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Homily of H.E. Most Rev. Charles John Brown D.D., Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines August 23, 2023 | Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time St. Joseph the Worker Cathedral-Parish | Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay, Northern Palawan Your Excellency, the Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, D.D., Apostolic Vicar of Taytay; Bishop Edgardo Juanich, Emeritus-Apostolic Vicar of Taytay; concelebrating priests who have come in big numbers here to Taytay this morning, to celebrate with us in the cathedral: thank you men, for taking time, out of your busy schedules to be here with us this morning. Brothers and sisters in Christ, civic leaders here in Taytay, members of the Parish of Saint Joseph the Worker, the cathedral-parish here in Taytay: It gives me so much joy and happiness as the Papal Nuncio, as the personal representative of Pope Francis, to be with you here this morning, as part of my Apostolic Visit to Palawan, which is happening in the context of the closing of your 400th anniversary celebrations for the arrival of Christianity here in Palawan. “Four hundred years of the gift of faith”, that is what you've been celebrating this year; and this jubilee celebration comes to a glorious conclusion tomorrow in Puerto Princesa, where I will be celebrating Mass. Thanking God for that gift of faith, that gift of Catholic life that has lived, grown, and developed here in Palawan for 400 years. Let's reflect for a moment about our gospel (Mt 20:1-16) this morning, which is quite difficult for us to really understand from a human perspective. We heard the gospel read: a landowner, a rich person, is looking for workers in his farmland, in his vineyard. He goes out. He finds some workers early in the morning around 9:00, and says “Come to work in my farm, in my vineyard.” They come and start working at 9:00 in the morning. Then he needs some more work. He goes out at noontime, at 12 noon, finds some more men, brings them to the farm, to the vineyard. They start working at noon. Then later on at around 3:00 in the afternoon, he needs more workers. He goes out and finds some more men. They come and they all begin work. So, some started early in the morning, some started in the middle of the day, some started at the end of the day. Then, when the close of the work day comes, and the owner of the vineyard of the farm begins to pay the workers, he first pays the ones who just arrived a couple hours before. He gives them some money, and they get an amount. The ones who are working all day think, “Wow! We're going to get some more because we've been all day and these ones have only been working for one hour. We're going to get more.” But when they come, they get the same amount. It doesn't seem very fair from a human perspective. They begin to grumble and murmur and complain against the owner of the vineyard; and the vineyard owner, of course, says to them, “Listen, I agreed with you about the salary you would receive, and I'm free to do what I want. I'm free to be generous.” The culmination of the gospel is, “The last will be first, the first will be last.” How do we understand this? This is not a model of social justice that you, as owners of farms, hotels, and vineyards, should be using. You should be paying your people justly based on how long they've worked, obviously. So, the Lord is asking us to think about this parable. What is he trying to tell us? He's trying to speak to us about what we celebrate for 400 years in Palawan: the gift of Catholic life, the gift of supernatural life, the gift of God's grace. So, the gift of God's grace. When it comes into you at baptism, it's the same. It's the same, “amount”, we can say, the same gift. Whether you are six months old, or six years old, or sixty years old. Whether you've never gone to school, whether you're a university graduate. It doesn't matter. You get the same gift from God in baptism, the gift of Catholic life. We all receive the same “amount”, we can say, of life from God in baptism. So, there's a great equality in the Church. A great equality of God's grace. God treats everyone the same way. When you come to faith, whether you're a little baby in the arms of your mother, or your godmother, coming to the baptismal font to receive God's grace, you receive the same. Whether you are six years old, or six months old, or whether, as I said, you are the leader of a big corporation in Manila, or a simple worker in Palawan, doesn't matter. You receive the same thing. What are you receiving? The most precious gift we can imagine. The gift of life, of supernatural life. The gift of God's grace, which comes into you, which changes you, which prepares you for the life of heaven, which allows you to experience, even now walking on this earth, to experience a foretaste, a preview of heaven by God's grace. It's the same in each and everyone of us. That is what the Lord is trying to tell us. His gift is the same. But now? There is a sense in which the gift is totally the same, but what makes us different is what we do with that gift once we have received it. Jesus has other parables about that, doesn't He in the gospel? About an owner who was going abroad and gave money to be invested, by some of his workers. Some invested it and got a nice return, and some invested it and got a halfway nice return, and some didn't do anything with the gift. They kind of brought back the gift in the same way that they had received it (cf. Mt. 25:14-30). In those parables, Jesus criticizes and condemns those who haven't done anything with their gift. We all receive the same gift, but what we do with it is different, right? We need to allow God's grace to penetrate our lives. We need to allow God's life to live in us. That idea of life is so important for us as Catholics. You live in a beautiful earthly paradise here in Palawan, with different forms of life all around you: ecological life, beautiful creation. We have beautiful trees, plants, grasses, fruits, and vegetables. We also have birds and fish. All of these things are alive with natural life. But in baptism, God gives you a different kind of life. Of course, all of us have a natural life. We receive it from our parents, right? In baptism we receive a new form of life, supernatural life, which we can also call God's grace, a new kind of life that's in us. What we need to do is to, we can say, invest with that life, use that life, allow that life to grow in us. How is that life growing? It's growing principally because we receive the Bread of Life, the Eucharist. The Eucharist nourishes spiritual life in us, and makes that life increase so that we grow in life. We grow in the gift that God has given us. It gives us consolation and joy to receive the Eucharist, because the Eucharist is a supernatural life. It's interesting that Jesus chose bread, as the thing that He would change into His body to give a supernatural life. Normal bread. Whenever we have breakfast, we have nice bread, right? That bread nourishes our natural life. It was very interesting on a natural level. I hope you understand me. On a natural level, every calorie that you eat, and sometimes we have to watch our calories, right? Count our calories. Every calorie that you eat on a natural level, on a biological level, it was something that was alive. Bread, grain, it was alive. You know? Pancit, grain, it was alive. Hamburger, the meat, it was alive. When we eat normal food, the life that was in the grain, or the durian, or whatever it was, that was alive, comes into us and it keeps us alive. Right? On a natural level. The Eucharist does the same thing on a supernatural level. It gives a supernatural life. That's why God uses the symbol of bread to be transformed into His body and blood, the soul and divinity, to show us what bread does for us naturally, the Eucharist does for us supernaturally. It gives us His new form of life. So, at the end of our natural lives, when our biological lives begin to finish, and that happens to each and everyone of us, our natural lives come to an end; but if we are Catholics, if we receive the Bread of Life, that beautiful gift, there's another, kind of life that's in us: supernatural life. That life will carry us into heaven, into the life of the world to come, because that life never dies. It can only die by sin. So, this is the gift that came to Palawan 400 years ago: the gift of supernatural life. It comes to us in baptism. The same. We receive the same wages, as we heard in the gospel today, but what we do with that initial gift is different. So, brothers and sisters, let's treasure the gift of supernatural life. Let's try to receive the Eucharist with great devotion and love, so that life can really permeate our existence, and make us what God wants us to be: His children, His sons and daughters. That's what it means to be a Catholic. To be part of the family of God, to be sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father because of Jesus, because of His life given for us on the cross, and transformed into our life through baptism and the Eucharist. This is the gift that came here 400 years ago. So, for me as your Apostolic Nuncio, it gives me so much joy and happiness to be with you. Pope Francis has a great love for the Filipino people, as all of you know. As I told the people last night in El Nido, I’ll be going to Rome next month to see the Pope. When I go, I want to tell him that the people in Palawan, and more specifically the people in Taytay, are praying for him. So please pray for Pope Francis. He asks us to pray for him. He needs our prayers. He really relies on the prayers of the Filipino people. As you celebrate this 400th anniversary, let's thank God for the gift of this Catholic life that's come into us through the sacraments. Let's thank God for the gift of Jesus. Let's thank God for the gift of Mama Mary, our Blessed Mother who was always watching over us, caring for us, leading us always to Jesus. As we receive Him in the Eucharist today, let's ask for that gift, to appreciate His life, and to spread His life around those who are close to us. Transcribed by Joel V. Ocampo photo and video clip from Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay, Northern Palawan

