Every year, Labor Day invites us to reflect on the dignity of work. In the life of the Church, this reflection finds a powerful model in St. Joseph the Worker—a man who lived a quiet life, yet fulfilled a mission of great importance through his...
The 1897 Holy Week celebration at San Pedro Church in Davao was quite a sight, attended no less by five priests and three brothers. With a growing population of converts in and around the old town, the public reception, led primarily by dedicated public officials...
As head of the Jesuit mission in Davao, Fr. Saturnino C. Urios, SJ, was well aware of the love-hate rapport the people showed towards the colonial authorities, in part due to the strictures imposed and the rough treatment some of the natives received for committing...
We enter the celebration of Easter as a people renewed, called to reflect on the mystery of Christ’s Resurrection and what it means for our lives as believers. We should embrace the essence of Easter, emblazoned with the blessing of the new fire, symbolizing that Christ...
The Jesuit missionaries confronted the slave system through a number of direct and practical strategies by establishing mission settlements designed to offer refuge to vulnerable populations. Indigenous communities were encouraged to settle near mission stations, where the presence of missionaries and sometimes Spanish detachments provided...
I have always believed I would not have been like them. Not the crowd that shouted, not the voices that called for His crucifixion. I tell myself I would have stood by Jesus, that I would have chosen differently. But the more I reflect on this...
As Holy Week approaches, I find myself looking back on my journey with God. It is not a perfect one, but a real and honest one. There were many times when I questioned Him, moments when I doubted His existence, and seasons when I felt...
Dear Ate Emz, As lenten season is fast approaching, kinahanglan natong obserbahan ang mga kalihukan sa atong Simbahan sincerely and heartily. Usahay mawala na ang essence sa atong pag obserba niini kung kini ginabuhat kay lagi tradisyon, for compliance o sabay sa panahon. Ang uban sab...
National Women’s Month is a time not only to honor achievements, but it is also a moment to reflect on the quiet, steadfast influence of women throughout history. Long before conversations about equality and leadership became common, women were shaping society and faith with courage, conviction,...
When Fr. Saturnino C. Urios, SJ, arrived in Davao on 15 September 1892 as its new local superior, many of the areas that were largely converted to Christianity continued to embrace their animist practices. Among the Bagobos, despite the stern warnings from the colonial authorities...