The Philippine Province had their virtual Annual Retreat starting in the evening of January 25 until the evening of the 30th. Since strict travel restrictions were in place and congregating in big groups was prohibited, we decided to have our Annual Retreat in our respective communities. Some of our confreres in the foreign missions also joined us.

Every day for five (5) consecutive days, the confreres gathered together in their respective communities to pray, reflect, share reflections and experiences, and celebrate the Eucharist together. The highlight of the day were two talks that were given in the morning and in the early afternoon. The theme of the retreat followed the theme of the General Assembly– Revitalizing our identity at the beginning of the 5th century of the CM. The topics of the ten talks revolved around the areas of spirituality, lifestyle and ministries; they were taken from the Instrumentum Laboris.

Ten confreres were selected to deliver the talks lasting from 30 to 45 minutes each. The first two talks were on the challenges of missionary conversion; the second set was on spirituality or the joy of preaching the Gospel and prayer. The third set was on lifestyle or community life for the mission. The last four talks were on Evangelization of the Peripheries, Social Ministry in the Time of Pandemic, Formation of the Clergy and Formation of the Laity, our partners in evangelization. The speakers referenced the materials found in the GA website particularly the library that contained articles; they likewise included the Constitutions and Statutes, our Provincial Norms and Hearts on Fire: Provincial Plan (2018-2023).

In the evenings after dinner, some communities gathered together for the Domestic Assembly; others chose to do it immediately after the retreat or even a week after since the results of the Domestic Assembly were due on February 17, 2021. The general feedback from the confreres was very positive. We hit several “birds” with one stone. In addition to our annual spiritual retreat, we generated interest in the upcoming General Assembly and renewed enthusiasm to participate in the Domestic and the Provincial Assembly.

(Gregorio Bañaga, Jr., CM, Visitor)