Homily of His Eminence Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, D.D., Archbishop of Manila Rite of Liturgical Reception and Canonical Possession of His Excellency Most Rev. Julius S. Tonel, D.D., Seventh Archbishop of Zamboanga August 22, 2023 | Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zamboanga Your Eminence Orlando B. Cardinal Quevedo, Archbishop-Emeritus of Cotabato; Your Excellency Most Rev. Julius S. Tonel, the newly installed Archbishop of Zamboanga; Most Rev. Moises M. Cuevas, former Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga, and now Bishop-elect of the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan in Oriental Mindoro; My dear brother archbishops and bishops; Rev. Msgr. Alessio Deriu, First Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature and representative of our Papal Nuncio; Rev. Msgr. Maximo A. Campo, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga; My dear brother priests, especially of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga, and the Prelature of Ipil; My dear deacons, dear government officials, religious men and women, Church leaders, seminarians, brothers and sisters in the Lord: Buenos dias! “In Spiritu Et Veritate”. In spirit and in truth, we gather in this beautiful cathedral dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Mother of God. In spirit and truth, we worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In spirit and in truth, we join the Communion of Saints, as we break bread, and share the cup of eternal blessing. In spirit and truth, we celebrate the Sacred Liturgy, the source and summit of all Christian life. The Sacred Liturgy is celebrated in this magnificent cathedral of Zamboanga Hermosa; and installed today is the Most Rev. Julius Sallan Tonel, as its Metropolitan Archbishop. As early as 1910, Saint Pope Pius X created the Diocese of Zamboanga, covering the whole island of Mindanao. Covering the whole island of Mindanao. In 1958, Zamboanga became an archdiocese. Drawing from the wisdom of the readings on the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a week after the Solemnity of the Assumption of the same Holy Mother of God, allow me to share to you three movements in our reflection: first, the Gospel of the Annunciation and the Mystery of the Incarnation; second, the prophecy of the birth of Jesus, the Messiah; and third, the significance of the upper room in the city of Jerusalem. The Gospel of the Annunciation and the Mystery of the Incarnation First, the Gospel of the Annunciation of the Lord. This is an event of global importance, according to Saint Paul VI. Mary is in prayer in the House in Nazareth. It is in Nazareth where she was raised by her beloved parents Saints Joachim and Anne. The Gospel describes the initiative of God, and the response of fiat by Mary. It is considered the Passover of the Word of God. God, who is God, enters human history in the womb of the Immaculate Virgin. How precious is the scene of the Annunciation? Immortalized by so many artists like Blessed Fra Angelico, the great Dominican painter. It is beauty at its best. The phrase I wish to impart is “Divine Initiative”. That everything comes from God. That it is God who reaches out to humanity, fallen by sin. It is God, who initiates a relationship. Yes, a covenant with the people. God has a plan for all humanity, and the plan starts with Abraham, our father in faith; and it finds its completion in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. What joy it is for us to behold once again, the event of the Incarnation today; and what a joy it is for us to have you, Bishop Joy, now Archbishop Joy, as Archbishop of Zamboanga. Archbishop Joy, always say your fiat to Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Always say your fiat to Jesus, every time you encounter Him in the early morning hours in your private Chapel. Always say your fiat to Jesus, when you encounter the Presbyterium entrusted to you, when you visit parishes and towns, when you traverse the length and height of this particular church. Let your fiat create a culture of encounter in the Church of Zamboanga. For the culture of encounter, brings about the joy of the gospel. Be a concrete sign of the joy of the gospel. The Holy Father, Pope Francis in his spiritual testament: Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and be glad) identifies Five Signs of Holiness Today. They are: patience and perseverance rooted in Jesus, a sense of humor, boldness in mission, passion for prayer, and a strong sense of community. Let your archdiocese bring forth Saints Next Door. Yes, holy men and women with a great love for Jesus, and His Church, and the world. Yes, that is why we are here. That our ministry may invite and form people to be saints. Your love for the Sacred Liturgy is known for so many of us. No other than your grandniece told us last night in the testimonial banquet that even as a small child, you would rearrange the furnitures for the Mass. From the University of Santo Tomas, where you spent your seminary years, to your studies at the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy, San Anselmo (Pontifical Saint Anselm Athenaeum) in Rome, where the great Filipino Benedictine Father Anscar Chupungco, O.S.B. How I remember well those years when I find you and Archbishop Molloy Valles, coming home late in the evening because classes at the San Anselmo began in the afternoon ‘till the evening. I saw you tired and cold after the grueling classes in liturgy, taught in Italian. Yes, the late Father Anscar Chupungco demanded nothing but excellence from the Filipino priests in San Anselmo. You, Archbishop Joy, did very well during those years. I am proud of the fact that so many Filipino liturgists have been formed by Father Anscar Chupungco, and are now serving in their respective dioceses and religious communities. After years in Rome, you have become a Seminary Formator at the Saint Francis Xavier College Seminary; and then as Spiritual Director and Rector of the Regional Seminary of Mindanao. The Prophecy of the Birth of Jesus, the Messiah Second, the prophecy of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Isaiah the prophet calls Him, “Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:5b); and “the child grew in wisdom, age, and grace before God and people” (Lk. 2:52). His vision was the Kingdom of God in the here and now. Yet still to come. He taught the Kingdom of God by His words and deeds. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, died and was buried, and descended to the dead, and just on the third day He rose from the dead. This is our proclamation. This is our kerygma. For the Church today, this calls for the pastoral journey of synodality, where accompaniment is an essential ingredient. This is the way of shepherding. Archbishop Joy, remember the seven actions of the Shepherd: you feed the flock, you restore the flock, you guide the flock, you protect the flock, you shape the flock, you resource for the flock, and you empower the flock. Build on the achievements of your predecessors, provide vision and direction in the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus. It is just twice that we build on the achievements of our dear predecessors, of happy memories. Dear brother, build on the accomplishments of your noble predecessors, from Archbishop Luis Del Rosario, SJ (1933-1966) and Lino Gonzaga (1966-1973); from Archbishop Francisco Cruces (1973-1994) and Carmelo Morelos (1994-2006); from Archbishop Romulo Valles (2006-2012) and Romulo Tolentino de la Cruz (2014-2021). They are truly grace for this particular church. The Significance of the Upper Room in the City of Jerusalem Third and last movement, let us go to the upper room. It is in the upper room where Jesus instituted the Eucharist as the sacrament of his Paschal Mystery. After the ascension of our Lord to heaven, Peter and the Apostles, with Mary the mother of Jesus, returned to the upper room where they spent time in prayer and communal life. The event finds its completion with the sending forth of the Holy Spirit. With this event, the sending forth to the world. Archbishop Joy, find your strength in the upper room. Your upper room is your private chapel. It is this beautiful cathedral, every church, oratory and Chapel in this noble archdiocese. Your encounter with Jesus in the upper room will set you ablaze in mission. The mission is captured by the word “dialogue”. You know well the tripod of the church in Asia: dialogue with the poor and the young people, dialogue with religions, especially Islam, and dialogue with cultures; but the starting point, Archbishop Joy, is the encounter with Jesus. It is the encounter that will set things right; and this can be accomplished with a strong integral faith formation known as catechesis. I wish to reiterate this to you: catechesis this in context. Let this be your priority, dear brother Joy, for catechesis is what is known as the laboratory of dialogue. The Pallium My dear brothers and sisters: part of the right of the installation of Archbishop Joy is the imposition of the pallium. The pallium is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church. Originally peculiar to the Pope; but for many centuries, bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitans and prelates as a symbol of their conferred jurisdictional authorities. It is a symbol of Archbishop Joy’s unity with the Holy Father who has bestowed this dignity on him, as well as with his fellow bishops, as shepherds of God's flock, and his responsibility as the Metropolitan Archbishop of the historic Archdiocese of Zamboanga, with the suffragans of the Diocese of Ipil, the Prelature of Isabela, Basilan and the Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo. The imposition of the pallium reminds us of the words of Saint Paul who wrote, “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col. 3:14). Truly, our calling to serve as bishops is grounded in love: love for our Lord, love for His Church, and love for His people. The pallium which Archbishop Joy received from the hands of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, last June 29 in Rome, and which I have placed upon his shoulders today, serves as a visible reminder of the yoke of love that we share, a yoke that unites us in service, sacrifice, and synodality. The pallium symbolizes the pastoral responsibility that Christ entrusted to His apostles. Woven in pure wool, and placed upon the shoulders of the archbishop, it signifies the yoke of shepherding ministry. Having received Peter's confession of love and friendship, Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs, tend my sheep” (cf. Jn. 21:15-19). As pastors, we bear the lambs upon our shoulders, so that we can carry them home to the Lord's sheepfold. Indeed, the shoulders of the shepherd should be the privileged place for the lost, the hungry, the deserted, and the wounded. On his shoulders, the sheep in his care are very close to his ears, and to his heart. From there, they can freely whisper their grumblings and groans, voice out their sighs and cries, and reveal their desires and delights. This is the synodal ministry of the bishop, who walks neither ahead, nor apart from the communities, but along with them, right beside them, feeling their sentiments, and understanding their experiences together on the road towards our common destiny, which is the Kingdom of God. Lastly, I entrust you, Archbishop Joy, and the particular Church of Zamboanga, to the maternal care of the Immaculate Mother Mary of Nazareth, La Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Zamboanga. May her loving gaze be upon you and the flock under your care. Amen. Transcribed by Joel V. Ocampo photo and video clip from The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zamboanga

