Remembering the beginning: Xaverian Missionaries in the Philippines
In this video, Fr. James Rigali presents a short history of the Xaverians in the Philippines. As being part of the General Council, he came to the Philippines in 1991 with the intention to open a new international theology community in Manila. Then, he came again in January 1992 with Fr. Peter Venturini, the first Xaverian destined to the Philippines in order to get ready to start the community as Rector of the future community. Fr. Venturini studied Tagalog while living in the theology community of the CICM.
During the year another father came, Fr. Vincenzo Salis, foreseen as parish priest of the parish we were willing to take as incarnation place for the new community. The idea was to have a theology community very much inserted in the local reality so that the students could experience what it means to have to learn new languages and approach new realities during week-ends, summer exposures and the one-year of pastoral immersion.
On December 2, 1992, Fr. James was back again to take part in the official inauguration of the Parish of St. Francis Xavier by Most Rev. Jaime Cardinal Sin. In the meantime also Fr. Jorge Rosales and four theology students had arrived. In the beginning, the Xaverians settled in Maligaya Park, Conforti House and studied at the CICM School of Theology, but later on, we moved to Project 8 because the students had to spend too many hours traveling back and forward to school.
The delegation grew little by little. Now there are two Xaverian Communities: philosophy in Project 8 and postulancy-novicite-theology living together in Conforti House. Our pastoral commitment is in two parishes, St. Francis Xavier in Maligaya and Our Lady of Guadalupe in Marikina. In every community, there is one father in charge of missionary-vocation animation.
At the moment the Xaverians are discussing possible developments but it is difficult to foresee when they will be implemented as long as the number of fathers remains limited to the number of 12 that we are now.
The Xaverians are very much committed to their work and they place a great hope for the future of the delegation on the Filipino vocations.
