On July 23, 2010, two members of the SCJ Philippine District: Bro. John Quoc Tran together with Bro. Joseph Quang Tran, and Bro. Nekkanti B. Show Reddy from the District of India made their final profession of vows in the congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The celebration took place at the Dehon House in Quezon City.
On the following day on July 24, 2010 Bro. Phong and Bro. Quang were ordained deacons. The ceremony, which was presided by the Most Rev. Antonio Tobias, DD - the Bishop of Novaliches, took place during the Holy Eucharist at San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish in Quezon City.
Both celebrations were attended by SCJ confreres, friends and members of the families of the new deacons.
On May 13, 2010 two Novices: Dinh Van Nguyen and Jhomar M. Tuburan made their first profession of vows in the congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. The ceremony took plcae during the Holy Eucharist at the Novitiate Fr. Dehon in Lucoban, Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur.
The vows were taken in the presence of the members of SCJ Philippine District, quest priests and religious, members of families and friends of the newly professed SCJs and the Congregation.
The vows were accepted by the District Superior Fr. Jose Benedito de Moraes Machado.
During the same celebration another four young SCJs on temporary vows renewed their commitment to God and to the Congregation.
Today, on March 19, 2010, on the Feast of St. Joseph, the Holy See has announced the good news regarding episcopal nomination of our SCJ confrere Rev. Fr. Vilsom Basso, scj. Fr. Vilsom Basso belongs to the SCJ Philippine District and until now was assigned as formator in Cagayan de Oro City and Pastor in charge in Dansolihon Chaplaincy. His new assignment will be as a bishop in diocese Caxias in Maranhão (Brazil).
Fr. Vilsom basso, scj was born on February 16, 1960 in Cinquentenário Tuparendi, in the diocese of Santo Ângelo, in the province of Rio Grande do Sul. After his elementary studies in his native city, he entered the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Dehonians). He received his title of Bachelor in Philosophy in Brusque (1979-1981) and one in theology in Taubaté (1982-1985). On 25 February 1985 he made the Final Profession in the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart and onDecember 28th 1985 he was ordained a priest. In 1991, he followed a postgraduate course in pastoral theology at the University Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia.
In the Diocese of Viana, State of Maranhão, he was assigned as parochial vicar in the parish of "Santa Inês" (1986-1987) and Alto Alegre (1993) and as a Pastor of the Parish of "Santa Luzia" (1998-2003). In the Archdiocese of São Luís do Maranhão, he was a parochial vicar (1988-1992) and then the parish priest (2004-2005) of the Sanctuary "Nossa Senhora da Conceição". In addition, he was coordinator of youth ministry in the State of Maranhão (1988-1992) and Councilor of the National Pastoral Youth of the Brazilian Bishops' Conference (1994-1997). In 2006 he was assistant priest of the shrine "São Judas Tadeu" in São Paulo. Since 2007 he is one of the formators of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.
On February 4 and 5, 2010, two SCJ deacons Rev. Marcial C. Aguirre and Rev. Donald S. Longno were ordained priests. The two separated celebrations were held in their home parishes in Kumalarang and Margosatubig respectively. In both cases the ordaining bishop was Most Rev. Emmanuel Cabajar, C.Ss.R, DD, the Bishop of Diocese of Pagadian.
It is noteworthy that Kumalarang is an SCJ parish and Margosatubig, a former SCJ parish and in both of them it was already second ordination for the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Both ordinations were attended by many SCJ's, diocesan priests, religious from different congregations, friends and relatives of the newly ordained priests. Also, among the priests attending the celebration in Kumalarang was Fr. Mick Sinnott, a Columban priest, who last October 2009 was kidnapped and released after one month in captivity. Fr. Mick just returned to the Philippines and to Pagadian from where he was taken.
On February 13 and 15, 2010, two more SCJ deacons Rev. Rechie C. Gier and Rev. Jigger C. Ganados will be also ordained priests, which will increase the number of Filipino SCJ priests to seven.
So far, thanks be to God for his blessings and congratulations to the new priests.
On January 11, 2010, the SCJ Philippine District started its annual assembly. The assembly is being held in the Novitiate Fr. Dehon in Lucoban, Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur and will conclude on January 14, 2010.
Among the 25 participants attending this meeting there are two special visitors from Rome - the General Superior Fr. Jose Ornelas Carvalho and Fr. Paulus Sugino, the General Councilor, two confreres working in Vietnam and four deacons, who are going to be ordained next month.
The assembly started with reflection conducted by Fr. Delio Ruiz, which was followed by personal sharing of each member of the District.
According to the schedule, the second day is dedicated to reporting of activities by different commissions and groups of interest.
On the third day, the General Superior Fr. Jose Ornelas Carvalho will have his time to share about activities of the Congregation and to discuss important matters regarding works and future of the District.
The fourh and last day of the assembly will be dedicated to financial matters in the morning, and a 3-year plan of the District in the afternoon.
The Philippine District is happy and thankful because of the presence of Fr. Jose Ornelas Carvalho and Fr. Paulus Sugino.
On January 9, 2010, the Chaplaincy in Dansolihon, Cagayan de Oro City, celebrated its patronal feast of "Jesus Nazareno". The feast was proceded with 9-day Novena, a spiritual preparation which consisted of everyday procession around the barangay and Holy Mass in the morning..
The concelebrated Feast Mass was presided by the parish priest of Immaculate Conception Parish in Aluba, Rev. Fr. Boy Salvador, DD, together with the pastor in-charge Fr. Vilsom Basso and superior of the DCJ Philippine District - Fr. Jose Machado de Moraes. The celebration itself was attended many people coming from all the chapels of the Chaplaincy of Jesus Nazareno.
