On September 7, 2022, received and welcomed the Regional Executive Committee of the National Priest Organization (NPO) in Mindanao. The “lakbay-aral” is part of the Obispado Maximo’s Clergy Ministerial Formation (CMF) Program. This program “provide opportunities for learning and enrichment of the clergy’s ministry.”
The “lakbay-aral” started on September 5 to September 9, 2022 which was “intended to enhance their formation and capability as ministers of this Church.”
The visit started at Colegio de San Letran where Isabelo de los Reyes, Sr. and Obispo Maximo Gregorio Aglipay had studied. The next stop was in the Isabelo de los Reyes, Sr. Elementary School in Tondo, then to the Sitio Sulukan (Plaza Guipit) in Sampaloc, Manila where the Union Obrera Democratic was founded. The the group passed at University of Sto. Tomas which is also the university that Don Belong and OM Aglipay earned their Bachelor degree.
Other historical places the group had visited are the Church of the Risen Lord, UP Diliman, in which the IFI had started its campus ministry in 1950s. Then they visited the University of the Philippines School of Labor and Industrial Relation where one of the halls in this institution is named after Dob Belong. The next stop was in Museo Bantayog (Bantayog ng mga Bayani) at Quezon Avenue, Quezon City. Museo Bantayog displayed the arts, historical pictures and stories related to Martial Law.
The parishes where the NPO Mindanao leaders had visited were the Maria Clara Church of Christ, Sto. Nino Parish of Pandacan, Holy Sepulcher Parish of Paco, UP Parish of the Holy Cross, Resurrection Parish of Balingasa at the Cathedral of the Crucified Lord in Brgy. Apolonio Samson, Quezon City.
The diocesan bishop, the Right Revd. Vicente Salvador R. Ballesteros led the clergy of the diocese in welcoming the clergy-visitors with lunch (Paco Parish), dinner (Kangkong cathedral) and the giving of tokens as a remembrance of their visit.
On September 6 was intended for the clergy participants to journey with the ecumenical partners like the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, National Council of Churches in the Philippines, Promotion of Church People’s Response, Episcopal Church in the Philippines which included St. Andrew’s Theological Seminary. They also visited the Kilusang Mayo Uno and Migrante International as the Iglesia Filipina Independiente are closed to these sectoral organizations.
On September 8 was a visit in selected parishes in the Diocese of Cavite (Bacoor Cathedral, Parishes of Binakayan, Noveleta and Maragondon) and the important historical places such as the seat of Emilio Aguinaldo revolutionary government at the house of Juan and Candida Cuenca in Bacoor, Cavite, Gen. Baldomero Aguinalado Museum (Binakayan), Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Museum (Kawit) and Bahay ng Paglilitis kay Andres Bonifacio (Maragondon).
The last day (September 9) was the processing of experiences of the participants. The dioceses represented are the Dioceses of Cagayan de Oro, Cabadbaran, Surigao, Siargao, Dinagat, Koronadal, Libertad, Ozamiz and Oroquieta. Dioceses were not represented are Cortes, Davao, Malaybalay, Tubod and Pagadian.
