FMA Lifeline - march-may 2013

FMA Lifeline March - May 20132

FMA Lifeline is the official news magazine of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco) in the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. FMA stands for Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice, the official Italian name of the Congregation founded by St. John Bosco and St. Mary Mazzarello in 1872 in Mornese, Italy. Today, there are more than 13,600 FMAs in 94 countries who are dedicated in varied ministries for the youth.

__________________

Daughters of Mary Help of Christians Provincial House

3500 V. Mapa Extension, Sta. Mesa 1016 Manila

Tel. No. 714-5937; Faxphone 716-5097

www.fmafil.org.ph

EDITORIAL BOARD

Sr. Maria Socorro Bacani, FMAEditorial Board Coordinator

Sr. Theda dela Rosa, FMATechnical Coordinator

Sr. Florita Dimayuga, FMA Sr. Nora Hernandez, FMA

Sr. Ann Lyn Rose Magno, FMA

“At Mornese, the missionary spirit was not lived as an additional activity for the Institute,

rather it constituted an essential element. It was nourished by joy in one’s vocation

and apostolic courage. The spirit of Mornese…[is a universal spirit]”

(Circular letter n. 934).

The sense of mission has always enthused me, and has kept me afire and passionate about my vocation and ministry

all these years. I have also witnessed this fire in even greater intensity in so many Sisters with whom I lived and worked. In

fact, they have always inspired and challenged me to go beyond myself and to think of what is best for others. My twelve years in the missions of Cambodia and Myanmar transformed me as a person and as a religious in many ways. It opened to me new perspectives as I learned to see our very life and work, people,

situations, events, happening and projects from God’s viewpoint and plans. I learned to dance with the steps of the Spirit. In

serving the most disadvantaged of our brothers and sisters, I witnessed the miracle of Providence and realized that so many

people care for them as well. I learned to enjoy with “gusto” the good things that are real, such as simplicity of lifestyle and

• Strategic Planning in view of K-12 / Marketing for Sustainability • 1st Asian Congress of the Past Pupils of the FMA• Salesian Youth Day 2013: SYM @ 25

18-19 PHOTO NEWS

20 • Be a Salesian Sister • Bahay-Pangarap

THE COVER:Sr. Juliet de Leon, FMA with the youth of Alotau, Sideia Islands, Papua New Guinea

2 From the Provincial Superior

4 Lowly but Chosen

6 Formation for Mission

8 FMA Lifeline Online Interview of Our MissionariesSr. Maria Pamela Vecina, FMA • Sr. Maria Imelda David, FMA • Sr. Evangeline Rago, FMA • Sr. Teresita Layson, FMA • Sr. Gloria Agagon, FMA • Sr. Teresa Tuale, FMA • Sr. Celeste Yolola, FMA • Sr. MarIa Fe Silva, FMA • Sr. Cecilia del Mundo, FMA • Sr. Corazon Jaca, FMA

March - May 2013 FMA Lifeline 3

relationships, caring, attentiveness to others’ needs, small gestures of gentle kindness, and forgiveness. I learned much more how to share, to give and to receive in my interactions with those whom everyone considered the least, abandoned, despised and were just “nobody,” without a name, a voice and a face. But in truth, they are better teachers and evangelizers – genuinely human, truly wise, and deeply divine. There I saw how misery can be wealth, emptiness as fullness, small as great, precariousness as creativity, struggle as hope, and sorrow as joy. What I saw, heard, touched, smelled, tasted was God’s exquisite beauty, goodness and compassion within me, around me and those persons I lived with and worked for. I rediscovered the purifying, liberating and transforming grace of the Paschal Mystery in the embrace of each day, each person, each encounter and each experience. God’s grace is always abundant. Indeed, it was grace upon grace. I am awed, humbled and grateful, above all, for what God worked out in my life during those years in the missions. The ministry to God’s people is truly a genuine school of formation. The precarious reality of Myanmar and Cambodia has made me come to terms with something more grounding in life - the will / plan of God. It has taught me to drop my expectations and just flow with the current of events and happenings in the embrace of God’s will - there I found my peace and my contentment. Now that I am back in the Philippines and have seen our work here and in Papua New Guinea, I understood, in a new way, that the mission starts in our hearts, and we bring it wherever we are and to whomever we are

with. The place can be irrelevant; it is the compelling force of “I entrust them to you” and the Da mihi animas coetera tolle in one’s heart that makes the FMA a missionary.

The interviews you will find in this issue of some of our Filipino FMA missionaries (we have 30 of them working in mission ad gentes territories in Asia, Africa, Oceania and Europe!) give us a glimpse of what keeps the fire of the Da mihi animas burning within, what impels and sustains their faith, hope and love in the adventures, the demands and the struggles of new evangelization, what nourishes the joy of self-giving and receiving. In her ordinary life and ministry, the missionary discovers the miracles wrought by her initial “yes” to the call to serve different peoples and cultures and embrace them as one’s brothers and sisters. She sees how her “yes” generates other “yesses” in delicate hearts that are open to the breath of the Spirit. As we pray for new vocations in our Province, we also pray for a renewed sense of mission in each one, no matter where our mission is – ad gentes or intra gentes – so that the young and all those we meet can truly know Jesus, experience His great love through us, and be moved to share this life-transforming gift. May we be passionate missionaries as Mother Mazzarello was, focused on the things of God, and intent on being a home that evangelizes in order to create a home where God’s love is experienced and shared in our educating communities, especially among our young people. Such was the original community of Mornese, “a house of missionary formation through the depth and quality of its life and relationships” (Circ. 934).

