PROPOSED IDEAS/SUGGESTIONS
AND CONCERNS
- PASTORAL OUTREACH & CARE (programs that help parishioners in crisis to find support and encouragement from their parish community, i.e. pastoral counseling, food pantries, soup kitchens, ministry to the separated, divorced and widowed, outreach to the immigrants and migrants both documented/undocumented, to the sick and dying, etc.) Also, Filipino marriages, coping with a more liberal social environment and the pressure of financial stability often resulting in the break-up of family life; facilitate development of religious-cultural sensitivity among non-Filipino priest/s or minister/s in parishes or communities with significant number of Filipino parishioners; develop program of retreats/workshops/seminars intended for Filipino parents, ideally conducted by a team/s of Filipino priests, sisters and lay leaders, designed to transmit their faith to their children.
B. LEADERSHIP/FORMATION & DEVELOPMENT (the efforts and initiatives to develop the skills and talents of leaders – priests, religious & lay leadership in terms of training and continuing education relevant to Filipino values, religiosity and culture vis-à-vis the American church). Pope Paul VI in section 20 of the EvangeliiNuntiandi, writes, “What matters is to evangelize man’s culture and cultures (not in a purely decorative way as it were by applying a thin veneer, but in a vital way, in depth and right to their roots – always taking the person as one’s starting point and always coming back to the relationships of people among themselves and with God.
i)To develop education/training modules on living the Filipino Catholic faith in the American environment
ii)To provide training in order to come up with a task force or committee on the divorced, separated or widowed from among the Filipino clergy, sisters, deacons and lay leaders who may have the expertise on issues relating to problems of the above in coordination with existing diocesan structure.
iii)To provide pastoral ministers with opportunities to learn about Filipino faith and culture through workshops, seminars, convocations, exposure trips to the Philippines, incorporate the topic of Filipino faith and culture in some of the study days of clergy and leaders.
iv)To provide an understanding of the Philippine Church (history and people); skills training toward effective leadership within their parish, and diocese.
v)To conduct missions on the faith journey of Filipinos through retreats and recollections.
C. CATECHETICAL/EVANGELIZATION AND FORMATION (overall educational effort of the ministry in proclaiming the Gospel message at all levels of faith development, adult education and formation). The specific goals of catechesis can be outlined in terms of faith’s triple dimension of doctrine, morals and prayer-worship, within the Christian ecclesial community and in dialogue with the secular world of the Philippines and the United States. The goals include: to illumine and strengthen the faith; to develop a life in harmony with the Spirit of Christ; to stimulate a conscious and fervent participation in the liturgy and to encourage the faithful to live their faith and take an active part in ministry.
D. FILIPINO VALUES AND POPULAR DEVOTION(to create an environment conducive and open to cultural expressions of the Filipino faith as a starting point for evangelization, i.e. Santo Nino, Marian devotions, simbang gabi novena masses. Explore Filipino values as means to evangelize in relation to Christ’s gospel values.
E. COMMUNITY BUILDING & CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS (efforts and initiatives of the Filipino Ministry toward building a Christian Community through small faith communities; bible sharing; ministry of welcome and hospitality; working/networking with civic groups/associations through picnics, fiestas, welcome programs, immersion with and among non-church goers, etc.).
F. STEWARDSHIP & FINANCE(how do we become disciples of Jesus Christ, who identify and share our gifts of time, talent, and treasure in new ways so that we become the household of God and accountable Christian stewards…how do we participate in the parish tithing and development).
To develop among Filipinos a commitment to regularly contribute to the financial support of the church, thus, it is important to reach out to individual Filipinos in the parish and establish a personal rapport with them (the Filipino must feel wanted, appreciated, important, valued not for what he gives, but for what he is and who he is as a person). Financial responsibility is often not taken seriously due to lack of understanding on the meaning of stewardship, thus, the need to explain to them in a manner that takes into consideration the personalism of Filipinos.
Like any other oriental, the Filipinos must see things in the concrete before making a response. For, example, they need to know exactly how the money is going to be spent or what project is on hand. Financial report is a means to show how dependent is the parish on the regular support of Filipinos and other parishioners. The generosity of Filipinos is often challenge with a personal service or a special gesture of welcome.
G. YOUTH & YOUNG ADULTS (how do we create a home for Fil/Am youth and young adults in the church who are very much influenced by the Filipino values at home yet bombarded with the life style and culture of U.S…youth and young adults in search for self, community and God). To come up with a special process or catechesis that are youth oriented responding to their needs, values and circumstances as Filipino/American youth; the youth themselves are engaged as active participants and they interpret their concerns and be their advocate, respecting their dignity and views…a youth ministry where the gospel message is proclaimed…all opportunities for service are pursued and group communal worship is celebrated and all are contributing toward creating a particular youth community.
H. SOCIAL ACTION & ADVOCACY (catechesis for social justice is an essential, constitutive part of the preaching of the Gospel – a great consensus on the Christian view of human dignity, the norm for social institutions, justice and charity and the necessary integration of personal and social morality). Social justice means the application of the Gospel commandment of justice, peace and love to the structures, institutions and systems of society; to combat social sin and foster human rights, the need to develop a spirituality of social responsibility…to develop a critical sense in the formation of Christian consciences in relation to human dignity, private property and its social aspects, the dignity of human work, the right to organize, liberation of the whole person, etc.
I. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES (how to build Filipino Ministry structures and systems that foster genuine dialogue and collaboration in order to create new partnerships with the other communities in the U.S. church so that together we can effectively carry out welcoming strangers: unity in diversity; Asian Pacific presence Harmony & Faith to meet the challenges of today). After many years of struggle as a ministry with very limited resources (or none at all), we simply need better planned, a better organized, better coordinated Filipino ministry in the U.S. This does not mean however that with better organizational structure, we’ll be able to solve all our problems – too often organizational and planning charts are just paper realities with no real effect on actual ministry/pastoral work – very often they tend to become ends in themselves. However, the fact remains that organizational structure is essential for a successful Filipino Ministry first, because of the nature of the pastoral work itself – its many activities, multi-levels (youth, family, pastoral care, leadership formation, evangelization and formation, stewardship, social action/advocacy, small faith communities, parish, diocese, USFCMC, PCMR, Asian Pacific Ministry, etc. The Filipino Ministry is present in many communities; secondly, because our resources are limited and not commensurate with our needs. This means that we have to use our limited resources to the best advantage, both in terms of immediate needs and for long-range goals in the future. It means coordinating the work already being done, so as to avoid wasteful duplication and improve its effectiveness and influence. All this takes planning. Organizational Structure, then is needed:
- to raise the quality of existing work; to improve coordination of pastoral work with other Filipino ministries of parish, diocese and the national level; to establish better lines of communication and sharing of resource materials among ministries and other ethnic communities.