Category: Últimas Noticias

“For what great nation is there that has God so near to them, as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call on Him?”

This text from Deuteronomy in today’s first reading, March 15, has been the real experience in this Chapter. The illumination we have received during these days, the messages and the challenges are very much connected, and even succinctly put in the homily of Bishop Patricio Buzon of the Diocese of Bacolod, who celebrated the Mass to close the Chapter. The Holy Spirit has been doing his work among us.

Before the Holy Eucharist, the Capitulars met for the last session in the morning. The Chapter Routine was made, then, Sr. Ma. Luisa Garcia, General Vicar, addressed to the assembly her message to close the Chapter.

She encouraged the sisters not to forget the experiences that made them who they are, however not to remain complacent. Instead, to launch into the new horizon for the new chapter in the life of the Vice Province. She likewise added to remind the different experiences in the Chapter: the caresses of God, the meeting with the sisters – listening and feeling the accompaniment of each other, the illuminations that undoubtedly helped everyone to strengthen and renew their covenant and penetrate the mystery, especially the invitation of placing Jesus at the center of their lives as the source to be generators of life… furthermore, she invited everyone to keep themselves open and available and not to be afraid to make way for what is new to effectively become true farmers/sowers of the Good News.

Ultimately, together with the gratefulness expressed by Sr. Ma. Luisa, for the wonderful outcome of the Chapter, the Capitulars were also expressing their gratitude, first to the Lord who has made everything possible. To Sr. Blanca Nidia Bedoya Salazar, General Superior and the Council that is affectionately represented by the meritorious presence of Sr. Ma. Luisa Garcia Casamian, General Vicar, to the previous Government Team of the Vice Province for all their love and preparations, to the Novitiate community for all their warm accommodation, to the committees in the Capitulars who faithfully did their job. All the Capitulars who seriously did their part, the friends who sent their greetings and supported us and all the sisters in the communities of St. Clare Vice Province and in the whole Congregation whose prayers were strongly felt in the course of the Chapter.

May the Lord continue to inspire and guide the way of the Vice Province.

“Remember your mercies, O Lord” is the responsorial Psalm for today’s Psalm, Psalm 25 that Fr. Roy Christian Jesulgon reiterated in his homily on the 5th day of the Chapter, March 14, 2023. This was aptly said to the Capitulars and to the new Government Team of the Vice Province proclaimed yesterday, who need God’s mercy to carry out their responsibilities, all their desires and aspirations as generators of life.

In the conference after the Chapter Routine, the Capitulars were privileged to have an on-line talk directly from Vietnam with Most Reverend Joseph Dao, Bishop Emeritus of Xuan Loc Diocese, Vietnam. In his beautiful talk on ¨Consecrated Women, Generators of Life”, he was asking the sisters “What is this life?” He quoted John 1:4, saying that Christ is life. The challenge now is how to present Christ in the present world. Bishop Dao gave a nice reminder of the centrality of Christ in our existence to be an effective channel in going to the heart of the people.

After the talk, the presentation of the proposed Objective and the Chapter Commitments by the Commission on Redaction followed. There was then an open forum with a good participation of the Capitulars where it can be seen the synergy in mind and heart as sisters having the same goal and desire for the good of the Congregation.

In the afternoon, the approval of the proposed Objective and Chapter Commitments took place and the result of the Chapter’s evaluation was presented.

It was a delight for the Capitulars to greet the Community of the General House even if it was only on-line, a moment of exchanging wishes and expressing gratefulness for the Vice Province of St. Clare, Asia and the General Superior, Council and Community.

This day finished with everyone feeling blessed, grateful, satisfied and hopeful.

The Gospel of this March 13, speaks of Jesus saying, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place” (Lk 4:24). As part of the motivation for the day, the liturgist mentioned that this statement of Jesus may be considered by some as an excuse not to complicate their lives. But Jesus only warns us that things are not easy as it may seem, especially in the call for discipleship. One has to take a leap in overcoming obstacles. She or he has to do her best and allow God to do the rest.

In the first morning session, after the opening prayer, the checking of the Capitular´s attendance was made, followed by the reading of the agenda and the reading of the minutes.