Homily of His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral) August 20, 2023 We thank the Lord who has gathered us this morning, this Sunday... We thank the Lord for the victory of Jesus over sin and death. Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, it is like Sunday. It is a commemoration of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection that gives us new life. Maganda po ang mga pagbasa natin at maganda ang balita sa atin, tunay na Mabuting Balita. Truly, Good News Gospel! And what is it? The good news is that God offers salvation to all. To all people. Bukas ang pagliligtas ng Panginoon sa lahat ng tao, walang itinatangi. Although God chose Israel as His own people, what we call the Jewish people, as His own people, that does not prevent God from opening His heart and offering salvation to all. Kaya nga po sa unang pagbasa mula sa propeta Isaias, makikita natin na sabi ng Panginoon, Pati ang mga banyaga -- the foreigners who love the name of the Lord and who serve the Lord -- they will be acceptable to the Lord. Hindi lamang yung miyembro ng Israel kundi pati yung mga foreigners, mga nasa labas ng bayang Israel. Kung magmamahal sila sa Diyos, kung maglilingkod sila, sila ay tatanggapin ng Diyos. At ang kanilang panalangin ay tunay na panalangin. And they are invited to the House of the Lord, the temple. Their prayers will he heard. Kasama po tayo dun sa mga foreigners. Kasama tayo doon, sa tinatawag ni San Pablo sa ikalawang pagbasa na mga Gentiles. The Gentiles, those who did not belong to Israel. But St. Paul, as an apostle, he preached the Good News not only to the Jews but to the Gentiles. He became the apostle to the Gentiles to remind them that God has been merciful to them -- pati ang mga foreigners ay makakatanggap ng habag ng Panginoon. Kasama po tayo dun sa Gentiles pero hindi ipinagkait sa atin ng Panginoon ang Kanyang pagmamahal. Even Jesus, learned about the universal love of God during His mission. Siguro yung iba maiiskandalo sa naging ugali at salita ni Hesus sa Ebanghelyo. A Canaanite woman came to Jesus. Canaanite, galing sa Canaan. Ibig sabihin po, foreigner itong babaeng ito. Hindi siya kasama sa "chosen people" [ng] Israel. Iba ang kaniyang relihiyon, iba ang kaniyang kultura, iba ang kaniyang ugali pero nabalitaan niya na andyan si Hesus at ang kanyang anak na babae ay inaanihan ng masamang espiritu. Dala ng pagmamahal niya sa kanyang anak, dala ng matinding pangngangailangan, at dala rin ng misteryoso na paniniwala niya dito kay Hesus na siguro nabalitaan lang niya... pero meron na siyang paniniwala. 'Pupunta ako dito kay Hesus, na iba sa amin.' Si Hesus ay Hudyo [samantalang] ang babae ay Canaanite pero naglakas-loob ang babaeng ito at sabi nya, “Have pity on me, Lord, son of David!” Tinawag niya si Hesus na Lord, Panginoon! Alalahanin po natin mga kapatid nung panahon na yun si Hesus ay tinutuligsa! Si Hesus ay hindi matanggap nino? Ng mga kalahi niya. Kung sino pa yung kalahi niya, pati yung mga pinuno ng templo, hindi siya kinikilala bilang Panginoon. Pero itong Canaanite woman, lumapit, “Have pity on me Lord, son of David. My daughter is tormented by a demon.” Naniniwala siya na mas malakas si Hesus kesa masamang espiritu. Ano ang ginawa ni Hesus? Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. Wow! Ano tawag ng mga bata dyan? Dinedma! Dinedma ni Hesus yung babae! Parang diba masho-shock tayo na, Ha? Diba mahabagin si Hesus? Ito po -- hindi lang si Hesus, yung mga alagad ni Hesus, lumapit kay Hesus at sabi, “Send her away. For she keeps calling out after us." "Palayasin mo nga yan, ang ingay ingay! Buntot nang buntot sa atin, napakakulit! Palayasin mo!" So hindi lang si Hesus! Si Hesus nang-dedma, yung mga alagad ni Hesus gusto magpalayas! Sabi ni Hesus sa babae, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.” Aha! Dito natin nakita, si Hesus ay tunay na Hudyo. This is part of the incarnation, pagkakatawang tao ng Anak ng Diyos. Nagkatawang tao siya bilang Hudyo. Kaya yung mentalidad ng mga Hudyo, dala-dala ni Hesus: na ang uunahin ay Israel! Sabi nya, ako ay sinugo para sa Israel lang, eh ikaw taga labas ka, outsider ka. So huwag ho tayong masyadong maiskandalo, ito po ay patunay na si Hesus ay tunay na tao. Yung mentalidad ng panahon na iyon ay kasama sa kanyang pagiging tao. Pero yung babae pursigido! The woman came and said, Lord help me! Eto na: Sabi ni Hesus, "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." Wow! Medyo mabigat ito: Ang dapat kong pakainin, yung mga anak ng Diyos, ang Israel. Hindi dapat kunin yung pagkain ng anak at ibigay sa mga tuta, sa mga aso. So ang babaeng ito at ang mga outsiders ay parang itinuturing na aso, tuta. Dito tayo hahanga sa sagot nung babae, “Lord even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” "Sige na, ituring nyo na kaming aso pero ang tunay na amo nagpapakain din ng aso kahit ng mga mumo. Huwag nyo nang ibigay sa akin yung tunay ninyong pagkain, kahit yung nahuhulog na lang, sapat na yan." Upon hearing that, Jesus learned. [He] learned a lesson that he could find faith, he could find the blessing of God even outside the confines of the people Israel. Itong babae ang nagturo kay Hesus, tungkol sa kanyang misyon: Ang misyon niya (ay) hindi lamang para sa mga taga Israel; ang misyon niya ay para sa lahat. Kaya sabi ni Hesus, tama ka! Tama ka! "Great is your faith, let it be done for you as you wished." Pinagaling ni Hesus yung anak at gumaling nga. Nakita ni Hesus ang kanyang misyon ay para sa lahat. Hindi lamang yung babaeng Canaanite ang nakikinabang sa pag-ibig ni Hesus -- tayong lahat. Ang pakiusap ho sa atin, sana tulad ni Hesus maging bukas din tayo sa tinuturing nating outsiders, yung mga itinuturing na hiwalay sa ating community. Minsan kasi ang tendency natin, kaniya-kaniya. Yung grupo ko lang ang magaling. Yung grupo ko lang ang laging tama! Yung samahan ko lang ang maaasahan. Maging bukas, makakatagpo tayo ng malalim na pag-ibig at pananampalataya sa mga tao na hindi natin inaasahan. Tulad ni Hesus, maging mulat tayo, open to the manifestations of love, faith and true prayer outside of our groups and circles. And once we have learned from them, expand your heart. Katulad ni Hesus, palawakin ang inyong puso, isip at paglilingkod. Ok, baka hindi nyo nga kilala yung katabi ninyo ho, kilala nyo ba yan? Baka yung iba sa inyo todo ingat sa bag, sino ba tong katabi ko? Baka mandurukot ito! Naku! Ingat kayo, baka hindi yan ang mandurukot, baka yan ang magdodonate sa iyo! Yung hindi mo inaasahan, baka yan ang sugo ng Diyos sa atin. Transcribed by Russel Fleur Gallego Watch the livestream of the full mass at TV Maria and Manila Cathedral

Homily of His Excellency the Most Rev. Charles John Brown D.D., Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Pontifical High Mass and Rite of Canonical Coronation of the Image of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary August 15, 2023 | Assumption of Our Lady Shrine Parish - Dauis, Bohol, Diocese of Tagbilaran “God has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and He has lifted up the lowly” (Luke 1:52). Your Excellency the Most Rev. Alberto S. Uy, D.D., Bishop of Tagbilaran; brother bishops who have come from near and far to celebrate with us this day; Rev. Fr. Jose Sinforiano J. Monton, Rector and Parish Priest of this beautiful and splendid Church of La Virgen de la Asuncion, here in Dauis, on this your feast day, this your parish fiesta; concelebrating priests; religious men and women; lay faithful: For me as your Apostolic Nuncio, it gives me so much happiness and joy to be with you on your Parish Fiesta. Together with my assistant from the Nunciature in Manila, […], who is accompanying me on this pastoral visit to your beautiful diocese. To celebrate today the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, La Virgen de la Asuncion, and not only the feast day, but also the glorious coronation, the crowning of Our Lady, which will take place in a few moments. A Pontifical Coronation, which is the highest form of crowning that the Catholic Church bestows on an image of Our Lady. Truly, “God has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.” Those are the words of Our Lady herself, which we heard in the Gospel (Lk. 1:39-56) this morning, when she comes to visit her cousin Elizabeth in the town where Elizabeth was living. Mary says, “He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has raised up or lifted up the lowly.” That, indeed, brothers and sisters, that is what the Feast of the Assumption is. In a very literal way, it’s the lifting up of Our Lady. This lowly servant, this teenage girl from Northern Israel, chosen to be the mother of God. Lifted up into heavenly glory today on the Feast of the Assumption. Her lifting up, her Assumption, her raising up is so beautifully portrayed in your wonderful church, here in the image above the high altar, the image of Our Lady being assumed into heaven. Lifted up. She’s the lowly one who has been lifted up. God chooses the lowly and lifts them up into His glory. God chooses the lowly. I’m sure this morning, as we celebrate your Fiesta and the Pontifical Coronation of Our Lady, I'm sure that the Holy Spirit is speaking to the hearts of young people today: young men and young women, asking them to allow God to lead them to heavenly glory. To lead them perhaps to the vocation of religious life, to give themselves to God as a religious sister, or as a priest, or as a brother in a religious community. God lifts up the lowly. God chooses the lowly and raises them into glory, as we celebrate on the Feast of Our Lady’s Assumption. The Ark of Covenant of the Old Testament Those beautiful words that Mary spoke to Elizabeth took place there, near Jerusalem, where many centuries before, another event took place. What am I referring to? I’m referring to the moment in which King David came to that area. Pause with me for a moment. When we pray to Our Lady in the Litany of Loreto, we pray to Our Lady. In those constant titles of Mary. We say she is the House of Gold, she is the Ark of the Covenant, she is the Gate of Heaven, she is the mother of Jesus. She is the Ark of the covenant. What was the Ark of the Covenant? The original Ark of the Covenant is in the Old Testament. It was a container, a beautifully prepared and decorated container, in which the Jewish people kept the most holy things that they had: the bits and pieces of the stone commandments, of the 10 Commandments. Those stone commandments, the bits and pieces were kept in a container, beautifully embroidered, beautifully decorated container with the holy things. Near Jerusalem, King David took the Ark of the Covenant, this container of the holy thing: bits and pieces, pieces of wood, pieces of stone from the 10 Commandments, and brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. When David did that, King David, this great ruler, this king, this incredible leader, this warrior, he danced in front of the Ark of the Covenant, as we read in the Second Book of Samuel in the Old Testament (2 Sm. 6:11-19). King David, this great ruler danced as the Ark of the Covenant, as this container was brought from the town near where Elizabeth would live later on towards Jerusalem. In fact, when King David dance with so much exuberance and joy, the daughter of King Saul looked at him with contempt, and said, “Why are you dancing like a common slave?”, and he said, “God has chosen me, the great king” (cf. 2 Sm. 6:20-22). The Ark of Covenant of the New Testament So, we have this idea of the