My Third Trip to the Philippines


I recently returned to Rome after my third trip to the Philippines this year. Each trip had a different focus. I went for two weeks in January with the Superior General of the Marians, Fr. Jan M. Rokosz, MIC, to explore some possibilities for us to begin our Marian mission in the Philippines in thanksgiving for the Beatification of our Founder last September, Bl. Stanislaus Papczynski.

Then I went for most of the month of June to get our 3 Marian missionaries from Poland established there. One, Fr. Mariusz Jarzabek, MIC, works at the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Maysilo Circle, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila with Msgr. Josefino Ramirez. The other two, Fr. Jan Migacz, MIC, and Fr. Walerian Pozniak, MIC, work at the Divine Mercy Hills Shrine in El Salvador City in the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao.

I returned in September along with Fr. General and the Provincial of our Polish Province, Fr. Pawel Naumowicz, MIC. There we met Mr. Francis Bourdon, the executive director of our Marian Helper's Center in Stockbridge, Mass., who had arrived several days before. Unfortunately, Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, had been forced to cancel his travel plans because of a foot infection. We were later joined by Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC.

In Manila, we were interviewed by a religious writer for the Philippine Daily Inquirer. We are exploring the opening of a Marian House of Studies for our future Philippine Seminarians, a Divine Mercy Formation and Spirituality Center for lay Divine Mercy leaders, and a Marian Helpers Center in the Philippines to support our work there.

We then traveled to Mindanao to the Divine Mercy Hills Shrine in El Salvadore where we were joined by two Filipino candidates for our community. We attended the blessing of a 50-foot statue of The Divine Mercy on Sept. 8. The statue is set up on a hill, overlooking the ocean. There are two stairways behind the stained glass rays, leading to the heart of Jesus where the Blessed Sacrament will be reserved in a small oratory. The blessing and Feast Day Mass was preceded by three days of conferences and preparations. Father Don and I and some of the diocesan clergy gave talks on the Eucharist, Mary, and The Divine Mercy.

Father Don also shared his conversion story. The day was a continuation of the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro. Between 15,000 and 20,000 people attended the dawn Mass on Our Blessed Mother's birthday. The Shrine became an archdiocesan shrine and was entrusted to the Marians. A statue of Our Lady of Fatima arrived by military helicopter at the end of the Mass and rose petals were strewn on the crowd from the helicopter. It was quite an unbelievable celebration!

A 1,500-seat shrine church will be built there along with a religious house for the Marians who will serve there. After all of the festivities and meetings with the archbishop and diocesecan officials, I traveled to Naga City and to Bulan, Sorsogan in the Bikol region to spread the word about the Marians in the Philippines. It was a very blessed trip. One of the seminary candidates traveled to the island of Guimaras were we plan to work some day spreading the message of The Divine Mercy.

Please keep all of our plans in your prayers!

Father Joseph Roesch, MIC, serves as second general councilor for the Marians in Rome.

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