Three Bible seminars were held during the recent 2-week Bible mission of some Sisters in Antique from May 19 – June 1. The first two seminars were organized by Fr. Boyet Tubianosa, the priest who requested for our 2-week mission in Antique. It was facilitated by Sr. Niña and Sr. Melba.
The first of these two seminars was held on May 24 in Lacaron, one of the 76 barangays in Sibalom. A huge percentage of the population in this barangay are Aglipayans, but the handful of Catholics here (mostly converts from the Aglipayans) are closely knit and have a very strong family spirit. There were about 30 participants in this Bible seminar, mostly young people. All of them were very lively, participative and very grateful for the inputs they have received.
The second Bible Seminar was held the following day, May 25, in the Parish of our Lady of the Candles in Belison. This parish is run by a Mill Hill priest, Fr. James Spruit. The organizers of this seminar expected around 200 participants, but only around 56 came, which – thankfully – was a more manageable number for the facilitators. Although this seminar was open to all the parishioners, most of those who participated were active members of the various organizations in the parish, including the youth.
The third and last Bible Seminar was held at our host parish, the Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer in San Remigio on June 1, the very last day of the mission. This was facilitated by Sr. Yolanda, Sr. Melissa and Sr. Melba, and participated in by around 65 lay leaders, catechists, youth leaders and other members of various parish organizations. The parish priest, Fr. Sergio Maniba, who was also present during the seminar, happily obliged when asked to deepen the inputs given by the facilitators.
What was greatly appreciated in these three seminars – because it deeply touched the hearts of almost all the participants – were the small group sharing and praying of the Word of God that followed the inputs. It was very moving to be able to experience the hunger and thirst of the people for the Word of God – for this Word to be the source of their everyday strength and courage…
Personally, I can never forget these reflections and sentiments that some of the participants expressed:
- I have reached this age, never really quite knowing what I was reading at mass, and never really able to appreciate the wealth of God’s Word as I do now. I thank God for allowing me to be here, to experience love and appreciation of His Word before I die (from a 60 year old lector-commentator).
- I am deeply moved by this experience of praying on the Word of God as a group. It seems to me, Sister, that one cannot read and reflect on the Word of God without being moved to tears. It is such a moving experience (from a lady with 2 adorable kids).
- I have felt the Word of God reaching my deepest core, in the areas that have been hurting but which I have tried to bury and forget. The profound sharing of the others in my group has given me deep insight into these realities: that others are struggling even more painfully than I am and I am not alone in my journey, that the Word of God is a source of healing for my brokenness and the brokenness of others, that in all my pain and struggles I am deeply and unconditionally loved by God (from a catechist).