Mary, the Star of Evangelization, will be our companion in this journey.

Sr. Sarah B. Garcia, FMA

There I saw how misery can be wealth, emptiness as fullness, small as great, precariousness as creativity, struggle as hope, and sorrow as joy.

There I saw how misery can be wealth, emptiness as fullness, small as great, precariousness as creativity, struggle as hope, and sorrow as joy.

4 FMA Lifeline March - May 2013

Family and FormationHe was born in Buenos Aires on 17

December 1936, the eldest son of Italian immigrants. His father Mario was an accountant employed by the railways and his mother Regina Sivori was a committed wife dedicated to raising their five children. They emigrated from Piedmont in northwestern Italy after Mussolini came to power in 1922.

Maria Elena Bergoglio, the only surviving sibling of the Pope recalls, “I remember my father often saying that the advent of the Fascist regime was the reason why he made up his mind to leave the country.” She further disproved allegations that her brother, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, had turned a blind eye to the brutal rule of Argentina’s military junta in the 1970s and early 1980s were hurtful and false. It would have meant betraying all the lessons that our father taught us with the difficult decision he made (to emigrate).”

As a sixth-grade pupil, Bergoglio attended Wilfrid Barón de los Santos Ángeles, a Don Bosco Salesian school in Ramos Mejía in Greater Buenos Aires.

In the only known health crisis at the age of 21 he suffered from life-threatening pneumonia and three cysts so part of a lung had to be removed.

After graduating as a chemical technician, he chose the path of the priesthood, entering

the Diocesan Seminary of Villa Devoto. On 11 March 1958 he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus. On 13 December 1969 he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Ramón José Castellano. On 22 April 1973 made his final profession with the Jesuits. Back in Argentina, he was novice master at Villa Barilari, San Miguel; professor at the Faculty of Theology of San Miguel; consultor to the Province of the Society of Jesus and also Rector of the Colegio Máximo of the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology.

On 31 July 1973 he was appointed Provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina, an office he held for six years. In March 1986 he went to Germany to finish his doctorate; his

Elected Supreme Pontiff on March 13, 2013

Top row, from left: Maria Helena, Regina Sivori, Alberto, Jorge Mario, Oscar, Marta and her husband Enrique Navaja. Bottom row, from right: Mario, Maria de Bergoglio and Juan. Mario and Regina were the parents of Jorge Mario, Maria Helena, Oscar, Marta and Alberto. Juan and Maria were Mario Bergoglio's parents, Jorge Mario's paternal grandparents. (AP Photo/ Bergoglio family photo 1976)Source: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/16/5268325/pope-francis-

meets-the-media.html#storylink=cpy

superiors then sent him to the Colegio del Salvador in Buenos Aires and next to the Jesuit Church in the city of Córdoba as spiritual director and confessor.

A Jesuit Archbishop among the Poor

The first Pope of the Americas Jorge Mario Bergoglio hails from Argentina. The 76-year-old Jesuit Archbishop of Buenos Aires (since February 28, 1997) is a prominent figure throughout the continent, yet remains a simple pastor who is deeply loved by his diocese, throughout which he has travelled extensively on the underground and by bus during the 15 years of his episcopal ministry.

He chose as his episcopal motto, miserando atque eligendo (lowly but chosen), and on his coat of arms inserted the ihs, the symbol of the Society of Jesus.

Known for keeping a low profile in his career as a teacher, and then auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio used to spend a lot of his time counseling priests, preaching and hearing confessions. He was even known for answering the phone himself - as he found no need for a secretary.

“My people are poor and I am one of them”, he has said more than once, explaining his decision to live in an apartment and cook his own supper. He has always advised his priests to show mercy and apostolic courage and to keep their doors open to everyone. The worst

thing that could happen to the Church, he

has said on various occasions, “is what

de Lubac called spiritual worldliness”, which means, “being self-centred”. And when he speaks of social justice, he calls people first of all to pick up the Catechism, to rediscover the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. His project is simple: if you follow Christ, you understand that “trampling upon a person’s dignity is a serious sin”. As Archbishop of Buenos Aires — a diocese with more than three million inhabitants — he conceived of a missionary project based on communion and evangelization. He had four main goals: open and brotherly communities, an informed laity playing a lead role, evangelization efforts addressed to every inhabitant of the city, and assistance to the poor and the sick. He aimed to re-evangelize Buenos Aires, “taking into account those who live there, its structure and its history”. He asked priests and lay people to work together. In September 2009 he launched the solidarity campaign for the bicentenary of the Independence of the country. Two hundred charitable agencies are to be set up by 2016.

Despite his reserved character he became a reference point because of the strong stances he took during the dramatic financial crisis that overwhelmed Argentina in 2001.

When John Paul II created him Cardinal on 21 February 2001, he asked the

faithful not to come to Rome to celebrate but rather to donate to the poor what they would have spent on the journey.

While Cardinal Bergoglio was becoming ever more popular in Latin America.he never relaxed his sober approach or his strict lifestyle, which some have defined as almost “ascetic”. In this spirit of poverty, he declined to be appointed as President of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference in 2002, but three years later he was elected and then, in 2008, reconfirmed for a further three-year mandate. In April 2005 he took part in the Conclave in which Pope Benedict XVI was elected.

Shocked by the Pope’s Election

Many were shocked by the election of the first Latin American pope, including his family.

