separate for awhile. Alvin Leal being the head started the discussion with music ministry members. While Nida Billones and her team were also busy assessing the year 2019. We ended the fellowship with no less than the songs sang with utmost desire from oldies but goodies….and a heart and mind for MUSIC and PRAYER. Godspeed Ministry Members!!!