MY PERSONAL MISSIONARY EXPERIENCE IN OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE PARISH
Foreword
As I am running my fifth month in Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Marikina City in the Diocese of Antipolo, I thought it fit to share with my confreres and friends about how I am being immersed under the assistance of the Almighty who transforms small actions we do to serve others into great ones by his love.
The pastoral year that I am experiencing is one of the important stages of formation in our delegation of the Philippines. In principle, it aims to help us (candidates) acquire some fundamental missionary attitudes, such as apostolic zeal, unity between action and contemplation, openness to non-Christians, the ability to fulfill a personal life project, service, etc...(RFX338). Furthermore, it is a special occasion to immerse into the local culture, to learn the local language. Personally, I consider my stay in the Parish as an occasion not to solve the problems of the parish but my own problems, not to teach but to learn from people, not to be served but to serve.
First challenge
I arrived in Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish on August 30, 2018. The first challenge I had to face is learning the local language, Tagalog. In fact, in our parish, most of the people are capable of understanding English but since language is an important element of Culture as it is an inseparable part of this, I make more effort to learn it up to now. I found out that there is something more than grammar in language study. Beyond the grammar, we understand the culture, beliefs, philosophy, customs and many other realities of the speakers of the language, and therefore we feel belonging to the culture although we keep with us our own cultures too.
Immersion in the family
I started my immersion by integrating into the new international community. We are four confreres in Community: two Indonesians, one Italian and myself from D.R. Congo. This community is known by its very simple life and the apostolic zeal. With bicycles as a means of transportation, we go around different areas of the parish every day for the Celebration of the Eucharist and other pastoral activities. This community is indeed the family that encourages and inspires me for the apostolate.
Simple activities
I do nothing extraordinary in OLG parish. I do simple activities for the glory of God who does wonderful deeds to his faithful even from our simple actions. My daily apostolate is the Bible sharing in the Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC). This Bible sharing is held in turn in the houses of the members of the BEC, following a pre-established schedule. My attendance at these gatherings is an instance to listen to people, to find out how they treasure and live out the message of the Gospel and therefore to get insights from their experiences of life. Surely, we have many wonderful persons whose lives inspire me other in this parish.
In addition to that, I visit families and especially the sick people (with the Lay ministers). Visiting families is a way to approach people, to listen to them, to know and share in their joy and pain, to improve my Tagalog and immerse in the cultural reality. I do other activities such as serving the mass on Sundays, attending or preaching recollections...and doing some chores in the community.
On the whole, These people I meet every day in our parish and my confreres with whom I live are a blessing for me since I see in them the presence of Jesus. Thus my apostolate is a real context of encounter, and an efficient means of sanctification. I thank God for this ongoing experience.