Pope Francis’ sister, María Elena Bergoglio, who resides in Ituzaingo, a suburb of Buenos Aires, said she felt speechless and blessed upon hearing the announcement.

“I watched the announcement with an absolute calm,” María Elena told La Nacion in her native Spanish. “I was convinced that it wasn’t going to be my brother, and when it was announced, it was surprising, there are no words. It’s something that overwhelmed me.”

5 March - May 2013 FMA Lifeline

Maria Elena Bergoglio (Pope’s sister) and her son Jorge Bergoglio, godchild of Pope Francis

His sister also said, from what she knew, he didn’t even want to be pope, because he loved Buenos Aires.

“There are no words, from a faith standpoint, even less,” said the Pope’s sister. “It’s something you feel within. Having a brother as Pope is a blessing of God.”

Her son, José Bergoglio, a nephew of the Pope said, “I was at work monitoring the conclave on the internet, and when they said it was him, I had to sit down. I couldn’t believe it — it was total shock.”

His nephew also expressed that he can’t help but feel mixed emotions, because although he is excited for his uncle, he will miss seeing him often.

When Juan Fernández Xifra, son of a female cousin of the Pope, heard the news, he called his mother and they cried together on the phone.

“The bond we have with him is strong,” says Fernández Xifra of his relative, who he calls completely transparent and accessible. “He married me and baptized my daughter. It’s an incredible feeling. He’s someone of the people, with enormous heart, grounded and very humble.”

Pope Francis has another nephew, José Luis Bergoglio, who is also a Jesuit priest, and a second cousin, Sr. Ana Rosa Sivori, an FMA missionary assigned in Thailand. She was

present at St. Peter’s Square during his Papal installation.

Sr. Ana Rosa shares, “I felt great emotion because I did not expect it. I did not think

that the Lord could choose him, knowing how he dislikes

being on display and presenting himself. But I

thanked the Lord for the Pope He had given us and then I also

prayed for him because he took a very heavy cross on his shoulders.”

According to her, this election is important for

Argentina as the nation “is going through a time of

crisis for a long while now. The election has filled the people of

Argentina with much joy and hope. They are very happy

about the election and see the hand of God. They see a

re-awakening of Christianity in the future

for this suffering nation.”


SOURCES: •L’Osservatore Romano, Year LXIII, number 12

•http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/the-pope/9936408/Pope-Franciss-family-fled-Italy-to-escape-Mussolini.html•http://nbclatino.com/2013/03/14/photos-the-bergoglios-react-to-having-a-new-pope-in-the-family/#s:regina-maria-sivori-

marios-jose-begoglio •http://www.cgfmanet.org/21.aspx?sez=21&sotsez=1&detsotsez=1&doc=722&lingua=2

Sr. Ana Rosa Sivori, FMA, Pope Francis and Fr. Jose Luis Bergoglio, SJ (pope’s nephew)


Consecration is being set apart by God for his own exclusive possession and purpose. Jesus is the One sent because he is consecrated by the Father for a mission (Molinari). Religious men and women are consecrated for mission which is “to manifest to all people through the giving of their limited and poor love the traces of God’s gratuitous love” (Azevedo). Sr. Mary Milligan, RSHM affirms that apostolic religious exist for mission; service or ministry is their raison d’etre. In brief, consecration is for mission; all mission stems from consecration. Therefore, formation is in view of mission.

Formation is a profound transformation of what we are in order to be faithful to what we should be (Azevedo). Our charismatic identity spells out clearly what we are called to be: a Salesian educator. It means that the educational mission characterizes the life of the FMA and gives it direction that focuses and centers all her resources on one objective: to reawaken a thirst for God in the hearts of young people and to walk with them on the ways that lead to God (PF 95). Formation aims at cultivating the identity of the Salesian educator, helping her to continually re-organize her life around the centrality of Christ and the passion for the education of young people (PF 66).

Sr. Nora A. Hernandez, FMA


• She feels personally called and sent by Our Lady’s mandate to Mo. Mazzarello in the vision of Borgo Alto: “I entrust them to you,” and echoes Don

Bosco’s words: “I study for you. I work for you. I live for you and I am ready to give my life for you.”

• She is rooted in the Word of God – the School that molds life according to the Spirit – source of missionary daring.

• She embraces her own fragility and that of others as she takes on the journey of

continual conversion and integration of all her energies in the choice of Jesus whose love transforms her into a woman capable of oblative love.

• She is a companion of the young, ready to be sent to and to go where there is a need

to give herself – putting time, talent, strength, capabilities and one’s whole life at the service of

the young.

• She assumes responsibility for the academic, professional and technical

preparation in order to face the challenges of the mission among

young people.

• She is attuned to and in dialogue with the changing socio-cultural context, discerns and works out new answers to new problems in the world of the young.

• She lives the art of collaboration in the shared mission and upholds the values of solidarity, reciprocity and interculturality.

• She learns from Mo. Mazzarello that the fire of the educative is kept ablazed by contemplation – a sure foundation of missionary enthusiasm.

Formed for the mission, the FMA is

able to answer the missionary challenge of Pope Francis: “Go out and share your testimony…Become the word in body as well as in Spirit.”

Like the Founders, she becomes the light which is consumed as it gives light to others especially the young.

“The day you no longer burn with love, many others will die of the cold.”

— Mauriac


LIFELINE:Which aspects of FMA formation impacts most on your missionary vocation and mission?

