Reporting to the CBCP Plenary Assembly

Since yesterday, over 120 Catholic bishops have been in session at the Pius XII center to discuss concerns and issues affecting the Church in the Philippines. Today, the plenary assembly continued and listened to the reports from various episcopal commissions and committees. In the afternoon, Bishop George Rimando - the Chairman of the Committee on Basic Ecclesial Communities of the CBCP introduced me to the assembled bishops as the new executive secretary. Then I gave the initial report on the result of the the assessment/planning session of the National BEC team (especially the National Assembly of Diocesan BEC Coordinators/Directors). The new website of the office of the CBCP-BEC committee was also launched: http://www.cbcpbec.com/ .

This has been a busy week. I arrived from Davao last Monday after giving a 5-day seminar on Missiology: Redemptorist Perspective. The following day I immediately reported to my office at the CBCP building and followed up the website. I also did some recording for my weekly podcast "Sambayanihan" for the CBCP Online Radio. I also did some final preparation for the seminar on Missiology and BEC which I will be giving to 11 newly-ordained priests of the Cebu archdiocese two days from now.I attended a meeting last Friday evening called by Archbishop Sergio Utleg (chair of the Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples) to plan for a biking pilgrimage for the Tribal Peoples and the Environment. Yesterday, I went to the Pius XII center to follow up on the distribution of the printed copy of the CBCP-BEC detailed report to the bishops. This evening, after spending the whole day in the Pius XII center, I said the 6:30 pm mass in Memory of Fr. Rudy Romano who was picked up my suspected military intelligence and disappeared 26 years ago. Tomorrow, I still have a meeting with Bishop Rimando and Msgr. Manny and Msgr. Jomari to finalize our plans for the National Gathering of Diocesan BEC directors this October. Then I fly to Cebu at 9:30 in the evening and start my Missiology-BEC seminar for the newly-ordained Cebuano priests.

I still have not fully recovered from my colds which started over 3 weeks ago. It seems that I am developing an acute sinusitis. I need to take some rest but my schedule is full up to the end of the month.