container, the dance scene of King David. Then we fast forward to our Gospel today. What do we see? We see Mary, Mama Mary, pregnant with the baby Jesus in her womb, coming to Elizabeth and Zechariah where they lived. What happens to Elizabeth? We heard in the gospel: the baby in Elizabeth’s womb jumps for joy. Dances, in fact, in front of Mary who was also pregnant. So, we have Elizabeth with her baby, who is Saint John the Baptist. Little John the Baptist jumping, we could say dancing for joy in front of Mary. Then we see that Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant. The old Ark of the Covenant was a container filled with holy things. Mary is the living human Ark of the Covenant, the one who carries God in her womb. She is the Mother of God. She's the new Ark of the Covenant. In the Old Testament, the great King David dances in front of the container. In the New Testament, little Saint John the Baptist jumps for joy in his mother's womb. We see how those words of Mary are fulfilled once again: He casts down the mighty from their thrones and raises up the lowly. There's no one, no human being smaller than an unborn baby. The smallest of the small, the most vulnerable of the vulnerable, and that is the one who is the first person outside of Mary herself to welcome Jesus in this world. God cast down the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly. So, Mary is this new Ark of the Covenant. We hear that in the First Reading that we meditated upon this morning from the Book of Revelation (11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab), in which you hear “God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of the covenant could be seen in the temple. A great sign appeared in heaven, a woman, clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Mary is our lowly Mother raised up to heavenly glory. Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant who brings us God-made-man: Jesus our Lord and Savior. Mary always leads us to Jesus, because Mary is the one who brought Jesus into the world, who gives us Jesus, her Son. Children of Our Lady That’s why for all of us, devotees of Our Lady of the Assumption, all of us here in this beautiful Church of Dauis, here on this glorious day, we rejoice because we are children of Mary. We are children of Our Lady; we are devotees of Mary. It gives us so much joy this morning, doesn’t it? To crown her image. It’s a simple action. We try to do it with as much beauty as possible and look how wonderfully the church is decorated with flowers, everything so beautiful, banners, and we place the crown on Our Lady’s head. We are kind of in a very small way, trying to imitate what happens in heaven, where Mary is the one crowned in heaven: “A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head, a crown of twelve stars.” If we want to be close to Jesus, we need to be close to Our Lady, because she will lead us to Jesus. Don't we all know that? Especially you, the wonderful Pueblo Amante de Maria. Filipino Catholics, with your great love for Our Lady. Isn't it so edifying and so encouraging to see how all of us are crowded in the Church of Dauis this morning to celebrate this Fiesta, because all of us are devotees of Our Lady? We present to her our petitions today, all of our needs, asking her to intercede for us, asking her, the lowly one who is lifted into heaven, to present our petitions to Jesus, her Son, and to the Heavenly Father, so they will be answered. Again, for me as your Apostolic Nuncio, as the representative of Pope Francis in the Philippines, as you can tell from my enthusiasm, it gives me so much joy and happiness to be part of this celebration today. I thank once again your Bishop, the Most Rev. Alberto Uy, for having invited me to be the one to crown Our Lady. I ask you, as I always do, to pray for Pope Francis. I will be going to Rome next month to see him; and I will tell him that the Catholics in the Diocese of Tagbilaran are praying for him, especially those of you here in Dauis. So, God bless you, blessed and happy Fiesta! transcribed by Joel V. Ocampo photo from Assumption of Our Lady Shrine Parish - Dauis Facebook page

by Joel V. Ocampo photos by Angelo Mangahas and Joel V. Ocampo Every year, on August 24, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Bartholomew, one of the Twelve Apostles of Christ. In the Synoptic Gospels, St. Bartholomew is always listed in the sixth position, preceding Philip (Mk. 3:18; Mt. 10:3; Lk. 6:14) who introduced him to Jesus (Jn. 1:45-46). Many Bible scholars believe that St. Bartholomew is the same “Nathanael” mentioned in the Gospel written by St. John, since the name “Bartholomew” is not a proper noun but an alias that mean “Son of Talmai.” The name “Nathanael” (Greek: Ναθαναὴλ) came from the Hebrew name נְתַנְאֵל (Netan'el) meaning “God has given” or “Gift of God.” In our Gospel today, we were told that the Lord Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig tree, even before Philip had called him (Jn. 1:48). Amazed of what happened, Nathanael or St. Bartholomew was the first to confess that Jesus is “the Son of God, the King of Israel” (John 1:49). Then, Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this” (Jn. 1:50). The Leaf of Hope Because of Nathanael or St. Bartholomew’s encounter with the Lord under the fig tree, he is sometimes associated with a leaf. According to the saint’s devotees, a leaf (any kind of leaf) is the sign of his presence. If St. Thérèse of Lisieux gives rose as a sign of her presence or an answered prayer, St. Bartholomew sends leaf to those who asks for his intercession. I myself experienced this many times. Some of these were the following: On July 7, 2019, I was on my way to work. Suddenly, as I drive my mountain bike, an aratiles leaf appeared. It stayed on my hand for more than 20 seconds before the wind carried it away. I easily recognized that it was St. Bartholomew. I wonder what is his message. Puzzled about what's happening, I continued biking. When I went home, I realized that it was during that same time when my wife was on her way to her regular check-up. It is like St. Bartholomew is saying, “She will be okay.” On August 11, 2022, I was rushed to the emergency room. When we went back home, a small leaf appeared in a paper bag where my medicines were placed. Another incident was just last month. On July 15, 2023, I had a very challenging experience. Suddenly, leaf suddenly appeared in my office, while the doors were locked. It is like St. Bartholomew came to the rescue. In addition, since the color of a leaf is green, some associated it with hope. If we looked back on the limited information available in the gospels, we can see that St. Bartholomew indeed saw greater things and hopeful situation during the three years he was with Jesus. He witnessed how the Lord saw the good in the sinners and forgave them (Lk. 7:47; 19:10; Mt. 9:9; Mk. 2:5). He witnessed how Jesus turned water into wine (Jn. 2:1-12), multiplied the five loaves and two fishes (Jn. 6:1-15), healed the blind man from birth (Jn. 9:1-7), and many more. I would like to believe also that in the story of the healing of the blind beggar Bartimeus in Jericho, St. Bartholomew was one of those sent by the Lord to bring the blind man to Him. I can imagine St. Bartholomew approached Bartimeus and said, “Get up! He is calling you” (cf. Luke 18:35-43). Green, the color of hope and leaves also became one of the colors of St. Bartholomew. In most parishes in the Philippines under the patronage of St. Bartholomew, the image of the saint often wears green and red colored vestment, such as in San Bartolome Parish, Magalang, Pampanga; in St. Bartholomew Parish, Meycauayan, Bulacan; the Parokya ni San Bartolome Apostol, Nagcarlan, Laguna; the St. Bartholomew Parish, Catbalogan City, San Bartolome de Novaliches Parish, and many more. A Leaf that Gives Life As for the Apostol San Bartolome de Malabon, the color theme of the saint is yellow/gold and red. The color gold symbolizes heaven, our final destination. It prefigures our first reading today (Rev. 21:9b-14) where we were told that the new city, the Kingdom of God, “had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb” and one of these is St. Bartholomew. Just like the yellow-colored leaf who became dry, fell to the ground, and died after giving its life so that other may live, St. Bartholomew also lived his life serving others until he died for the Lord Jesus Christ. His blood, along with the blood of all the martyrs of the Church, and the Most Precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is now symbolized in our Church by the liturgical color red. St. Bartholomew and the Devil Finally, the Church’s Sacred Tradition also tells us that St. Bartholomew is a hope for those possessed by the devil. Our traditions tell us that St. Bartholomew, went into India and drove away the demons named Astaroth and Berith who infested the residents with various sickness. St. Bartholomew’s prayer bound these demons with chains of fire. One day, a person possessed by a devil cried and said, “Apostle of God, Bartholomew, your prayers burn me.” The saint then freed the person from the power of the devil. When the king of that region heard this, he sent to the apostle, praying that he would come to him and heal his lunatic daughter. When the apostle came, he saw that the possessed girl was bound with chains. The saint commanded to unbind her saying, “I hold the devil fast bound that was in her, and therefore be not afraid.” Then, the girl was unbound and delivered. After some time, St. Bartholomew went to a pagan temple that was infested by demons and drove them all away, and all the sick people were cured and healed. Then, the apostle sanctified and dedicated that temple, and commanded the devil to go into the desert. This story teaches us that with the power of God, there will be always hope. Not even the power of the devil who brings hatred, jealousy, pride, anger, envy, and all sorts of evil can extinguish the hope that comes from the love of God, proclaimed by the apostles. This lesson is what the image of St. Bartholomew in Malabon Church wants to convey. In the image, St. Bartholomew tramples on the devil, as if the saint is telling us, “With God there is aways hope. Never listen to the devil who sows hopelessness and despair.” In addition to these, the Sacred Traditions tells us that St. Bartholomew’s skin was flayed from his body during his martyrdom, thereby exposing his nervous system, he is the patron saint against nervous and neurological diseases and ailments. When we feel hopelessness and despair, we ask St. Bartholomew’s intercession that he may lead us to the Lord Jesus his Master, the source of all hope. Let us pray. O Glorious Saint Bartholomew, Jesus called you a person without guile and you saw in this word a sign that he was the Son of God and King of Israel. Obtain for us the grace to be ever guileless and innocent as doves. At the same time, help us to have your gift of faith to see the Divine hand in the events of daily life. May we discern the signs of the times that lead to Jesus on earth and will eventually unite us to him forever in heaven. Amen. St. Bartholomew, Apostle of the Lord, pray for us!

