The Augustinian Province of Santo Niño de Cebu-Philippines held its first Pastoral Congress from July 4-6, 2017, at the Santo Niño Spirituality Center in Consolacion town, focused on the theme, “The Augustinian Parish as a Communion of Communities.” This activity aligned with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) nine-year plan for the New Evangelization in preparation for the Fifth Centenary of Christianity’s arrival in the Philippines in 2021.
Most Reverend Oscar Jaime L. Florencio, DD, Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu, celebrated the opening Mass, while Most Reverend Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, Auxiliary Bishop of Manila, formally opened the congress with a keynote address on the theme, “Year of the Parish: The Parish as a Communion of Communities.”
Several parallel sessions on various topics were held during the first day of the congress. These included themes such as “The Augustinian Priest as a Servant, Evangelizer, and Leader to His Parish in the Formation and Promotion of BEC,” discussed by Msgr. Francisco P. Monje for the friar participants, and “The Concept of Family and Family Life in the Modern World” and “The Family as a Domestic Church: Towards Strengthening BEC,” elaborated by Msgr. Sabino A. Vengco, Jr. for the lay participants. On the other hand, Fr. Conegundo Garganta addressed the current issues and challenges regarding Filipino youth and their role in the formation and promotion of BEC.
The following day, plenary sessions focused on St. Augustine and his spirituality, delivered by Rev. Fr. Czar Emmanuel V. Alvarez, OSA, and Rev. Fr. Rodel D. Magin, OSA. Workshops were facilitated by Rev. Fr. Harold Ll. Rentoria, OSA, for the friars, Fray Jeffrey V. Uy, OSA, for the lay participants, and Mr. Eric C. Divinagracia for the youth.
On the final day, Rev. Fr. Banayag, OSA, gave the synthesis, and later that day, participants visited the Augustinian-run parish, Santo Niño de Cebu in Talisay City, and the Archdiocese of Cebu’s Santo Tomas de Villanueva Parish in El Pardo, Cebu City, to learn about their respective Basic Ecclesial Communities.
The Congress was attended by 134 delegates from various communities within the province and concluded with a simple agape following the closing Mass at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu.
