Celebrating life

Starting today, April 27, 2012 up to Sunday, April 29, 2012, another significant convention with deep and long lasting impact in our Christian life will be held at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City. This is the 12th National Convention of Parish based groups known as the Parish Renewal Experience (PREX) composed of lay people from all over the Philippines. They will meet for the next three days and engaged in a heart to heart discussion and soulful exchange of ideas centered on the theme “Called to Proclaim the Gospel of Life.”

Actually, PREX is not an organization but a Catholic formation seminar under the Evangelization/Education Ministry of the Parish. Since it is not an organization, the lay leaders giving and facilitating it saw the need to organize for physical and spiritual preparation, and for proper conduct and facilitation. Thus the Parish PREX Secretariat was formed whose members are appointed by the Parish Priest. The different Parish PREX Secretariats in turn organized themselves into a National Association of Parish PREX Secretariats Inc. (NAPPS) which has been conducting the National PREX convention like the current one held in Antipolo City.

Originally, PREX was known as PRE and it first started at the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey in the early ’70s. It was conceived by Father Charles Gallagher, S.J. and a group of priests and lay people as a reflection of Pope Pius VI encyclical entitled “Evangelium Nuntiandi” which in local parlance is translated as “Magpahayag ng Mabuting Balita.” PREX starts with the family and is oriented to the Parish. Thus the PREX member-couples usually address each other as “Kuya and Ate.” Undoubtedly, it has helped greatly in the renewal of the local church, in imparting Catholic teaching, in promoting love of God’s Word and love of prayer, and in instilling the zeal to evangelize. Through the years, since its conception the PREX in the Parishes have really become instruments of conversions for many people as they have served as venues for life changing encounters with the Lord.

Hence from the USA, PREX easily spread to Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, Fiji, Indonesia, and Singapore until it reached the Philippine shores in 1980. Since then numerous PREX have sprouted in Parishes throughout the country so that there are now sixteen ecclesiastical provinces of PREX from Cagayan province up North to Cotabato down South. The current National President couple is August and Beth Perez.

Adhering to Pope Pius VI’s message that the Church as an Evangelizer can only evangelize the world with credibility if she begins evangelizing herself first, the PREX started its work of evangelization in the families of the different Parishes in the country. Aside from bringing the Gospel or the Good News to the families, it connects the families to the Parishes and gives them a sense of belonging. In this way, the parishioners or the Laity are somehow united with the priests in the Parishes and become more involved in pastoral work as effective Evangelizers. The PREX also tries to bring forth a conversion experience among the parishioners through the promotion of the Sacrament of Reconciliation that indubitably results in a reinvigorated and renewed Church.

With its theme “Called to Proclaim the Gospel of Life,” the program topics in the 12th National PREX Convention chaired by Alex and Lucille Alindogan will expectedly focus on the culture of life and how to preserve it against the creeping culture of death stemming from too much secularism in this modern world. Thus one of the main topics in the convention is “The truth about the wide ranging ‘Reproductive Health’ law proffered as the solution to overpopulation and key to the country’s economic development” to be given by most Reverend Broderick S. Pabillo, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop of Manila on the second day of the convention. His talk will be followed by a Talakayan by a panel composed of Atty. Jo Imbong, Dr. Ligaya Acosta and myself, on the different aspects of the RH Bill, its defects from a constitutional and legal point of view as well as its lack of scientific and medical basis for its definition of when life begins.” Maribel Gaite will act as Moderator.

The convention will start on April 27, 2012 with a concelebrated Mass presided by Most Reverend Gabriel B. Reyes, D.D., Bishop of Antipolo who will also be the Keynote Homilist delving on the encyclical “Evangelium Vitae,” proclaiming the Gospel of Life; that “Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimension of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God.” Also giving a talk about the “family as the primary cell of the church and society; the first school where the Gospel of Life should be proclaimed, taught and lived,” is Rev. Fr. Melvin P. Castro, the Executive Secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and Life.

The celebration of the Eucharist on the second day will be presided by the Most Rev. Mylo Hubert C. Vergara, D.D. Bishop of Pasig who will focus his homily on “Mary: the Model for Proclaiming the Gospel of Life.” Reverend Fr. Ramon M. Ramos, the Parish Priest of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary in Sun Valley Subdivision, Paranaque City will also talk of “Our accountability for Life”; that we are called to proclaim the gospel of life to others. As Jesus is our way, our truth and our life, we must bring others to him.”

On day three, Most Reverend Pablo Virgilio S. David, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop of San Fernando will talk about the “threats to human life that goes against the fifth commandment particularly the culture of death in our society, violation of the dignity of human persons and the reckless tampering with the ecological balance borne out of greed.” This will be followed by another talakayan by a panel composed of Lucy Mendoza, Dr. Adelita Medina and Jesse Eustaquio, on the “moral dilemma of abortion and drug abuse; the psychology and morality of suicide.” Mario Garcia will be the moderator. The last talk will be given by Rev. Msgr. Jesus Romulo C. Ranada, Spiritual Director of NAPPS, in his homily during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist dealing on “The action plan to proclaim the gospel of life.”

With all those interesting and highly informative topics, the convention indeed promises to be a grand celebration and appreciation of Life which is God’s most precious gift to man.

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