CBCP reiterates pope’s call for new evangelization

ECHOING the call of Pope Benedict XVI for a renewed evangelization, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines urged the faithful to live their Christian faith fervently as the universal Church opens the year of faith and the Philippine church looks forward to celebrating its 500^th year of Christianity.

The pope, in a message to the Catholic bishops at the beginning of their midyear plenary assembly, has called on the hierarchy to promote “new evangelization.”

The pontiff said he is hoping that various initiatives by the Philippine bishops to fulfill such Church’s mission “will bear much fruit” to lead all people “to the faith, freedom and peace of Christ.”

Jubilee year

Taking heed of the pope’s counsel, the CBCP has announced a nine-year spiritual journey towards the celebration of 500^th jubilee of Christianization of the Philippines in 2021.

In a pastoral letter on the Era of New Evangelization, the bishops have laid out itineraries for the revitalization of the Christian faith, focusing on specific topic each year leading to Jubilee year 2021: Integral Faith Formation (2013); the Laity (2014); the Poor (2015); the Eucharist and of the Family (2016); the Parish as a Communion of Communities (2017); the Clergy and Religious (2018); the Youth (2019); Ecumenism and Inter-Religious Dialogue (2020); and Mission ad Gentes (2021).

The New Evangelization calls for the faithful to deepen their faith, to believe in the Gospel and go forth proclaim it. Its focus calls all Catholics to be evangelized and then go forth to evangelize.

In a special way, the New Evangelization is focused on ‘re-proposing’ the Gospel to those who have experienced a crisis of faith due to secularization.

Synod of Bishops

“The New evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith” will be the focus of the upcoming XIII General Assembly of the Ordinary Synod of Bishops at the Vatican from October 7 until 28 this year.

Within that synod, on October 11, the Holy Father will launch the solemn celebration of the Year of Faith which also coincides with the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council.

The synod will gather experts and participants from bishops all over the world who will discuss on the issue of how to reinvigorate the flame of the Christian faith in the life of the faithful who have strayed away from the Catholic faith.

Participating bishops from the Philippines are CBCP president, Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu, Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen and Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao, who were elected official delegates by the CBCP during the plenary assembly last January. Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, SJ of Cagayan de Oro was elected as alternate delegate.

Pedro Calungsod

Among the many grace-filled events marking the Church calendar this year is the canonization of the second Filipino saint, Pedro Calungsod, a teen-age catechist martyred in Guam in 1672.

The canonization, slated on October 21 this year, will happen “under the brilliant light” of the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the 20^th year of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the declaration of the Year of Faith from October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013.

On July 14, Catholic leaders led by Archbishops Jose Palma of Cebu and Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila simultaneously launched a countdown leading to the canonization date of Pedro Calungsod, both in Cebu and Manila.

A massive education and information campaign are ongoing to deepen awareness on the saint and to encourage the faithful, especially the youth to learn from his values.

People are encouraged to know more about the saint and all activities leading to his canonization by logging on his official sites at at www.sanpedrocalungsod.com; on facebook, Saint Pedro Calungsod; and twitter @SPCalungsod; together with www.cebuarchdiocese.org.

Mission Year

As the Philippine celebration of the “Year of Pontifical Mission Societies” will be reaching its climax towards the end of the year, the universal Church will begin its celebration of the “Year of Faith”.

The CBCP has declared 2012 as Year of Mission to commemorate the 80th year anniversary of the Pontifical Mission Societies.

In a pastoral exhortation, it noted that “a profound relationship exists between these two year-long activities: faith and missionary evangelization are always interwoven.”

In launching the Year of PMS, the hierarchy also wanted to “rekindle among Filipinos a dynamic commitment to the effective preaching of the Good News of Jesus Christ—even to the ends of the earth” (cf. Acts 1:8; 13:47).

The PMS are the “Pope’s Mission Societies” having the “leading role” in mission promotion of the Catholic Church.

The mission societies have been generously serving the local Church in the Philippines since their establishment here in 1932.