Homily of His Excellency the Most Rev. Charles John Brown D.D., Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Eucharistic celebration and Investiture with the Sacred Pallium to His Excellency, Most Rev. Victor B. Bendico, D.D., 4th Metropolitan Archbishop of Capiz August 18, 2023 Your Eminence Jose Cardinal Advincula, archbishop of Manila, Your Excellency, the Most Reverend Victor B. Bendico, archbishop of Capiz, my brother bishops, concelebrating priests, members of religious congregations and communities, especially our religious sisters who are here gathered, brothers and sisters in Christ one and all, it is indeed a great privilege and honor and joy for me as your Apostolic Nuncio that is as the representative of Pope Francis here in the Philippines, to have bestowed in the name of Pope Francis the pallium on His Excellency, the most Reverend Victor Barnuevo Bendico, newly installed archbishop of Capiz. What is this pallium that His Excellency has received this morning and which rests on his shoulders? The pallium is a liturgical investment associated with the Pope, the bishop of Rome, the successor of St. Peter. For centuries upon centuries in Rome, after a new pope is elected, he begins his formal ministry as the pope as the successor of Peter, with a solemn mass of inauguration in which the new pope receives two very important symbols - the fisherman's ring and the pallium. The pallium is a kind of woolen collar which is placed on the shoulders of the new pope, as a reminder that he is to follow the example of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who seeks out the lost sheep and carries the sheep home on his shoulders. And this imagery is reflected so beautifully in the programs that have been prepared. The small books prepared for our liturgy today on the front cover - Jesus, with the sheep on his shoulders, an image of the pallium. But for many centuries, the popes have also chosen to bestow the pallium on other bishops, in addition to themselves, as a sign of the special role which some bishops have, together with the pope in shepherding the Church of Christ and in our own time, in modern times, the pope shares the pallium only with bishops who preside over what we call an ecclesiastical province, which means the territory comprised of diocese surrounding an archdiocese. So each metropolitan archbishop in the world receives the pallium as a sign of his communion with the pope, but also as a sign of his special responsibilities within his ecclesiastical province. And so today, Archbishop Bendico has received the pallium as a sign of his relationship with Pope Francis, but also as a sign of his special responsibilities, not only here in his own Archdiocese of Capiz but also in the entire province, that is in the suffragan Diocese of Kalibo and Romblon. Of course, these dioceses, Kalibo and Romblon, have their own bishops, and we are delighted that both of those bishops are with us today, Bishop Jose Corazon Talaoc of Kalibo and Bishop Narciso Abellana, Bishop of Romblon, who are present here in the cathedral. Each bishop is the representative of Christ, the high priest in his own diocese. Every bishop is Christ for His people. But at the same time, as I said, the metropolitan archbishop is given special responsibility in canon law to be vigilant over the entire province so that Catholic faith and church life are carefully preserved. And he's called, asked, invited to keep the Holy Father informed of Catholic life in his province. Now there are many beautiful and wonderful traditions associated with the pallium. As I mentioned, the pallium is made of wool. The wool for the pallium comes from lambs, who are blessed by the Pope in Rome on the feast day of St. Agnes. Who is St. Agnes? The beautiful virgin martyr of Rome, whose name Agnes in Latin means lamb. So this wool that is taken from the lambs on the feast of St. Agnes is then made into the pallia (which is the plural for pallium) by Benedictine Sisters in Rome. And when the pallia are all made, they're kept and placed in an ornamental chest or a box in St. Peter's Basilica, right underneath the high altar. In fact, some of you, when you visit St. Peter's Basilica, and you go to the high altar, you look down, you see that box. Some people think it's the bones of St. Peter because it's directly under the high altar, but it's not the bones of St. Peter. It's where the pallia are kept waiting for that day when they are given to the new archbishops throughout the world. And what is that day? It's the feast of St. Peter and Paul, June 29th. The newly appointed archbishops in the entire world come to Rome and they receive these pallia, the signs that each of them is to be an image of the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost sheep and brings that sheep home rejoicing. So the pallium has a rich symbolism. The primary symbolism, as I'm saying, is the symbolism of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, on the front of your programs today. Jesus is the Shepherd who leads the sheep. Jesus is the Shepherd who looks for the lost sheep. Jesus is the Shepherd who leaves the 99 and looks for the one that's confused, lost and strained. And when he finds that sheep, he puts it on his shoulders and carries the sheep home. So the bishop is called to imitate the Good Shepherd in seeking the lost and bringing them back into the fold. But in our Gospel today, Jesus is not only described as the Shepherd, but He's also interestingly described as the Gate of the sheep. He is the Gate, the door of the sheepfold—the door of the area where the sheep are headed. So Jesus is Shepherd but also Gate, which is very interesting because a normal shepherd leads the sheep, takes care of the sheep, defends the sheep, and leads the sheep to the gate. But the gate is not the shepherd, normally. But it is with Jesus. Jesus is the Shepherd AND gate. And what does that mean? It means He's leading the sheep into the Heavenly Kingdom, through Himself, through Him, with Him, and in Him, the sheep find heavenly life. So Jesus is the Shepherd but also the Gate. And the job of every bishop is to go in search of the lost sheep and bring them to the gate that is Jesus so that they can enter in Jesus, through Jesus, and receive life, receive nourishment. It's interesting. The word for shepherd in Latin, is pastor, right? Pastor in Latin. That means Shepherd. But that word, pastor, it's interesting in English, the word shepherd comes from sheep, right? And in Latin the word pastor comes from feeding, comes from food. So the shepherd is the one who shows the sheep where the food is. We have that word in English, of course, pastor, as I'm saying, which we use for leaders of a religious community. We also have the word pasture, right? Pasture - the place where the animals graze, where they where they're fed. We also, in Italian have the word pasta, which we eat and we love, right? Food. So pastor, pasture, pasta = food. And Jesus is the one who leads the sheep in Him, through Him, with Him to life, the life that He gives us. The Food of Life, the Bread of Life for Eucharist. And the bishop is asked to find the lost sheep and bring them back to the Table of the Lord. So they will receive the Life, the Bread of Life that comes to them in Jesus because the Bread of Life is Jesus. So that symbolism of the shepherd is so important. Then also, there are some secondary symbolisms which we can touch on. I want to mention just two. As I said, the wool for the pallium comes from lambs that are blessed by the Pope on the feast day of St. Agnes, this virgin martyr of Rome. So that connects us with the theme of martyrdom. There's a connection between the pallium and martyrdom. The wool comes from lambs blessed on the feast of the virgin martyr Agnes. And let's remember brothers and sisters today in Capiz. The pagan Roman Empire was converted to Christianity by the example of the Virgin martyrs, by their steadfast and unwavering commitment to Jesus, their Lord: Agnes and Cecilia, and all the rest. The example of the Virgin martyrs, together with the preaching of the Apostles, that's what converted Rome. But that theme of martyrdom is part of the pallium. And a bishop is called to give his life. Of course, in the Gospel of St. John, it says, "The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." And what does Pope Francis say about those words? Pope Francis was reflecting on these words - "The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." That was back on his Regina Caeli message in 2015, shortly after his election. And the Pope said this, "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." These words are fulfilled when Christ obeying the will of the Father is offered on the cross. The significance that he is the Good Shepherd becomes completely clear. He gives life, He offers His life and sacrifice for all of us, for you, for me, for everyone. And for that reason, Jesus is the Good Shepherd. But every bishop, brothers and sisters, is called to imitate that martyrdom, that giving of one's own life, that willingness to lay down his life for his sheep, for the faith of his sheep, to lead them to the Heavenly Kingdom. And the second and last secondary symbolism after the first symbolism of Shepherd, the second of martyrdom, and the third is the symbolism, I believe, of prayer. And why? Because the wool that is made into the pallia is made by Benedictine Sisters in Rome. Benedictine nuns in the monastery of another virgin martyr, Saint Cecilia. And the nuns, they fashion the wool and make these pallia which are then given to bishops throughout the world. And what does that indicate to us in a symbolic way? The importance of prayer. The importance of the contemplative life. What are Benedictine Sisters? They're sisters who are dedicated principally to prayer. They pray. That is their office; that is their responsibility in the Church. And it's those women of prayer who make the pallia which are given to archbishops like Archbishop Bendico this morning. And it's a reminder to us bishops and nuncios that we must be men of prayer. If we're going to be good shepherds, we must pray; we must imitate the Benedictine nuns who made the pallium. We must imitate them and their prayerfulness. When we pray, the life of the Good Shepherd becomes radiant in us. Bishops, priests, we must be men of prayer. Then we will do the work of God. This is our duty as priests and bishops. So you can tell, for me, as your papal nuncio, gives me so much happiness to be back here again, in this beautiful cathedral. Archbishop Victor Bendico was installed on May 3rd, not so long ago. And let me conclude by asking Our Lady to watch over him but also by telling Archbishop Bendico that, Your Excellency, as you begin your ministry here in the local church, the church for which you were ordained a priest, almost 40 years ago, be assured of the prayers of all of us, bishops, priests, in the Diocese of Capiz and, of course, in the apostolic nunciature, all of us praying for you as you begin this service, under the watchful eyes of Our Lady, the Mother of God, may you truly be an image of Christ, the Good Shepherd. May God bless you! Transcribed by Gel Katalbas photos from Pamati - Archdiocese of Capiz Facebook page