SR. PAM:a. Faith. In my religious life, I am convinced that am

called and chosen by the Lord a nd He loves me to be His and to serve Him in his kingdom in peoples of other land and culture. As I went through the stages of my religious and human formation since the initial period as FMA formand I grow in the faith that it is the Lord who is with me and who calls me to be a missionary in other lands.

b. Openness and availability. It could be my nature to be an open person, and adaptable to situations as coming from a big clan and whose parentage in mixed in terms of church belonging. I used to mingle with other members of the clan who are non-Catholics and I respect their beliefs and differences. I always believe that God shows His designs and in it is my peace, and I become open to whatever the mission brings my way and holds for me and our work as FMAs with the young people of PNG. I am happy to be available to do whatever is needed and give myself. In the diverse cultural backgrounds and religious orientations of the Papua New Guineans, it is a great help for me to be open to what is good and Christ-like in their practices and beliefs. In the community life, it is so important to be flexible to everyone and this makes me able to live happy and well and work more for the good of the young entrusted to us in school and in the dormitory.

c. Prayer life. This is like the vitamins that sustains me in the mission and in the community. The busier we are in the ministry, the more I need the time in prayer especially in moments of difficulties that are varied and unexpected due to the culture of the people

that we continue to know and understand better. This keeps me serene and trusting in the Lord.

d. Auto-formation. In the mission away from my roots, the natural and religious family, it is always my choice and responsibility to continuously grow in the love for Jesus, mature in religious life with all the enrichment and assistance by the Institute through the Province and the community. What I am and how I do my ministry is depending on my own convictions as a consecrated missionary working in multi-cultural and religious reality. The more I mingle in the ministry and work with other fellow religious missionaries, the more I appreciate my own Salesian vocation and the particular ways of the FMA religious practices and traditions.

SR. MEL: What I consider important is auto-formation, a regular prayer life, sacrament of reconciliation, devotion to Mary, and the monthly colloquy. Since I arrived in the mission I set every 24th of the month as my appointment with our Lady. I do not see this as an obligation but asa means to help and guide me in my journey.

SR. GLORY BE: Prayer life and the typical Mornesian Family Spirit lived in our Community lifehave made a strong positive impact on my missionary vocation. Fidelity to the daily Practices of Piety, especially meditation, spiritual reading, rosary. Fidelity to Community life : recreation, buona notte. Fidelity to the monthly colloquy, confession, recollection and exercise for a Happy Death.

Sr. Pamela “Pam” Vecina, FMAOne of the FMA pioneer missionaries in Papua New Guinea, Sr. Pam has been working there since January 30, 2001.

Her assignments centered on being a Religious Education teacher and

spiritual moderator at the DBTI in Port Moresby from 2001-2006. She was asked

to pioneer an ad experimentum FMA presence at the University of Goroka as Religious Education teacher and

chaplain of the Catholic community in the university from 2007-2010. Since then she has returned to DBTI port Moresby as Religious Education teacher and spiritual

moderator.

The last issue of the FMA Lifeline for 2012-2013 features ten of our FMA missionaries from different mission territories. An online interview with some of them gives us a glimpse of their life-experiences indicating what it takes to be formed as an FMA for and by the mission.


SR. EVA: I believe it is important to be rooted in our Salesian identity and spirituality, in our charism in the Church which is the predilection for the poor youth, including their families in need, and for those family members who are far.

Personal and community prayer and sacramental life are very important.

Our human and religious formation; willingness to work and search with others, and the awareness that one does not have all the answers. The PhilMiss group (group of the Philippine Missionaries) is a very strong support group for our mission.

The support of community life is necessary and important; learning to worki with, and forming the educating community as our mission partners.

SR. TESS:• Strong prayer and sacramental life to be

always attentive, open and obedient to God’s will

• Filial devotion to Mary, our Mother, Teacher and Guide

• Passion for the mission: “Vado io”, “Faccio io”: convinced that it is really God who calls us to serve, does the work and brings everything to completion. With this conviction, I go on with courage notwithstanding my weaknesses and limitations.

• Family Spirit: strong sense of belonging to and active involvement in all communitarian activities/concerns

• Community life: Const. Arts. 49 – gathered by the Father in Christ; 50 – we live the family spirit; 51 – for a fruitful apostolic action

SR. CECILIA: •The ongoing formation in deepening our identity of consecrated FMA educator, the values of our Salesian spirituality and charism.

•The accompaniment, the continuous discernment and renewal (always on the journey of inner conversion).

SR. MAFE:• The reading of Salesian literature particularly the life

of Mother Maria Troncatti (My Beloved Jungle) while still an aspirant

• The difficult yet challenging formative experience of the initial years of formation which made me evermore decisive of becoming an FMA

• The conviction earned during formation years of the joy and privileged grace of being an FMA, of being part of the Salesian Congregation and sharing of Don Bosco’s da mihi animas cetera tolle.

• The motto of our batch “Let go and Let God” and our eagle symbol

• The witness of our sisters both the missionary and our co-Filipina FMAs particularly:▪ Our Signora Maestra’s (Sr. Anna Maria Mattiussi)

”mystical and fiery da mihi animas”▪ Sr. Elda Pietrobon’s (now assigned in Damascus)

superhuman power in her jack of all trade service to the sisters and formande

▪ Sr. Josephine Gallo’s simple, and silent sacrificing work in the kitchen

▪ The experience of my first community in Tondo where being with the young from morning till evening gave me the taste of what it means to be zealous and untiring FMA in being with the young!

▪ The accompaniment to the mentality faith-formation that God knows best no matter what!

