The Diocese of Dumaguete, headed by Bishop Julito Cortes, launched Thursday the Year of the Parish as Communion of Communities as it also formally closed the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Family and the Eucharist.
Bishop Cortes presided the concelebrated mass participated in by the Dumaguete clergy as well as a “missionary of mercy” appointed by the Holy Father and a consultant-priest that assisted the diocese during its pastoral planning this week.
In his homily, the Dumaguete prelate first thanked the priests, religious, lay faithful and pilgrims from the different parishes who came from far-flung areas to attend the ceremony at the St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral in this capital city.
Bishop Cortes reiterated the message of Pope Francis on showing mercy especially to the people in the peripheries.
He also expressed gratitude for the successful holding of four days of discernment for the Dumaguete clergy at which they discussed the proposed vision, mission, goals and core values as a diocese.
Fr. Augusto Angeles, a consultant-priest from another diocese, had joined the local clergy in their pastoral planning, Bishop Cortes said.
Also, Fr. Jerome Ponce, OFM, a Missionary of Mercy appointed by the Holy Father, gave some talks during the four days of discernment and who also spoke about mercy in a jam-packed Cathedral shortly before the mass on Thursday.
Pope Francis had appointed hundreds of Missionaries of Mercy for his jubilee year to go out to the dioceses and “preach about mercy and hear confessions”.
As the local celebration of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Family and the Eucharist came to a close here, Bishop Cortes then emphasized on the strengthening of the Basic Ecclesial Communities as the diocese gears up for the Year of the Parish as Communion of Communities through 2017.
In a discussion with Fr. Cyril Jaurigue, the diocesan BEC Commission head, Bishop Cortes disclosed that he said to “have BEC our way. Meaning, it has all the essentials of what makes a BEC — but attuned to our peculiar situation, resources, culture and ethos”.
“I wish a BEC is welcoming and inclusive, a fertile ground for communion, participation and mission; a BEC that is preceded by a solid Christian formation modules like ‘Live Christ, Share Christ’, PREX, etc.”, Bishop Cortes continued.
Furthermore, the bishop also emphasized a BEC which “maximizes collaboration with existing mandated religious organizations and covenanted communities, which can be the situs and funnel of integral evangelization, social and economic intervention, paving the way for necessary communitarian and societal transformation”.
Bishop Cortes also stressed the need for a BEC that embraces all, the rich, the poor, those in the center and in the peripheries, “generously collaborating in transforming the City of Man into the City of God”.
According to the prelate, there are many ways to strengthen and improve the BECs in the parishes, but he put premium on the formation of BECs with mercy.
“The parish is a Communion of Communities which has to be animated with mercy and compassion”, Bishop Cortes said. (PNA)