by Clyde Ericson Nolasco Philippines represent! Dominus Est was blessed to be among the Catholic digital influencers chosen to join the very first Catholic Influencers Festival organized by the Vatican's Dicastery of Communication as one of the events of World Youth Day 2023. On August 4, digital evangelizers and influencers all over the world, including Dominus Est.ph, gathered at the Cristonauts Park in Martim Moniz Square, Lisbon, Portugal for the Catholic Influencers Festival, the first world encounter of digital evangelizers and missionaries. Dicastery of Communication Monsignor Lucio Adrián Ruiz, the Secretary of the Dicastery for Communication, graced the event through his opening words. Msgr. Lucio, on behalf of Pope Francis, thanked the digital evangelizers as we are integral in proclaiming God’s mercy and love especially during the pandemic lockdown. He also expressed his gratitude to 2,500 digital missionaries who committed to take part in responding to the Church's call for synodality which started with only three last year. The good monsignor continued by asking to continue working and journeying together. He also reminded us to stay united with the Church, the Pope and the Bishops. Moreso, he presented a gift from the Holy Father, a small olive tree blessed and watered by Pope Francis himself as a symbol of unity and peace. Catholic Digital Missionaries The night was filled with the Spirit through prayers, reflections and songs from different Catholic personalities such as Hakuna Group Music (Spain), Father Rob Galea (Australia), Pitter Di Laura (Brazil), Pablo Martínez (Argentina), Missionarios Shalom (Brazil) and among many more. It was made more special when Jonathan Roumie appeared on the stage. Roumie is an American actor whose career skyrocketed through his portrayal of Jesus in the series The Chosen. He gave his testimony and challenged those present to develop a deep relationship with Jesus. It was truly an encounter with Jesus in the presence of digital evangelizers and missionaries coming from different parts of the world. Enthralled to have selfie with Ms. Ursula Murua (EWTN), Juan Delgado (a Grammy awarded musician), and Paula Vega (a Catholic influencer from Spain) who was the emcee of the program. Maria Lorenzo, Sr. Ester Palma, Catolikillos, Fr. Jorge Reinaudo and Mi Espacio Catolico were also present. Cardinal Tagle: Preach the Gospel It was overwhelming -- the crowd, the music, the encounter with other influencers. It was a party. Yet it was also an opportunity to exercise what Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, kept telling the youth: Be an influencer who preaches the Gospel of Jesus. Our very own Cardinal Tagle, who gave a talk before digital influencers for WYD, had a special message for digital evangelizers: “Influencers should lead by example and invite bishops, priests, religious, and young people into the fertile ground of ministry and mission in the digital world.” Cardinal Chito stressed that every influencer must be influenced by Jesus and spread the Good News in social media. Collaboration and Communion The festival is now over but the mission continues. As we, Dominus Est, hope to continue to bring the Good News to everyone, we are reminded that we are not alone in this aspiration. Like the first disciples of Jesus, we are sent by twos, by groups even -- we are invited to collaborate with each other. We are encouraged to work together for the fulfillment of our mission as social media evangelizers in communion with the Body of Christ, the Church.

by Kat Galdo Diaz There is always a road to take, and often times we choose the shorter path to make our journey easier and faster. But then we still encounter road blocks, closures, traffic jams to name a few. Having this in mind, I can’t help but compare it with how we deal with our own lives. We are usually in a rush for everything, in a rush to go from one place to another, in a rush to finish a task or in a rush to be that “someone” in the society. And to be able to do so, we tend to be competitive or goal-oriented people and our values has taken a back. I was alarmed thinking that I might be actually being like this, at the expense of my values – and I don’t want that to happen. I felt something has to be done. I had this rejuvenating experience recently, for the first time, I was able to spend quality time with myself. This was brought about all that had happened in the past months or so. I just felt the need to just sit, relax, breath and entirely talk to God. I wasn’t sure what to do exactly, but my mind and soul is just screaming to be in the moment and feel what nature has to say, so not long after I was able to do my prayers and reflect. Then came the outpouring of my inconvenient truths. I was set to literally rant with how things are going, but God spoke with these words: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11) So I was like, okay. I was wrong what do I have to do then? — TO CHANGE MY PERSPECTIVE. I was ranting because of the people around me, maybe because they do not meet “my standard” of how life is. Perhaps, I look highly of myself and cared less of others just when I thought I was doing fine. But actually, we need not to think highly of ourselves as if we are always right and never wrong, as if we are in power to do whatever, or that we are the best. Because the more we do so, the more we turn away from God. What is really essential is to remain humble and with all humility thank God because we can do everything. Because only Him has the power to do everything. The more we think that it is our doing and not His, the more chances that we are bound to fail sooner or later. With this realization, I was reminded that I can do nothing without God. He is the source and the reason of what we think is our power. And by staying humble and acknowledging that it is His doing all the more we can move freely and with confidence. Doubt is unescapable. Just like any road block, doubt stops us to think purely and paralyzes our thoughts with all uncertainties. That was a growing feeling inside me, I was doubting myself on what I can do, how far can I go, or the too many what ifs lingering on my mind every time I take on a new challenge. Also, there is doubt with the people around me, there are moments that I cannot put myself to believe with what I hear and see, in things that has caused brokenness. Creating doubt is easy, we only see the floss, the mistakes, the past. but it can never fix anything it only creates beasts that we cannot manage. Doubting caused me my sanity, and it grew bigger and bigger that I can no longer think straight, and so by praying for guidance I was able to let go and acknowledge my other inconvenient truth: that I was too pre-occupied to think of what lies ahead. This mentality is never healthy, what is best is when we seek guidance rather than overthink. Trust that God is in control, and that with Him whatever happens will always be the best – for ourselves and for the people around us. “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?” (John 20:29) Just as this verse say, have we come to believe only because we have seen? Do we need to see the difference or the changes first before we believe? If so, then how come we believe in God even we don’t really see Him? Feeling. It is by feeling that we believe, we feel His love, his care and guidance even if we don’t see Him physically. We see Him in our family and friends. Just like how we believe that God is alive and is within us, same goes when we doubt ourselves or others. We first have to feel. Try to feel your heart’s desire if at one point you doubt yourself. We often times overlook our successes because we get ahead of ourselves and loose our self-appreciation. Or we doubt others because we don’t see much of their actions, people don’t need to please everyone. We don’t need to act, speak, think according to the standards of others. Just like doubting Thomas, he was not able to believe first that Jesus has risen until he saw the wounds in his palm. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Wounds. Honestly, when I get hurt I tend to act rude, say things I never meant because I want others to feel that I am hurt. I cared less with how they will feel I only want them to see that I am wounded and hurting. Low and behold, we all hurt, and sometimes we only think of our own wounds, but did we ever care about others’ wound as we heal our own? We tend to forget and be more compassionate with others, because we care more for ourselves. Just like the saying, it takes two to tango; same when we hurt people – We both hurt. And no, hurting others does not give any satisfaction because truth is when we hurt others, we hurt more. Those hurting causes our wounds, and assuming we still have that goodness deep down, the best way to tend to our own wounds is also to help others heal their own. Understand them more and be compassionate. This may be tough, but of course we need to keep on trying to do the right thing and eventually heal everyone. It takes a lot of time and effort, but taking the first step is always necessary. My inconvenient truths led me to this: ACCEPTANCE AND TO MOVE ON. It is hard to accept my own mistakes, my own doubts and fears, and that I have my wound and others’ have wounds too. We usually turn to the easiest way in dealing with life – to look happy and make ourselves believe that everything is fine. But in order to live a much happier life, we need to move-on the right way – to pick up the pieces again and change our direction – the road may be long, winding and bumpy, but if we drive-along with it with hearts full of trust, hope and love, we will arrive at our destination with hearts full and much more accomplished than we ever thought.