SR. CORA: The formation of the attitudes of “VADO IO”, a sense of belonging, having “eyes” for the needs of others, and openness to correction

Sr. Maria Imelda “Mel” David, FMA

At present, I am assigned in Casa Valse in Mongolia. From June 2008 – July 2012 I have

been the catechetical coordinator of the Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar. I am in charge

of the virtual office of Don Bosco Training Center, 2008-2012.

The office plans out the monthly catechetical formation of the catechists, conducts

visits monthly to the different parishes and facilitates meetings of catechists with the

parish priest. It also does translation of catechetical materials into the Mongolian

language and publishes them for the parishioners.

Sr. Mel teaching catechism and flute lessons to the kids of Good

Shepherd Parish, Ulaanbaatar


SR. TERESA:• Prayer Life. The certainty that it is God who chooses and

sends and therefore will surely provide for what one needs.

• Youth pastoral (formal and informal education, youth camps and youth groups)

• The strong sense of community life, the need to be open to the animator and the Sisters in the community.

SR. CELESTE: The conviction that the Eucharist, prayer and community life are very vital for a life in the missions. The respect and love for the people. I am in the Holy Ground, taking off my sandals to encounter another culture.

LIFELINE: Which aspects of FMA formation should be enhanced in view of the mission?

SR. PAM:a. Pastoral zeal and love for the young and audaciousness for

the poorestThe mission life requires a lot of patience to learn the

culture of the people one is ministering for and with. One needs to know their beliefs and find the signs of God and the seed of His goodness in their practices and traditions. It requires continuous search of ways and means how to let them discover God in their culture and to make them choose what their Christian faith tells them. And this is very challenging task among the Papua New Guineans who have strong attachment to their Melanesian beliefs and traditions.

b. Inculturation of the Preventive System As I experienced the mission in PNG, it is a continuous

need and challenge to be deeply rooted in our Salesian heritage and work for the poorest as Don Bosco and Mo. Mazzarello did in their times. How can we as missionaries manifest the foreseeing love of God to those whom we are sent to is indeed ours to learn and practice. In PNG is like saying, “How can I let the people experience and see Christ when they are challenging to deal with, when they can break

into our convent and places of work?” Certainly Don Bosco and Mo. Mazzarello’s love for the poorest tells us that they are indeed the poorest. How to educate them and learning to wait are invitations that are pressing in our field of mission now.

SR. MEL: In general, how to do inculturation must be well thought-out and implemented. In particular, for the mission ad gentes we must learn to livecommunion in the Church not as uniformity, but a gift of the Spirit who is present in the variety of charisms and states of life, as VC4 indicates.

SR GLORY BE: The formative areas to be enhanced are faith-deepening, prayer life and integral human formation. For mission ad gentes, it is important to have a foundational missionology, and a knowledge of the culture of a particular mission where one is assigned.

SR. EVA: For the FMA mission in general: how to do human and spiritual accompaniment, and discernment. Deepen and live the spirituality of Communion; know and practice the Catholic Social Teachings.

For the mission ad gentes in particular:• Knowledge of the country’s culture, traditions

and language;• The life situations of the migrants in that

country, especially their “sub-culture” as migrants;

• laws of the country relevant to our work

SR. TESS:

A. for FMA mission in general•The missionary dimension of our FMA

vocation: to be presented and deepened in every stage of formation (cfr the Plan of Formation and the Guidelines for the Educative mission of the FMA)

Sr. Gloria “Glory Be” Agagon, FMAI have been working as a full-time member of the staff at the SENTRO PILIPINO CHAPLAINCY in Rome, Italy since October 1987. The chaplaincy is composed of 48 Filipino communities in Rome. My tasks are the following: • Spiritual Directress : Commission on Youth and

Family Ministry• Animator/Facilitator : Family Ministry• Catechism/Formation : Pre - Cana Seminar

• Marriage Counselling• Job Placement / Referral • Choir groups, Lectors/Commentators, Liturgy

• English refresher classes for H. Sch. / College Graduates

• For 2 & 1/2 years, I was involved in the Italian / European TV Program : “Euro - Roma International News “ (in eleven languages) as TV daily news caster in English and Filipino.


•More chances for organized volunteer work/short period of missionary experience offered to the formands, novices, Sisters

B. the mission ad gentes in particular• Accompaniment and vocational discernment of Sisters who feel

they have the missionary vocation ad gentes (cfr “The FMA Missionary Vocation Ad/Inter Gentes”)

• Some points for an open dialogue and reflection (by Sr. Ciri Hernandez)

• More opportunities to experience temporary mission work

SR. CECILIA: For the FMA mission in general, the pastoral aspect : a deeper knowledge of the world of the young, of the culture of communication. For the mission ad gentes in particular, formation to interculturality and the true process of inculturation.

SR. MAFE:• Of being truly like Moses in their midst, in constant dialogue

and contact with God and a mediator between God and His people, and the importance of being constantly aware that the “ground where the missionary goes is a holy ground”

• Of understanding in a deeper way the mentality of the people we work for, their language and traditions, that we may better enter into their life, and be considered part of them and truly become agents in the transformation to an evangelical mentality and way of life.

SR. CORA: Acceptance of one’s limitations, and inculturation.

SR. TERESA: For the FMA mission in general: modern trends in education, and group dynamics.