Yesterday, on October 11, 2009 was kidnapped an Irish missionary, from the Society of St. Columban, Fr. Michael Sinnott (80).
The attack took place around 7 pm (local time) when the priest was reciting Vespers at home.
A witness, Marieta Burok, said six kidnappers threw the clergyman into a waiting van that was subsequently found torched near the village of Santa Lucia.
They then took a small motorised boat and left in direction of Lanao del Norte province.
Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front are the main suspects. “We can't speculate yet on who is behind the kidnapping, but the militant group Abu Sayyaf is known to be operating near the area,” Regional police commander Chief Superintendent Angelo Sunglao, said.
In the meantime, Mgr Emmanuel Cabajar, archbishop of Pagadian, has appealed to the kidnappers to immediately release of Father Sinnott because of his poor health. The clergyman had heart surgery last July. Born in Barnatown (Wexford) in 1929, Father Sinnot has been in the Philippines for the past 40 years.
Described as ‘jolly” by his staff, the elderly clergyman is fluent in a number of languages and is well loved among the population, someone without an enemy.
Father Sinnott is the third Columban priest to be kidnapped. In 1997, Father Des Hartford was abducted by Islamic militants and held for 12 days. In 2001, Father Rufus Hally, was shot dead during an attempted abduction.
Here is a chronology of the highest-profile kidnappings carried out by the Abu Sayyaf, or gangs linked to it:
September 1998: Italian priest Luciano Benedetti was kidnapped and released after eight weeks in captivity.
April 2000: Abu Sayyaf militants launched a daring cross-border raid, abducting 21 European and Asian hostages from a resort in Sipadan, Malaysia. All were freed one after the other in a year-long hostage crisis that also saw many foreign journalists covering the crisis being kidnapped and released.
August 2000: Jeffrey Schilling, an American convert to Islam, walked into an Abu Sayyaf lair on Jolo island after marrying a Filipino Muslim woman he met on the Internet. The bride turned out be related to an Abu Sayyaf rebel. He was rescued by the military after more than six months.
May 2001: Abu Sayyaf rebels raided the Dos Palmas beach resort on Palawan island, abducting 20 people, including American missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham, and compatriot Guillermo Sobero. Sobero was beheaded the following month, while Martin Burnham and a Filipina nurse also held captive were killed a year later in a military rescue. Gracia was freed in the rescue operation. The other 16 hostages were released earlier after ransoms were paid.
October 17, 2001: an SCJ confrere Fr. Giuseppe Pierantoni was kidnapped by men with links to Abu Sayyaf. He was freed after six months in captivity.
June 2007: Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions was kidnapped by men with ties to the Abu Sayyaf. He was freed a month later.
June 2008: Popular local television news anchor Ces Drilon and two crew members were seized and held for several days while working on a story about the Abu Sayyaf.
January 15, 2009: International Committee of the Red Cross workers Andreas Notter of Switzerland, Eugenio Vagni of Italy and Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba were kidnapped while on a humanitarian mission on Jolo island. Notter and Lacaba were freed in April, while Vagni was released in July.
Fr. Michael Sinnott is a big friend of all SCJs, especially those working in Pagadian area. Let us remember him in our daily prayers that nothing will happen to him and very soon will be released.
Last August 21, 2009, the four SCJ religious brothers were ordained as Deacon in San Isidro Labrador Parish in Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur (Earlier, on July 20 they made their Final Profession of Vows in Cagayan de Oro). The Mass was presided by the Bishop of Diocese of Pagadian, His Excellency Bishop Emmanuel Cabajar, C.Ss.R, DD. The newly ordained Deacons are Bro. Marcial C. Aguirre of Kumalarang, Zamboanga del Sur, Bro. Jigger C. Ganados of Jasaan, Misamis Oriental, Bro. Rechie C. Gier of Lianga, Surigao del Sur and Bro. Donald S. Longno of Margosatubig, Zamboanga del Sur.
The preparation for the Eucharistic celebration and the agape were undertaken by the Parish of Dumalinao headed by the Parish Priest, Fr. Janusz Burzawa, SCJ and the members of the SCJ Dumalinao Community. The liturgical celebration was very solemn. The theme for the Mass was “Doing the will of Him who send me and bring His work t completion is my food” (Jn. 4:34). In his homily, Bishop Cabajar reminded the faithful to pray for all priests and religious specially that this year the Catholic Church observes the Year for Priests. And, for the newly ordained deacons, the Bishop encouraged them to promote and support the Basic Ecclesial Community advocacy of the local Church. He likewise discussed in his homily about the challenges of the Church in the modern times and pointed out that as Christians, specifically, as ordained minister, they should remain steadfast in their vocation and commitment to serve the people and preach the Gospel. And, that he reminded them that despite the difficulties and challenges God’s presence will sustain them as Jesus said, “I will be with you always.” (cf. Mt. 28:26)
This Mass was attended by the local parishioners and many visitors from many places including the families and friends of the newly ordained deacons, benefactors, and the SCJ Philippine District members as well as a good number of diocesan fathers.
Fr. Arthur Guevara, SCJ, called by his friends Fr. Tong, is a self-made musician. Recently, together with the Frontline Creations band, Fr. Tong recorded a CD with his songs, which was oficially launched during a special concert on May 9, 2009 in Kumalarang. "Pagdayeg, Himaya!", placed recently on YouTube, is one of the Cebuano songs from that CD composed by Fr. Tong and it means "Praise, Glory!". To see the video trailer of this song please click the following link Pagdayeg, Himaya! or watch below.