Dear brother priests, I would like to reach out to you with a thought of accompaniment and friendship, which I hope will sustain you as you carry out your ministry, with its load of joys and labours, hopes and disappointments. We need to exchange glances full of care and compassion, learning from Jesus who looked at the apostles this way, not demanding from them a schedule dictated by the criterion of efficiency, but offering care and refreshment. Thus, when the apostles returned from their mission, enthusiastic but tired, the Master said to them: “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while” (Mk 6:31). I think of you, at this time at which there can be, along with the summer activities, also a little rest after the pastoral labours of the past months. And first of all I would like to reiterate my thanks: “Thank you for your witness and for your service. Thank you for the hidden good you do, and for the forgiveness and consolation that you bestow in God’s name. … Thank you for your ministry, which is often carried out with great effort, with little recognition and is not always understood” (Homily for Chrism Mass, 6 April 2023). photo by Paul Haring/Catholic News Service Besides, our priestly ministry is not measured by pastoral successes (the Lord himself had fewer and fewer of them as time went by!). At the heart of our life is not even the frenzy of activity, but remaining in the Lord to bear fruit (cf. Jn 15). He is our refreshment (cf. Mt 11:28-29). And the tenderness that comforts us springs from His mercy, from welcoming the “magis” of His grace, which allows us to go ahead in our apostolic work, to bear failures and setbacks, to rejoice with simplicity of heart, to be meek and patient, to always start again and begin again, to reach out to others. Indeed, our necessary “recharging moments” occur not only when we rest physically and spiritually, but also when we open ourselves to fraternal encounter between ourselves: fraternity comforts, it offers spaces for inner freedom and prevents us from feeling alone in the face of the challenges of the ministry. It is with this spirit that I write to you. I feel I am journeying with you, and I would like to make you feel that I am close to you in joys and sorrows, in plans and hardships, in bitterness and in pastoral consolations. Above all, I share with you the desire for communion, affective and effective, while I offer my daily prayer that this, our Mother Church of Rome, called to preside in charity, may cultivate the precious gift of communion first and foremost in herself, making it germinate in the various realities and sensibilities of which she is composed. May the Church of Rome be for everyone an example of compassion and hope, with her pastors always, truly always, ready and willing to extend God’s forgiveness, as channels of mercy that quench the thirst of today’s humanity. And now, dear brothers, I wonder: in this time of ours, what does the Lord ask of us, where are we led by the Spirit that has anointed us and sent us as apostles of the Gospel? In prayer this comes back to me: that God asks us to go all the way in the fight against spiritual worldliness. Father Henri de Lubac, in a few pages of a text that I invite you to read, defined spiritual worldliness as “the greatest danger for the Church - for us, who are the Church - the most perfidious temptation, the one that always resurfaces, insidiously, when the others are vanquished”. And he added words that seem to me to hit the nail on the head: “If this spiritual worldliness were to invade the Church and work to corrupt it by undermining its very principle, it would be infinitely more disastrous than any simply moral worldliness” (Meditation on the Church, Milan 1965, 470). They are things I have recalled on other occasions, but I would like to reiterate them, considering them a priority: spiritual worldliness, in fact, is dangerous because it is a way of life that reduces spirituality to an appearance: it leads us to be “traders of the spirit”, men clothed in sacred forms that in reality continue to think and act according to the fashions of the world. This happens when we allow ourselves to be fascinated by the seductions of the ephemeral, by mediocrity and habit, by the temptations of power and social influence. And, again, by vainglory and narcissism, by doctrinal intransigence and liturgical aestheticism, forms and ways in which worldliness “hides behind the appearance of piety and even love for the Church”, but in reality “consists in seeking not the Lord’s glory but human glory and personal well-being" (Evangelii gaudium, 93). How can we fail to recognise in all this the updated version of that hypocritical formalism, which Jesus saw in certain religious authorities of the time and which in the course of his public life made him suffer perhaps more than anything else? Spiritual worldliness is a “gentle” temptation and for this reason even more insidious. Indeed, it seeps in, well aware of how to hide behind good appearances, even within “religious” motivations. And, even if we recognise it and banish it from us, sooner or later it presents itself again, disguised in a different fashion. As Jesus says in the Gospel: “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest; and finding none he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first” (Lk 11: 24-26). We need inner vigilance, to safeguard our minds and hearts, to feed in us the purifying flame of the Spirit, because worldly temptations return and “knock” politely: “they are ‘elegant demons’: they enter smoothly, without our ever being conscious of them” (Address to the Roman Curia, 22 December 2022). However, I would like to dwell on an aspect of this worldliness. When it enters the heart of pastors, it takes on a specific form, that of clericalism. Forgive me for repeating it, but as priests I think you understand me, because you too share what you believe in a heartfelt way, in accordance with that good, typically Roman (Romanesque!) trait, whereby sincerity of the lips comes from the heart, and has the flavour of the heart! And I, as an elderly man and from the heart, want to tell you that it worries me when we lapse into forms of clericalism; when, perhaps without realising it, we let people see that we are superior, privileged, placed “above” and therefore separated from the rest of God's holy people. As a good priest once wrote to me, “clericalism is a symptom of a priestly and lay life tempted to live out the role and not the real bond with God and brethren”. In short, it denotes a disease that causes us to lose the memory of the Baptism we have received, leaving in the background our belonging to the same Holy People and leading us to live authority in the various forms of power, without realising the duplicity, without humility but with detached and haughty attitudes. To free ourselves from this temptation, it is good for us to listen to what the prophet Ezekiel says to the shepherds: “You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the crippled you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them” (34:3-4). It speaks of “fat” and “wool”, that which nourishes and warms; the risk that the Word places before us is therefore that of nourishing ourselves and our own interests, providing ourselves with a comfortable life. Certainly, as Saint Augustine affirms, the pastor must also live thanks to the support offered by the milk of his flock; but as the Bishop of Hippo comments: “Let them take from the milk of their sheep, let them receive what is necessary for their needs, but let them not neglect the weakness of the sheep. Let them not seek any benefit for themselves, lest they appear to be preaching the Gospel for the sake of their own need and privation; rather, let them provide the light of the true word for the sake of men’s enlightenment” (Sermon on pastors, 46.5). Similarly, Augustine speaks of wool, associating it with honours: the wool, which covers the sheep, can make us think of everything we can adorn ourselves with outwardly, seeking the praise of men, prestige, fame, wealth. The great Latin father writes: “One who gives wool gives honour. These are precisely the two things that pastors, who feed themselves and not the sheep, look for from the people – the benefit of having their wants supplied as well as the favour of honour and praise” (ibid., 46.6). When we are concerned only with milk, we think of our personal gain; when we obsessively seek wool, we think of cultivating our image and increasing our success. And in this way we lose the priestly spirit, the zeal for service, the longing for the care of the people, and we end up reasoning according to worldly foolishness: “What has this to do with me? Let everyone do what he will; my sustenance is safe, and my honor too. I have enough milk and wool, so let each one do as he likes” (ibid., 46.7). Concern, then, focuses on the “I”: one’s own sustenance, one’s own needs, the praise received for oneself instead of for the glory of God. This happens in the life of those who slip into clericalism: they lose the spirit of praise because they have lost the sense of grace, the wonder at the gratuitousness with which God loves them, that trustful simplicity of the heart that makes us reach out our hands towards the Lord, awaiting food from Him at the right time (cf. Ps 104:27), aware that without Him we can do nothing (cf. Jn 15:5). Only when we live in this gratuitousness, can we live the ministry and pastoral relations in the spirit of service, in accordance with Jesus’ words: “You received without pay, give without pay” (Mt 10:8). We need to look precisely to Jesus, to the compassion with which He sees our wounded humanity, to the gratuitousness with which He offered His life for us on the cross. Here is the daily antidote to worldliness and to clericalism: to look at the crucified Jesus, to fix our eyes every day on He who emptied Himself and humbled Himself unto death (cf. Phil 2:7-8). He accepted humiliation to raise us up from our falls and to free us from the power of evil. In this way, looking at Jesus’ wounds, looking at Him humbled, we learn that we are called to offer ourselves, to make ourselves broken bread for the hungry, to share the journey with the weary and oppressed. This is the priestly spirit: making ourselves servants of the People of God and not masters, washing the feet of our brethren and not trampling them underfoot. Let us therefore remain vigilant against clericalism. May the Apostle Peter, who, as tradition reminds us, even at the moment of death humbled