For the mission ad gentes in particular:

• New Evangelization, Catechism• Knowledge of Buddhism (the religion of

the state)• Openness to the culture, tradition and

other particular things about the people SR. CELESTE: Meeting Jesus in the daily,

knowing and loving my own culture in order to embrace another culture

LIFELINE: How does Don Bosco’s life, pedagogy and mission become your criteria for seeing, judging and action as an FMA missionary today?

SR. PAM: The challenges of multi-cultural and multi-denominational context of young people in PNG pose always the necessity of doing the mission in the Salesian way. There is a great need to do more in the area of education in PNG especially among the youth. But the educative heart of Don Bosco, his zeal and preferential option for the poorest, and the holistic dimension of education are guiding factors to consider in the choice of pastoral endeavors.

Education of the young and particularly the women is a privileged field of mission in PNG. Thus, it is a continuing call to deepen the personal and communitarian understanding of the Preventive System as method and Spirituality of Don Bosco.

A particular aspect where the family spirit and love for the young is expressed in the pastoral care of students instead of applying the corporal punishment. Firmness in kindness is much an invitation to be effective with these

Sr. Evangeline “Eva” Rago, FMA

I have been assigned to work for Filipino migrants

in Tokyo, Japan since July 2005.

I collaborate with other missionaries in the Pastoral

Care of the migrants in two dioceses: the Catholic

Tokyo International Center (CTIC) in Tokyo, and the

Open House - International Center in Saitama.

The receiving church in Japan provides

appropriate pastoral programs for Filipino migrants

in the territory. Several dioceses set offices to attend

to the needs of the migrants. Filipino missionaries are

part of a team of pastoral workers. I collaborate and

network with pastoral workers in these in Tokyo and

Saitama for the work with the migrants and people

on the move.

We are engaged in formal and non-formal

educative apostolate, and collaborate with the local

church in the Christian formation of Japanese-Filipino

families and lay leaders. We assist the migrants in their

religious, social and human needs. We also conduct

regular visits to families, hospitals and detention

centers where Filipino migrants are.

Sr. Eva (4th from left) with the participants of a 2-day leadership formation seminar in Akabane, Tokyo, Japan.


young people. Education is indeed a matter of the heart and PNG youth still need to know that they are loved in this way because they still tend either to abuse the kindness or resist the firmness.

When certain ventures, matters or issues are studied on or deliberated upon, I make it a great factor of influence on my options the heart of Don Bosco that sees the good of the total person, and that heart of his that believes in the power of communion, the effectiveness of working as a family and network of concerned people for the salvation of young people. I get more and more conscious of this as I work closely with the Salesians in the ministry.

SR. MEL: Don Bosco was all out for the young. Reading the volumes of Fr. Arthur Lenti helped me see the reality of our dear Founder. It was hard and difficult for him, there were oppositions not only from the government but also from religious authorities. He was not spared from problems and troubles but his faith made and helped him do many things for the young.

SR GLORY BE: I am inspired and guided by Don Bosco’s life of deep faith in God, his filial love for Mary Help of Christians, his total abandonment to the Divine Providence. I am impelled by Don Bosco’s apostolic passion to save the YOUNG in the spirit of the Preventive System which leads them to CHRIST; and instills in them the filial love for Mary.

SR CECILIA:• Trying to live the elements of the Preventive System

in my formative interventions.• Keeping alive the family spirit and the passion of

the “Da mihi animas.” • Being attentive to transmit faithfully the Salesian,

charismatic values, returning constantly to Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello.

SR. MAFE: I am boundlessly grateful that I am graced to become an FMA! Even as an oratorian at a tender age, I was so much in love with the family spirit and the untiring zeal of the sisters of those good old days in Sta. Cecilia - those sisters who have truly imbibed Don Bosco’s spirit and love for the young. I came to know and love Don Bosco through their way of life, their way of dealing with us, their always new and exciting organized activities every Sunday and especially of teaching us how to pray and offer sacrifices challenging us to sanctity! It was through this beautiful and unforgettable experience of Don Bosco’s spirit and pedagogy that continually inspires and moves me to live the da mihi animas coetera tolle in my daily intervention and encounter with each Timorese!

SR. CORA: It serves as my guideline in living out my FMA life but to put it into practice is difficult due to the culture and customs of the country.

SR. TESS: I let myself be guided by the Rector Major’s Strenna which is one of my references in preparing my Plan of Life, with concrete lines of action in the areas of prayer life, community life and apostolic life.

SR. TERESA: Don Bosco’s life , pedagogy and mission guide me in carrying out our mission. I always recall his difficulties, his struggles, his trust in God and our

Sr. Teresita “Tess” Layson, FMAI have been working in 4 parishes in Osaka City where there are Filipino migrant communities since November 2007. My ministry includes the following:• Morning and afternoon Sunday English Mass

animation in 4 different parishes (as scheduled)• Catechesis to parents and sponsors of infants to

be baptized • Catechesis to children preparing themselves to

receive First Holy Communion (in English/Filipino)• Assistance to Japanese-speaking Filipina

catechists who are preparing the children of Filipino-Japanese parents for their First Holy Communion

• Bringing Holy Communion to the sick and elderly • Spreading devotion to Mary through the Block

Rosary (done every Saturday in different scheduled families)

• Family catechesis given after the Block Rosary• Lenten/Advent Recollection • Visitation to hospitals and the immigration upon

request• Moral assistance/counseling to Filipina migrants

who encounter problems with their Japanese husbands or Japanese employers, upon request by SINAPIS-OSAKA (a non-government office working for migrants and refugees to promote justice and peace)


Blessed Mother. I often take the book about his life as my point of reference in dealing with the young.

