Divine Mercy our Hope: Embracing God’s Merciful Love: The 5th Philippine Apostolic Congress of Mercy

More than three thousand devotees of the Divine Mercy from the different dioceses and archdioceses all over the Philippines, including thirty (30) delegates from Divine Mercy Guam and two (2) from Divine Mercy North America, the clergies, the bishops and archbishops, gathered at the Archdiocese of Davao specifically at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) Gymnasium, Obrero Street, Davao City, for a three-day PACOM or the Philippine Apostolic Congress on Mercy from August 28, 29, 30, 2025.

This is the first PACOM after pandemic, according to Ms. Joji Ilagan-Bian, Mindanao Lay Coordinator of Divine Mercy Apostolate and one of the lead organizers of PACOM 2025. PACOM’s theme is in line with the Catholic Church theme for 2025 – Pilgrim of Hope, which is Divine Mercy our Hope: Embracing God’s Merciful Love. Ms. Joji Ilagan-Bian further explained that they chose the theme to give hope to everyone that despite the problems we have been facing after Covid-19 pandemic economically, emotionally, psychologically, Divine Mercy has been our source of hope and we must embrace God’s merciful love. To Ms. Ilagan-Bian, this is the gathering of faith, hope, love and unity.

PACOM 2025 formally opened on August 28, 2025 at 1:00 o’clock in the afternoon with a Lectio Divina, opening preliminaries and a Welcome message from Ms. Joji Ilagan-Bian, followed by an input on Divine Mercy: The Heartbeat of Hope. The topic was presented by Most Reverend Valentin C. Dimoc, D.D., Vicar-Apostolate of the Apostolic Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe, and the Testimonials of Atty. Raul Nestor A. Ancheta, President of One World Foundation, which aimed to discover how Divine Mercy serves as the foundation of lasting hope rooted in God’s love. The second topic was given after the Three o’ clock Prayer by Rev. Fr. James Cervantes, MIC, Director of the Association of Marian Helpers in the Philippines, entitled, From Mercy Flows Hope, a pilgrim’s journey based on the life of Sister Faustina. The third topic for the day was Divine Mercy and Social Justice which discussed the relationship between Justice and Merciful Love, presented by Rev. Fr. Jose Junar N. Dela Victoria, JCD, OFS, the Judicial Vicar of the Archdiocese of Davao.

On the second day of the congress, the program started at 8:00 o’clock in the morning with the following topics and discussions: 1) Hope in the Storm: Divine Mercy in Times of Suffering which talked on how God’s mercy empowers us to stand strong, offering hope even in the midst of life’s greatest challenges, presented by Most Rev. Gerardo A. Alminaza, D.D., Bishop of Diocese of San Carlos, Negros Occidental, with the Testimonials of Dr. Catherine Perandos Zamoras, M.D., Assistant Lay Coordinator of Divine Mercy Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Davao; 2) The Power of Prayer in the Light of Divine Mercy, exploring on how prayer draws us into God’s merciful love, filling us with hope and strength in every season, given by Most Rev. Jose Elmer L. Mangalinao, D.D., Bishop of Bayombong; 3) Forgiveness that Frees: Opening the Door to Hope, a journey into forgiveness as a path to healing and renewal in our relationships and within ourselves, a panel discussion of Rev. Fr. Ronaldo T. Galvan, DCK, Diocese of Kidapawan and Rev. Fr. Jay Hector J. Lituañas, A.A., Diocese of Digos, facilitated by Ms. Aida M. Manasan, Founding President of The Hour of Three; 4) Healing Waters of Mercy: Finding Hope Against Brokenness-John 9:7, discovering how Divine Mercy offers healing for life’s wounds, restoring hope and wholeness, of Manuel Maban of the Diocese of Kabankalan; and 5) Divine Mercy: In the Lives and Actions of the Youth, a panel discussion together with the youth discussants: Jasmine Valerie B. Salazar from the Diocese of Digos, Reijen Yusoff Apoderado from the Archdiocese of Baguio, Carlwin Tantan of San Miguel Parish Panacan, Davao City and Jomar Earl Narciso of San Alfonso de Liguori Parish Mandug, Davao City, respectively, from the Archdiocese of Davao, facilitated by Rev. Fr. Amado B. Arroyo, DCD, Spiritual Director of the Divine Mercy Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Davao.

On the third day of the congress, the last topic was Mercy as our Mission: Bringing Hope to a World in Need, presented by Most Rev. Ruperto C. Santos, D.D., Bishop of Antipolo. Our very own Most Reverent Romulo G. Valles shared his special message to the PACOM 2025 delegates with his heart full of gratitude. He said that in “this congress we discover anew the heart of our faith – Divine Mercy our hope embracing God’s merciful love.” He further said, “Let us not forget the joy we have experienced here. As we return to our homes, let us carry with us the beautiful message we’ve heard again and again – Jesus I trust in you! Needless to say, we have been reminded very well- Mercy is not meant to be kept in our notebooks, or only in our cellphones and in photos. Truly, mercy is believed, shared and practiced every day in our families, our parishes, our homes, and our workplaces and even in our places of recreation. Thus, we unceasingly beg for the Lord’s divine mercy and in turn, we strive to share with others the same mercy that we continually receive from Him.”

Eucharistic celebration was held daily after the lectures, discussions and sharing. On the first day, Most Reverend Romulo G. Valles, D.D., Archbishop of Davao, presided over the Holy Mass at 5:00 in the afternoon. On the second day of PACOM 2025, His Eminence Orlando Beltran Cardinal Quevedo, OMI, D.D., Archbishop Emeritus of Cotabato presided over the Holy Mass at 3:30 o’clock in the afternoon, while on the last day, His Eminence Jose Cardinal F. Advincula, D.D., Archbishop of Manila with Most Rev. Bishop Ruperto Santos, D.D., Bishop of Antipolo, presided over the Eucharistic celebration at 9:45 o’clock in the morning. The Holy Masses were concelebrated by the bishops, archbishops and clergies from other different dioceses and archdioceses all over the Philippines. The messages given by the mass presiders touched everyone’s hearts and increased their devotion to the Divine Mercy. In their homilies, they told us that Jesus wants us to be humble and courageous, to defend the truth, justice and the poor, to love one another, see the abundance of grace, and to show mercy to everyone coming from our being.

During our interviews from the start of the congress until the end, the delegates were all touched by the topics, the speakers, the sharers, the discussants, and the homilies shared by the presiders on how the Divine Mercy changed their lives. They all wished to join the next PACOM in 2028 at the Diocese of Antipolo. The delegates were also very happy and grateful to the PACOM 2025 organizers for the great and awesome success. PACOM is held every three years, routing from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The next PACOM will be at the Diocese of Antipolo.

Jesus, I trust in you!

(By Rowena Baldoza Villaflor | Photos by Joji Ilagan-Bian, Jomar Narciso, & DCH)