A groundbreaking at MSP-Tayud

CEBU, Philippines - I had a number of MSP (Mission Society of the Philippines) seminarians as classmates while I was taking up my Bachelor of Philosophy (Ph.B.) degree at the University of San Carlos (A.B. English – Ph.B.). Only two of them became priests and they joined the pioneer batch of missionaries sent by the Philippine Catholic heirarchy to the world in 1975.

Popes, starting with Pope Pius XII, had pointed out the special role the Philippines has in Asia. During the 4th Centennial celebration of the Christianity of the Philippines in 1965, Pope John XXIII gave the mandate for the Catholic Church of the Philippines to spread the gospel to the rest of Asia. Thus, the Mission Society of the Philippines came to be. The proceeds of a raffle held during the Centennial celebration made possible the purchase of the 20-hectare property in Tayud, Consolacion. (three hectares have since been donated to the Order of the Poor Claires.)

Ten years later, during the reign of Pope Paul VI, MSP priests were deployed to neighboring countries in Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, East Timor) and the Pacific (Cook Islands & Papua New Guinea, in particular) for the great task of evangelization to the most remote corners of these missionary destinations. Pope Paul VI, at the time, reiterated the charism the Philippines holds, as the first and only Christian country in the Far East. With this divine gift of charism is the task of missionary work, of letting the light shine for all the world to see.

Now, 35 years after the first MSP missionary priests ventured into foreign lands to spread the Good News of Christ, the pioneer workers in the Lord’s vineyard are due for retirement. Some had even gone on to receive their just rewards in the afterlife. Hence, the Mission Society of the Philippines in Tayud is raising funds for the building of a Retirement Home for its priests.

Costing a modest sum of PESOS: FOURTEEN MILLION, the 14-room building will also house a round-shaped chapel symbolic of Christ: the Alpha (beginning) & the Omega(end) — The Infinite Source of Life. Designed by MSP church-goer Architect Wilson Cabahug, the retirees’ rooms all face the gentle panorama of the Mactan Strait, accented by the pink twin towers of The Hilton across the waters in Mactan Island. Set on top of an elevated plain, the building will follow the contours of the rocky terrain. Completion is slated two years from now, depending on the funds raised by such activities as the ongoing raffle with a car as grand prize. (If you want to help, please contact Aissa de la Cruz #0917-3218486)

The Mission Society of the Philippines currently has a Formation Center in Tagaytay. Four seminarians – equivalent to scholastics in the regular religious orders – are in Tayud to complete their post-graduate formation. The laborers are few for the Lord’s vineyard…