SR. CELESTE: DB’s reason, religion and loving kindness help me to live life to the best I can specially with the young peple.

LIFELINE: What are today’s urgent challenges to you as an FMA missionary in your context?

SR. EVA:

• Most important is the Pastoral care and activities for the youth. The growth of the multinational and multi-cultural church cannot be achieved without the growth of these children. Young people and children of migrants speak Japanese. They need Japanese speaking guides and animators.

• Formation of the Filipino-Japanese families. The children of Fil-Jap families are the hope of the Japanese church. Future vocations come from these families.

• To have strong emotional resources to endure the stresses of life here in Japan. Japan is a stressful society and there are many cases of depression.

Osmosis seemed to be happening among Filipinos that is , unconsciously assimilating the Japanese malady of depression. There is a need to accompany them mentally, emotionally and socially.

• Formation of Lay Leaders, to assist in giving seminars for the preparation of baptisms, animating the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and assist in other pastoral work. Vocation in Japan is diminishing and so with the believers. Priests go from one community to the other as dispensers of sacraments aggravating the absence of occasions to coach people in their faith.

SR. TESS:

• Diligence in learning (at least master the basics) and communicating in the language of the people to understand better their life and the most significant expressions of their culture.

• Address the Filipino migrants’ need to regain consciousness of giving concrete witness to one’s faith in a highly consumeristic and competitive society like Japan, thus, becoming evangelizers themselves to their families and friends.

SR. CECILIA:

• The need for an authentic inculturation of the faith and of Salesian charism

• The need for radicality and coherence to witness the Gospel and charismatic values

SR. MAFE:

• To be truly evangelized and slowly but progressively have the heart and mind of Jesus that I may truly bring

Him to each person He continues to entrust to me and that he/she may be impelled from within to search for Him himself/herself. In this new era where East Timor has become an independent country, our Timorese people are becoming

Sr. Maria Fe “Mafe” Silva, FMA

Sr. Mafe is celebrating her 25th anniversary

as a pioneer missionary in East Timor. She

is presently assigned in Baucau as the

community animator and a teacher in English

of the senior high school.

Sr. Cecilia del Mundo, FMA

Sr. Cecilia has been in East Timor for

almost 17 years now, since July 1996.

She is presently the Novice Directress at

the St. Joseph Novitiate in Comoro Dili,

East Timor.

From left: Sr. Maria Fe with Sr. Paola Battagliola


more and more dependent on what the free world offers and becoming ever less aware of the need for the Divine

• Building/creating a community deeply founded in the Trinitarian communion and with the raging zeal of the da mihi animas!

• To be involved and be daring in plunging ourselves to give time and listen to today’s young people’s pleas and as a community answer according to their needs

SR. CORA:

• temperance in work

• watchful preparation and fidelity to daily practices

• to be more attuned to young people’s world in this particular place

SR. TERESA:

• Evangelization (explicit proclamation of the Good News)

• Quality education

• The need for competency in responding to the modern trends that influence the young especially in media education

SR. CELESTE: To work more for local vocations which is a real challenge here in South Africa.

LIFELINE: What word do you wish to give other future FMA missionaries?

SR. PAM: The mission begins in ourselves and we prepare for it in our hearts. We go to the mission to do God’s work and we will be happy when we expect nothing, just do what the Lord wants for us and through us. It is not what and how much we do, but what we are and gradually become in His ways and time. I also continue keeping this advice in my life.

SR. MEL: I will recommend to them, first, to have a robust faith in the Holy Spirit; second, to have a lot of patience with oneself, and lastly, to wait patiently always, be open to communication and dialogue despite little or no response at all.

SR GLORY BE: I wish that they:

• grow infidelity to Jesus, our SPOUSE : di essere sempre più innamorate di Lui (to be more in love with Him) in order to face any difficulty; to be nourished by the Word of God and by the grace of the Sacraments.

• foster growth in community-communion in order to radiate the SALESIAN JOY in the Community, with the YOUNG, with the Educating Community, in the places of our apostolate, and wherever we are.

• live the “daily “ in the spirit of the three pillars of the Preventive System: REASON, RELIGION, LOVING KINDNESS - with our Sisters, with our young people and their families, with our lay mission partners, and with all those involved in our Mission.

SR. CECILIA:

• Deepen continually your personal relationship with Jesus , living with joy your being FMA.

• Give priority to God’s Word that becomes Prayer , Life and Proclamation.

• Cultivate and mature certain attitudes and behavior like:

▪ Openness that is capable to welcome, to appreciate, to value differences as treasures and to change mentality and habits.

▪ capacity to establish harmonious interpersonal relationships, adaptability, flexibility

▪ capacity to listen and to dialogue, to have confidence in others.

Sr. Celeste Yolola, FMA

I am assigned in the Republic of

South Africa. I have been here only

for 4 months since January 2013. I

was in Zambia for 27 years before

being assigned here. I am doing

secretarial services for the province

and at the same time responsible for

the community. I have also started

catechesis in the parish.


