9th Visayas Reg’l pastoral assembly Archbishops seek unity in church amid tragedies

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines – “Nothing can separate us from the love of the Lord,” Archbishop John Du of Palo (Leyte) told the 143 participants—consisting of archbishops, bishops, priests, and religious and lay faithful during the 9th Visayas Regional Pastoral Assembly held in this city from October 14 to 16.

In his homily centered on finding hope in the midst of disasters, Du said: “Today, we look back with sadness to those days of sorrow and pain. We were supposed to hold this Assembly in October of last year, but events overtook us, and we decided to put it off.”

Du, former prelate of the Diocese of Dumaguete before his assignment in the Palo Archdiocese, was referring to the 7.2-magnitude earthquake and typhoon Yolanda last year that devastated the Visayas region.

Leyte was among the hardest hit areas by Yolanda in November 18, 2013, while Bohol was struck the most by the earthquake that toppled down buildings and churches and dislocated scores of communities last October 15, 2013.

“Everything happens by God’s design, and if God permits it, something good will always come out of it. Meanwhile, we come together once again, as a region, as a community, in spite of the tragedies, whether communal or personal, because we believe that hope is strongest when shared by a community,” said Du.

Du called on his fellow priests and lay leaders to use the Assembly as a means “to find hope in the goodness of God and the kindness of human beings.”

The Assembly started Tuesday with a concelebrated mass presided by Du at the St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral in Dumaguete.

The objectives of the assembly are to revisit, evaluate and assess the implementation of the pastoral plans made in the last Assembly held in Cebu in 2002, as well as to formulate plans for the coming 51st International Eucharistic Congress to be held in Cebu in 2016, among others.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, for his part, said the Assembly was being held to re-evaluate the different diocesan pastoral plans and programs in the Visayas. It is also a venue to tackle the 500th anniversary of the initial evangelization of the Philippines in 2021, he added.

Du said the drafting of pastoral plans must not be made for profit or personal gain, but first and foremost for the good of the people. He added that dioceses and parishes must align their pastoral priorities with the needs of the people to be “the Church of the Poor.”

Du also invoked the help of Mary, Queen of the Visayas to intercede for the church leaders as they embark on ways “to make our faith and love truly sources of hope for those who are nearing despair.”

After the Mass, Bishop Julito Cortes of the Diocese of Dumaguete welcomed the Assembly delegates, saying that despite territorial boundaries and different pastoral challenges, they can achieve many things.

“Together, we can have a deeper sense of the Faithful and, therefore, a deeper sense of Christ … Together, stirred by the Holy Spirit, united in Christ, we pray to become a more vibrant and responsive church to the world of our times,” Cortes said.

“We are expressing our desire and willingness to collaborate with one another in programs that will contribute to the pastoral and spiritual development of our faithful,” said the bishop. “At the same time, we are committing ourselves to a more participative approach in the pastoral in our particular churches.”

Despite having different strengths and weaknesses, coming together would allow church leaders in the region to “share different perspectives which, in turn, will widen our vision of and for the church,” said Cortes.

The Dumaguete prelate, in paying homage to the Our Lady, Queen of the Visayas, afterwards led in the singing of the Marian Hymn followed by his incensing of the image as patroness of the region.

After the Mass, a palihi was performed by the Foundation University’s Buglasayaw Dance Troupe prior to a welcome dinner which was also attended by Dumaguete Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria and Provincial Administrator Richard Enojo, representing Governor Roel Degamo.