Barkada ni Kristo CLC – Cebu

“This year some of the office staff, maintenance people, and students, who had been patiently waiting for me to initiate them, finally got their wish granted. It’s a very enthusiastic group – always looking forward to their weekly meetings. They sing 3 days a week at the 6 P.M. Masses, and get invited to sing at funeral Masses. There is a strong spirit of community among them. They have even organized a cooperative among the employees.” (Fr. Ben Sim)

Photo taken during Singapore visit of Bebs (back to camera)

The Magis CLC-Singapore

From Bebs Sim: The Magis CLC-Singapore describes itself in their egroup this way: “This is a group for the members of the first Christian Life Community (CLC) being organized in Singapore. Currently, it has no official standing with the World Christian Life Community, but it is led by the spirit of the General Principles and Norms of the CLC. “

The group is composed of 12 members and is being guided by Fr. Paul Goh, S.J. The initiator is Arsenio (Boboy) Alianan Jr., formerly of Ichthys CLC of the Mary the Queen Cluster of CLC Philippines. Boboy was once a resource person of the CLC Formation Institute’s Program, Call to Shepherd. Together with his wife, Vivian, he now coordinates the group in its activities. The CLCP is now its Journey Companion as it moves and grows toward membership in the World CLC.

CLC-CVX World Assembly 2008 at Fatima, Portugal

John Gamit, Je Ching and I were privileged to be sent to Fatima, Portugal last August as the official representatives of CLCP to the CLCCVX World Assembly. The theme of that assembly was “journeying as an apostolic body“. When Fr. Nikko, Jesuit Superior General and World Ecclesiastical Assistant of CLC, delivered his address, he zeroed in on the prophetic dimension of our CLC vocation, inviting us to undergo a process of discernment that includes “seeing with the eyes of God, listening with the ears of God, feeling with the heart of God, so that we may speak and do the word of God.” In sum, to journey in this world as an apostolic body requires that we become a prophetic community as well.

This is going to be a long process. It is almost axiomatic in CLC that nothing happens with lightning speed. We cherish the Ignatian discernment process, and we know that it takes time for us to respond to this call to become ever more authentically an apostolic body that is also a prophetic community.

Nevertheless, we are committed to such a process. This process, articulated for us by previous world assemblies, essentially involves “discerning, sending, supporting and evaluating” (DSSE).

The context for such a process will necessarily demand that we be sensitive to the “signs of the times.” One such sign this year will be the sure decline in economic opportunities for our people, given the financial crash in Wall Street and other financial capitals in the world. Another sign will be the preparations, adequate and non, for the national elections slated to take place in 2010. And then there are those signs that have been with us for the past decade or so: graft and corruption, war, drug trafficking, money laundering, extermination of political enemies and journalists, systematic demoralization of our people, subversion of our public institutions, etc.

Given such a dire and dreary context this 2009, CLCP must continue to bring forth from its ranks prophets of hope and apostles of joy. Indeed, as one national apostolic body and prophetic community, it must, as a body and community and not just as individuals, be a beacon of prophetic hope and apostolic joy. It can do that by remaining true to what it is, and that means continuing to drink deeply from the wells of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.

It is then my deepest hope for CLCP that the year ahead may be a year of fruitful DSSE, so that in an incremental but significant way, we may truly become more and more a genuine apostolic body and a prophetic community. Jesus Christ expects nothing less from us.

Members of the National Secretariat staff pose with Fr. Bob Hogan SJ and other guests at their Christmas Party held last December 23, 2008.

The Signs of the Times Discerning Group (STDG) has launched a Kapihan Series as an informal forum for the discussion of societal issues. Held every three weeks on Fridays at 8-10 p.m. at Leunis Hall, the sessions seek to provide CLC members with an open, transparent and participatory environment for the discussion and analysis of issues toward a more informed individual and community discernment process.

• The first Kapihan was held last December  12, 2008 on What have we learned about the Church and its relationship with society in light of the Reproductive Health Bill?
• The 2nd session held last January 9th featured Vince Lazatin, Executive Director of the Transparency and Accountability Network, who described TAN’s actions and initiatives to reduce corruption in the Philippines, particularly Bantay Lansangan and the Supreme Court Appointments Watch (SCAW) .
• The 3rd Kapihan on February 5th will feature Zamboanga Rep. Beng Climaco of the Camino Nuevo CLC, who will share her perspectives and experiences dealing with the signs of the times as a CLCer in Congress.