There after, the Commission for the presentation of the Synthesis of the Study of the Report presented their work.

The group work for this day consisted in identifying the urgent needs of the Vice Province basing from the summary of the work on the Final Document of the XXIII General Chapter.

In the afternoon, there was another group work to finalize the commitments for the next triennium. Sr. Ma. Luisa Garcia, the General Vicar, congratulated the Capitulars for the work done and for what she had learned throughout all the sharing of the sisters. She also gave an insightful word again to inspire and challenge the sisters that the beautiful words written will really be turned into efforts and be lived.

After the session, everyone proceeded to the Chapel for a time of Adoration. It was a moment of earnest prayer for the new Vice Provincial Government. After the Adoration, the new Team formed by the Vice Provincial Superior and the three Councilors was announced, as well as the new formators.

Everybody welcomed warmly the sisters who will be serving and accompanying the Vice Province and all the assembly is open and grateful to receive the appointed government sisters and formators as gifts of God to lead our demarcation for the next three years. They are:

Vice Provincial Superior : Sr. Angela Maria Martinez Sierra
1st Councilor/Vicar : Sr. Lorena Bagalanon Sacal
2nd Councilor : Sr. Mapin Mahilum Pineda
3rd Councilor : Sr. Frances Laraine Faelnar Andrade

Mistress of Postulants : Sr. Emily Tambis Soliva
Mistress of Novices : Sr. Juliet Valdon Mantos
Mistress of Juniors : Sr. Frances Laraine Faelnar Andrade

Today, 13th day of March 2023, 4th Day of our Vice-Provincial Chapter held at Mater Dolorosa Novitiate Community, Talisay City. We joyfully announce the new set of Vice Provincial government and Formators of St. Clare’s Vice-Province of Asia that will serve on the next triennium 2023-2026.

Vice Provincial Superior: Sr. Angela Maria Martínez
Vicar: Sr.Lorena B.Sacal
2nd Councilor: Sr.Mapin Pineda
3rd Councilor: Sr.Frances Laraine Andrade

Postulancy: Sr.Emily Soliva
Novitiate: Sr.Juliet Mantos
Juniorate: Sr.Frances Laraine Andrade

Let us give thanks to God for the gift of their life and their generous YES to accept the new mission entrusted to them and accompany them in our prayers.

The 3rd day of the Vice Provincial Chapter falls on the 3rd Sunday of Lent on which the Gospel speaks about the Samaritan woman on the well. Jesus told the woman, “Give me something to drink”. The liturgist of the day posted a compelling question for the Capitulars that says ¨For you, what is that drink that Jesus is asking from you?

In the morning session, Fr. Agustinos Supur from the Claretian Missionaries was invited to talk about “Consecrated Women, Generators of Life – in the Context of Asian Mission”.

The talk was a moment of grace in which the Capitulars together with some of the sisters attending online are confronted with the different realities in life as consecrated women. Fr. Agustinos was talking about Mission as a Journey. Journey not only with the Christians but with all the people of the world. He also mentioned that God is also a Journeying Trinity as he quoted Vita Consecrata 17-19 that tells about the Vocation and Mission as consecrated individuals is in the initiative of the Father, for the following of the Son in the power of the Spirit. He too stressed that in the following of the kenosis of Christ, all are included, “Not one left behind”.

The second part of his talk is a challenge on how to journey upward – the Spiritual Aspect, journey inward – to self, journey outward – with others and journey downward – discovering mother earth. All these had been a very profound topic that invite everyone to live a life of a journeying mystic. Not the concept of a mystic that levitates and floats in the air… but Mystics that contemplate on God’s hidden face on the poor, the strangers, the refugees, the lonely… Persons that walk with their sisters and brothers not just side by side but face to face, persons that inspire the people and give taste to faith as salt of the earth and light of the world – thus called as generators of life.

As for the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters in particular, basing from the Document of the XXIII General Chapter given him, he said that he is being edified by the way of life the sisters are trying to live and telling the sisters that they are in the right track as journeying sowers/farmers of the seeds – the Gospel. His parting words was telling the sisters to “Continue to be farmers as Generators of life”.