himself upside down in order to be equal to his Lord, help us to stay away from it. May the Apostle Paul, who, because of Christ the Lord, considered all the gains of life and the world to be refuse (cf. Phil 3:8), preserve us from it. Clericalism, we know, can affect everyone, even the laity and pastoral workers: indeed, one can assume a “clerical spirit” in carrying out ministries and charisms, living one’s own calling in an elitist way, wrapped up in one’s own group and erecting walls against the outside, developing possessive bonds with regard to roles in the community, cultivating arrogant and boastful attitudes towards others. And the symptoms are indeed the loss of the spirit of praise and joyful gratuitousness, while the devil creeps in by nurturing complaining, negativity and chronic dissatisfaction with what is wrong, irony becoming cynicism. But, in this way, we let ourselves be absorbed by the climate of criticism and anger that we breathe around us, instead of being those who, with evangelical simplicity and meekness, with kindness and respect, help our brothers and sisters emerge from the quicksand of impatience. In all this, in our frailties and inadequacies, as well as in today's crisis of faith, let us not be discouraged! De Lubac concluded by stating that the Church, “even today, despite all our obscurities [...] is, like the Virgin, the Sacrament of Jesus Christ. No infidelity of ours can prevent her from being 'the Church of God', 'the handmaid of the Lord'" (Meditation on the Church, cit., 472). Brothers, this is the hope that sustains our steps, lightens our burdens, and gives new impetus to our ministry. Let us roll up our sleeves and bend our knees (you who can!): let us pray to the Spirit for one another, let us ask him to help us not to fall, in our personal lives as well as in pastoral action, into that religious appearance full of many things but empty of God, so as not to be functionaries of the sacred, but passionate proclaimers of the Gospel, not “clerics of state”, but pastors of the people. We need personal and pastoral conversion. As Father Congar said, it is not a matter of bringing back good observance or reforming external ceremonies, but rather of returning to the sources of the Gospel, of discovering fresh energies to overcome habits, of injecting a new spirit into the old ecclesial institutions, so that we do not end up being a Church "rich in its authority and security, but little apostolic and mediocrely evangelical" (Vera e falsa riforma della Chiesa, Milan 1972, 146). Thank you for the welcome you will give to these words of mine, meditating on them in prayer and before Jesus in daily adoration; I can tell you that they have come to me from my heart and from the affection I have for you. Let us move forward with enthusiasm and courage: let us work together, among priests and with our lay brothers and sisters, initiating synodal forms and paths, which will help us to strip ourselves of our worldly and “clerical” certainties in order to humbly seek pastoral paths inspired by the Spirit, so that the Lord's consolation may truly reach everyone. Before the image of Salus Populi Romani I prayed for you. I asked Our Lady to guard and protect you, to dry your secretly-shed tears, to rekindle in you the joy of ministry and to make you every day pastors in love with Jesus, ready to give their lives without measure for love of Him. Thank you for what you do and for what you are. I bless you and accompany you in prayer. And, please, do not forget to pray for me. Fraternally, Lisbon, 5 August 2023, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. ____________ Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 7 August 2023

The 37th World Youth Day is happening in Lisbon, Portugal. Over half a million young people are expected to come for the event and they will receive their kit that will come handy for the week. Watch the video to know what's inside.

by Fr. Vic Kevin Ferrer photos from Northern Luzon Clergy Retreat Some eight hundred priests and fourteen bishops from Northern Luzon dioceses are gathered in Baguio City for a regional retreat from July 31 to August 4, 2023 the Memorial of St. John Mary Vianney patron saint of priests. Despite the inclement weather, priests filled the Baguio Cathedral of Our Lady of the Atonement on Monday, July 31, to begin their retreat with prayers and the Holy Eucharist. Rev. Fr. Chris Alar of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception is the preacher for this retreat. Fr. Alar, who is the host of the EWTN show called 'Living the Divine Mercy,' is also well known for his talks, books, and youtube videos about the Catholic faith. The message of Divine Mercy is the main topic of the retreat with the theme: "They will look upon Him whom they have pierced (Jn 19:37)." Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan began his homily for the Mass of the first day of the retreat by saying, "How beautiful it is for brothers to be together. But, more beautiful than brothers coming together are brothers allowing themselves to be held by the hand of God." This is only the second time that the Northern Luzon Clergy Retreat is being held. The first one was in July 2018 during the celebration of the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons. Participating in the retreat are priests from the Archdioceses of Nueva Segovia, Tuguegarao, and Lingayen-Dagupan, Dioceses of Laoag, San Fernando (La Union), Ilagan, Bayombong, Alaminos, Urdaneta, Bangued, Baguio, and San Jose (Nueva Ecija), Prelature of Batanes, and the Apostolic Vicariates of Tabuk and Bontoc-Lagawe. The 1983 Code of Canon Law (Canon 276) obliges all ordained ministers to undertake a spiritual retreat once a year. Each diocese usually arranges a retreat for their clergy but on special occasions regional retreats like what is ongoing in Baguio are held. The main venue of the retreat is the Baguio Cathedral which is also an iconic tourist destination. It is closed to the public for the entire duration of the clergy retreat.

by Clyde Ericson Nolasco prayers from Lisbon2023.org Every World Youth Day (WYD), the local organizers present patrons, canonized saints or saints-to-be, to serve as model and inspiration as they celebrate their youth. At most times, the patrons were born in the city hosting the WYD. For this edition of WYD, thirteen were selected. They are the following: 1. St John Paul II - Born as Karol Wojtyla, he was elected Pope at the age of 58 and took the name Pope John Paul II. In 1984, he established the World Youth Day (WYD), the world's largest gathering of young people fostering faith in Jesus through cultural immersion and catechesis. He died in 2005 and was canonized in 2014. 2. St. John Bosco - Popularly known as Don Bosco, he is an Italian priest born in 1851. Inspired by his daily contact with orphans and abandoned youth, he founded the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales now known as the Salesians. This congregation ministers to young people through schools and parishes. 3. St. Vincent - He is the patron saint of Lisbon. He was born in Huesca into a Christian family. He was condemned to death during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. He was imprisoned then later on tortured on a gridiron. After being martyred, ravens saved his body from being devoured by vultures. 4. St. Anthony - Known as St. Anthony of Padua, he is also called St. Anthony of Lisbon. He is a Portuguese priest of the Franciscan Order born in Lisbon in 1195 and died in Padua in 1231. Catholics would turn to him for help when they are losing something thus he is the patron of lost things. 5. St. Bartholomew of the Martyrs - Born in Lisbon as Bartolomeu Fernandes, he entered the Dominican Order at the age of 14. He was ordained bishop in 1559 and in the same year, received the pallium of Archbishop of Braga. The people recognize him as the “holy archbishop, father of the poor and the sick.” 6. St. John de Brito - Also known as Arul Anandar, he was born in Lisbon in 1647 and from a noble family. He is a Jesuit missionary and a martyr. For Indian Catholics, he is the "the Portuguese St Francis Xavier." He died in 1693 and was canonized in 1947 by Pope Pius XII. 7. Blessed Joana of Portugal - Declared “Blessed Joan of Portugal” by Pope Innocent XII in 1693, she was born in 1452. She’s a candidate to be a queen of Portugal but rejected being a royal princess and opted for a life dedicated to Jesus and His passion. She entered the cloister at the age of 19 and died at the age of 38 due to sickness. 8. Blessed João Fernandes - He is a Jesuit missionary born in Lisbon in 1551. He was 19 and a novice when en route to Brazil off the coast of the Canary Islands was captured and martyred along with 39 other missionaries. They were attacked by Huguenot pirates, including their leader Father Ignacio de Azevedo. 9. Blessed Maria Clara of the Child Jesus - Born as Libania Do Carmo Galvao Mexia De Maura Telles Albuquerque, she is the founder of Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. Libania was orphaned at the age of 14 and later on entered the Capuchin Sisters in 1867. 10. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati - Born in Turin in 1902, Blessed Pier joined the Dominican Laity at the age of 21. He was very active in various church organizations and charity works. He died of a severe illness in 1925. He is said to be “a global patron and companion for youth and young adults.” 11. Blessed Marcel Callo - Born in 1921 in France, he was an altar server and scout for several years. He was a member of Young Catholic Workers (YCW). He suffered harsh working conditions and even suffered depression. In 1945, he died of dysentery at a concentration camp in Gestapo after being arrested for being “too Catholic.” 12. Blessed Chiara Badano - Blessed Chiara was born in 1971 in Savona, Italy. In her high school years, she was introduced to the Focolare Movement. During that time, she was diagnosed with a serious brain tumor. She offered her sufferings to Jesus. She died in 1990. 13. Blessed Carlo Acutis - Known as the “millennial saint,” Blessed Carlo was born in 1991. He was into computers to the extent of putting up a website dedicated to devotion to the Holy Eucharist. In 2006, signs of leukemia appeared. He succumbed to death in 2006. He is also known as a patron of the internet. May all these saints and blessed inspire our young people to pursue a life dedicated to Jesus, especially those who are participating in the World Youth 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal!