Welcome Home Fr. Stan!

There’s no best place than home. To the culture of an Englishmen particularly in England, there is an ever so sweet phrase saying, “My home is my fortress”. After two months of vacation for the seminarians, Fr. Stan, the Rector of the Seminary spent his break in two halves: first, in the seminary preparing everything for the coming academic year and another half in his place,in Ivory Coast. Now, he is joyfully back in the Philippines for another formative year in shepherding young men.

Knowing Each Other, Getting Together

On the 2^nd day of June, we held the continuation of our team building. We rose early at 4:00 in the dawn heading into our area prepared by the 4^th Year as a venue for the morning lauds. “TakBOKASYON- a run for Vocation is the theme of the morning activity. In our sweet Filipino language, takbo means run and bokasyon means vocation- squeezing the words to complete the said title. We solemnly prayed at the start for strength and immunity- mind, body and spirit- as we start our fun run activity. The whistle of Sem. Pablo became an indicator of receiving a signage, a signal or instructions on the entire day as we went from the seminary going along Wawa Dam. This opportunity of going to this historical area is very vital for especially when we have our pastoral ministry in the chapels. We have three residing parochial chapels near the Wawa Dam, the Sto. Niño Chapel, Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Chapel and the St. Vincent Ferrer Chapel in Sitio Sabangan. Stories says that this dam was the source of water supply of the entire Metro Manila before until they discovered the Angat Dam. Still, there is a strong clamor to beautify and improve the tourist destination.

Maraming Salamat Po!

In life, we tend to be a hedonist. We find pleasure in every work we’ve done without waiting for the result. By the Divine Providence who is always in our midst, we have another humble work, the improvement of our buildings in catering our needs in formation. Our pragmatic formators here in Montalban- Fr. Stan, Bro. Aldrin, Bro. Augustus and Bro. Carl- made their vacation extraordinary by preparing the seminary facilities before the classes will start. They work on rooms for the novices. (now they are student professed brothers).

The Joy in our Formation!

“You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Taking the words of Jesus in the Gospel, camaraderie becomes the food of community life when brothers are sharing the same friendship which Jesus’ Himself established 2000 years ago. After the long preparation for consecutive events here in Montalban- the entrance of our new novices, first religious profession and the renewal of vows- the fourth year seminarians conducted a team building activity as we prepare ourselves for the formal opening of the academic year. 

First Profession in Montalban

The Blessed Virgin Mary has visited Montalban. The feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elisabeth was of a special color in Philippines. It was a family event in Montalban this May 31, 2016. Twelve of our novices brothers made their first religious profession in the Philippines.

There were great joy and a lot of emotion in this Eucharistic celebration presided over by Father Anthony Eucinei de Souza, coordinator of the mission in the Philippines and Novice Master of the St. Luigi Orione Novitiate of Montalban. The Chapel of St. Luigi Orione Seminary ended up almost cramped with the crowd of relatives, friends and acquaintance who came to support our brothers Ronie, Ablan, Kim, Jovet, Raymond, Atuli, Clark, Joseph, Bryan, Maria Joseph George and Muralli.

During the same Eucharistic celebration, five of our young professed brothers were renewing their vows.

The previous evening, fifteen (15) other young men made their solemn entrance to the novitiate, two (2) from Kenya, seven (7) from the Philippines and six (6) from India accompanied by Fr. Fausto Franceschi.

To our newly profes brothers, to those who have renewed their vows and those who have just made their entrance into the Novitiate we wish congratulations and good way in religious life, in the footsteps of Saint Luigi Orione and the following of Christ. Ave Maria and always forwards.

THE 14TH GENERAL CHAPTER IN THE VATICAN: Mass at Sant’Anna and Audience with Pope Francis

It was a tiring journey accepted with commitment, prayer and joy, the 1,300 km from the Oltrepò Pavese to the Vatican, to be there, present at the audience which Pope Francis gave to the Chapter Members meeting at Montebello (Pavia).

In the morning at 9.30 am, all gathered in the church of Sant’Anna in the Vatican for the Mass presided over by the new Superior General Fr Tarcisio Vieira with the new Councillors.

Also present were the Invited Guests of the Orionine Family to the General Chapter, led by the Mother General, Mother Maria Mabel Spagnuolo, Rita Orrù, General Responsible of the Orionine Secular Institute, and by Javier Rodriguez Mendez, General Coordinator of the Orionine Lay Movement.

The homily of Fr Tarcisio was simple and beautiful.   He took his lead from the Gospel of the day which presented the fig tree and the temple, both without fruit, without life.  A temple full of leaves, merchants and attractive items, with apparent glamour, but without fruit.  Jesus curses, that is, recognises the evil, of that fig tree and of the sterile temple.

“A Congregation, “one tree with many branches”, but without fruit, would certainly be a magnificent Congregation, giving a good impression, attractive to the eye, solid, perhaps fascinating” said Fr Tarcisio, “but it would be without outreaching force, not able to spread the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Church and the Pope, especially among the people, to unite the people to the Apostolic See, through the apostolate of charity.  It would be a Congregation which would have lost its life and service of God and people.  It would be a Congregation without fruit”.

“You were called and consecrated by God”

"Pope to Orionines: Remain with Jesus, and serve the poor"

The newly elected General Council held an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis last May 27 at 12 pm in the Vatican City. Here is the report of Vatican Radio.

PopeFrancis on Friday greeted members of the Congregation of Don Orione, the Sons of Divine Providence, on the occasion of their 14th General Chapter.

The Congregation takes its inspiration from its founder, St Luigi Orione, whose motto was: “Do good to all; harm no one.” St Luigi Orione is remembered for his commitment to social justice and the service of those in need, a service guided and inspired by the teachings of the Catholic Church.

In his address to the General Chapter, Pope Francis said, “The whole Church is called to journey with Jesus along the paths of the world, to encounter the humanity of today, which needs, as Don Orione wrote, ‘the bread of the body, and the divine balm of the Faith’.”

To put these words into practice today, the Pope said, the members of the Congregation must keep in mind their identity as “servants of Christ and of the poor.”

“You were called and consecrated by God,” he said, “to remain with Jesus and to serve Him in the poor and in those excluded from society." He called them to vigilance, that their faith “might not become an ideology,” or their charity a mere “philanthropy.”

Pope Francis recalled that, even during the lifetime of Don Orione, the Orionine Fathers were known as “running priests” because they “seemed to be always on the go, in the midst of the people, with the rapid pace of those who care.”

He exhorted them, “with Don Orione, to to not remain enclosed within your particular environment, but to ‘go out’.”

At the same time, it is important to never “lose sight of the Church” or of their own religious community. Rather, he said, “your heart must be there in your ‘cenaculum’, but then needs to go out to bring the mercy of God to all, without distinction.”

Here a video of the audience.

Vidoe 1

Video 2