SR. MAFE:

• To be like Jesus…

• To be always and constantly aware that each place and each person is a holy ground

• The mission is God’s work and we are just simply useless servants

SR. CORA:

• to be simple, loving and kind

• have the attitude of readiness to be a ‘tura bucche’ (to pitch in)

• be health-wise and strong (eat moringa or malunggay to boost your immune system)

SR. TESS:

• Fidelity to a deep prayer and sacramental life; filial devotion to Mary

• Passion for the mission: “Faccio io” “Vado io” attitude inspired by Don Bosco’s “DMACT”

• Strong sense of belonging to the Church, Institute, Province and community

Sr. Teresa Tuale, FMA

I have been a missionary in Cambodia for

16 years. I am now assigned in Teuk Thla, Sen

Sok, Phnom Penh. Our school is surrounded

by many apartment houses, guest houses,

hotels & supermarkets. Just a short walk from

our school is a night club just opened this year.

There are also garment factories nearby. It is

about 10 minutes by car from the International

Airport.

Since 1997 I have always been in-charge

of the vocational training center. I had been

in-charge of the elementary school until

May 2011 when I returned to the Philippines

for a period of rest. When I came back to

Cambodia on February 1, 2012 I was given

minor tasks of helping in the community and

the school principal because of my fragile

health.

SR. TERESA:

• Take care of your spiritual life. Deepen your relationship with Jesus and Mary and keep united with them.

• Be ready for whatever obedience and entrust yourself to Jesus and Mary.

• Be humble and kind with everyone, open to differences, available always.

SR. CELESTE:

• Be deeply rooted in Christ, to be focus on Him in order to have a faith-filled, grace-filled life. Faith, faith, faith....

• Enhance our prayer life and value community life

• Love our own culture in order to embrace and appreciate another’s culture. To be open and generous, not self-centered

Sr. Corazon “Cora” Jaca, FMA

Sr. Cora is presently assigned in the FMA community of

Gedeo Zone Dilla, Ethiopia.

She is in-charge of the Don Bosco Medium Clinic

as a General Medical practitioner. She also serves on

weekends as an assistant in the oratory, conducts the

formation of leaders, preparation of 1st communicants

and catechumens, and facilitates the process of marriage

validation. She also guides selected young people during

big feasts to decorate the big church and to animate

Masses on Sundays and feastdays.

Sr. Cora assisting the children at Mary Help

of Christians School, Minglanilla, Cebu

during the 2010 VIDES Mission Camp.


Sr. Angelita Wagan, FMA IVORY COAST

Sr. Ma. Teresa Cecilia Cardinal, FMADar-es-Salaam, TANZANIA

Sr. Evelina Saludares, FMANairobi, KENYA

Sr. Ma. Elena Estacio, FMA Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA

Sr. Gertrudes Ditching, FMA Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA

Sr. Florencia Soberano, FMA Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA

Sr. Carmencita Rodriguez, FMA Port Moresby,

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Sr. Alicia Fulgencio, FMAPort Moresby,

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Sr. Sharon Algar, FMA ANGOLA

Sr. Ma. Elizabeth Marquez, FMA UKRAINE

Sr. Aniceta Saligumba, FMA Alotau, Sideia IslandsPAPUA NEW GUINEA

Sr. Ma. Crisitina Villasanta, FMAPort Moresby,

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Sr. Eleanor Samson, FMAAlotau, Sideia IslandsPAPUA NEW GUINEA

Sr. Juliet de Leon, FMA Alotau, Sideia IslandsPAPUA NEW GUINEA

Sr. Lynn Grace Palanca, FMA Port Moresby,

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Sr. Marivic Sombero, FMADili, EAST TIMOR

Sr. Zenaida Dimaculangan, FMA Milan, ITALY

Sr. Carmelita Meman, FMA Rome, ITALY

Sr. Miguela Santiago, FMA Seoul, SOUTH KOREA

Sr. Purificacion Cruz, FMA Nairobi, KENYA

SYD 2013April 9-12, 2013

In celebration of the 25th anniversary SYM Philippines (FMA, SDB-FIN, SDB-FIS), selected leaders and animators (lay and religious) gathered for a four-day camp in Don Bosco Canlubang, Calamba City, Laguna. The camp’s theme, “Let your

light shine” (Mt. 5:16), has challenged the participants to be apostles among the young as new evangelizers in the style of Don Bosco.

FMA SYM animators and leaders from FMA communities



1st Asian Congress of the Past Pupils of the FMA

May 2-5, 2013, Sam Phran, Thailand. 103 past pupils and FMA delegates participated at the 1st Asian Congress of the association held at the FMA retreat center, Ban Than Phraphon, outside Bangkok. The Philippine Federation was represented by Ailleen Mari Mendoza, Aira Lagunzad, Joy Mayuga and Cherokee Nudalo. With them was Sr. Rachel Melissa Flor, FMA delegate. The Congress aimed to deepen the identity and mission of the past pupils as they seek to respond to the challenges posed by the contemporary Asian context.

The two seminars: Strategic Planning in view of K-12 and Marketing for Sustainability were both conducted by Mr. Louie Ramos of Guthrie-Jensen Consultants, Inc. The first was attended by the Provincial Council, Financial Management Team, FMA School Principals and Directresses, Technical Directresses, and two lay representatives; additional participants joined the second seminar at the end of April - Community Animators, selected Community Economers and Sister-observers plus some more lay representatives.

Strategic Planning in view of K-12April 10-12, 2013, Don Bosco School, Manila.

Marketing for SustainabilityApril 27-29, 2013,

Mornese Center of Spirituality, Pansol, Calamba City.

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Contact us:Daughters of Mary Help of Christians(Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco)Provincial House3500 V. Mapa Extension, Sta. Mesa, 1016 Manila( (02) 714 59 37: www.fmafil.org / www.cgfma.org

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FMA Lifeline March - May 2013

Documents

FMA Lifeline - march-may 2013