Apostleship of Prayer Conference - a success!

CEBU, Philippines - The Asian Apostleship of Prayer National Directors Conference concluded last October 15. The Archdiocesan Shrine of the Sacred Heart was the host of the five-day conference.

The Jesuit National Directors and their collaborators found the conference in Cebu one of the best, if not the best  ever. It was hosted by Cebu Archdiocesan Shrine of the Sacred Heart from October 11 to 15.

The conference is regularly done every two years in different 15 Asian countries, previously in Australia, Japan, South Korea, India and other countries.

The delegates were billeted at the Alto Pension House and the meetings and meals were at the Sacred Heart Center.The first night was a welcome celebration with a Filipino barrio fiesta motif. The delegates were treated to a Filipino cuisine, and shown a video of the beauty of the Philippines. On the second night, each delegate was treated out for dinner with a Filipino family.

The last night of the conference was full of  beautiful surprises. The delegates  were brought to the 1730 House of the Jesuits in Parian where they celebrated Mass. Afterwards they went to a street which was closed to traffic, where they were dazzled by the award winning San Diego Sinulog dancers who very skillfully presented Philippine history in dance (with special audience participation!). After viewing the centuries old San Diego ancestral house they went back to the 1730 Jesuit house. they feasted on a sumptuous dinner, compliments of the Renewal Movement of the Sacred Heart (Apostleship of Prayer), each of the delegates were surprised with a bagful of Cebu pasalubong delicacies. Capping the evening was a tour of the 1730 Jesuit house which had been turned into a museum. They were toured around by the owner himself, Mr. Jimmy Sy, an alumnus of the Sacred Heart School in Cebu and Ateneo de Manila University. (FREEMAN)