In the afternoon, the sisters proceeded to their group works to study their life and mission. In the Plenary, the sacred discussions and evaluations of the reality of the sisters and their communities led to the conclusion that the Document of the XXIII General Chapter is somehow being lived in the Vice Province, though for sure everyone are still in the journey of perfection.

The last part of the session was the presentation of the Document of the XXIII General Chapter that the Congregation is invited to observe and grow with for the next 6 years. Sr. Ma. Luisa Garcia Casamian, the General Vicar and one of the members of the Commission who elaborated the Document invited the sisters to make a qualitative leap and move on their own experience not just as a community or a Vice Province, but that each sister must enter, immerse, and allow herself to be affected and be confronted by the Document.

She said that we are often told to live with fewer structures but finally it seems that we look for them in order not to get lost… That this document is open for the “fundamental intuitions” that each one will be challenged to reflect, and name her experience in the depths of her being, as everyone is a sacred and a unique story. Also, that from the Document, the community will be left in their creativity of making their Life and Mission Project something vital and unitive that will give more reason to the sisters’ daily waking and doing.

Lastly, each Capitular was solemnly given their own copy of the Document with the formula: You are Charism, You are Mission, You are Congregation… Thus, God help them to be truly one.

What’s best than starting the day praising the Lord together as Sisters in the Lauds, and receiving Him in the Holy Eucharist, while filling the air with melodious songs that touch hearts and with high hopes that it is reaching heaven? That’s how the second day of the Vice Provincial Chapter started.

Yesterday, the Council headed by Sr. Angela Maria Martinez as the Vice Provincial Superior, Sr. Daniela Villanueva as the Vicar and the VP Secretary, Sr. Juliet Mantos as in charge of their different Committee, and Sr. Jenemer Torio as the VP treasurer presented their reports for the triennium. Today the Capitulars did their first group work of evaluating the Documents.

In the plenary, words of gratefulness for the Council filled the atmosphere. The work did by the VP Government is laudable. Knowing fully well that it was in the period of pandemic, they had managed to make all the sisters in the VP feel all the more closer to each other with the good use of Media. Also worth noting is the physical improvements, projects of auto sustainability, the formation of the Sisters and many others… What is best commended was the unity and the support among the VP Government that were radiated to the Local Communities.

In addition, the morning was packed with healthy conversations that touch very much the reality of the Vice Province that the time has to be extended.

In the afternoon, the zeal for the betterment of life as Consecrated individuals was more aflamed by the inputs on the topic, Consecrated Women, Generators of Life given by Sr. Josefa S. Aldana, SFIC. Sr. Josefa was citing the points of being faithful to Christ, fidelity to the Charism, fidelity to the mission and fidelity to humanity, which are all best illustrated in the document of our XXIII General Chapter Document that she also presented to the assembly as a challenge for everyone.

That ends the second day of the Chapter. Let us keep on praying with and for the TC Sisters.

Opening of the 5th
Vice Provincial Chapter
of the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters of the Holy Family
General Vice Province of St. Clare, Asia

“Holy Spirit blow, blow ‘till we be
the kind of Capuchin Tertiary Sisters
of the Holy Family you want us to be”

…has been the prayer of the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters as they held the opening of their 5th Vice Provincial Chapter today, March 10, 2023.

The opening Mass was presided by Fr. Dante Barcelona, OFM at 7:00 in the morning, with all the Capitulars and Mater Dolorosa Novitiate Community in Talisay City, Philippines, where the Assembly is held.

Sr. Maria Luisa Garcia Casamian, TC, the General Vicar of the Congregation came to preside the Chapter that will end on March 15, 2023, in behalf of the General Superior, Sr. Blanca Nidia Bedoya Salazar, TC.

There are 23 committed Capitulars from the 12 Communities in Asia, namely, Vietnam, India, China, Korea, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, with the other nationalities from Colombia and Spain as Missionaries in Asia who are now gathering. Their aim is to renew their communities and apostolic commitment with the guidance of the Holy Spirit in walking with one another, with the Church and with the people of God.

Let us all join them in their desire and pray for all of them.