Fr John Leydon is Vice-Director of the Missionary Society of St Columban in Philippine Region. He has been part of the team in Our Lady of Remedies Parish, Malate, Manila, for many years, some of them as parish priest. He has been involved with the Center for Ecozoic Living and Learning (CELL) in Silang, Cavite and was one of those who established it in 1998. Fr John is a member of the steering committee of Global Catholic Climate Movement, became one of the co-convenors of GCCM for the Philippines and currently its chairperson. The idea of GCCM came in 2014 and in June 2016, GCCM-Pilipinas was established.
had the privilege to visit the Punduhan (Stopover) ng Mga Dumagat Center in Norzagaray, Bulacan as part of the elaboration of an Eco-spirituality module that the Save Sierra Madre Network Alliance is developing. The module is based on the practices of the Dumagat, a tribal group that lives in the Sierra Madre mountain ranges in the island of Luzon, Philippines. I went with the organization with a concrete program in mind -- to conduct a workshop with the indigenous group with a view of drafting a spirituality based on the way of life of the Dumagat.
The village of Parola, Tondo is a shanty-town where the Pasig River and Manila bay waters meet. It has been five years since it was completely gutted by a huge fire.
After 10 months of language studies and cultural exposure, I was finally sent on a mission assignment at Christ the King parish, Ba, in the western side of Fiji on August 4, 2018. The parish is located in the middle of the town, surrounded by the school, market, and other establishments.
Through all the hardships, all they can do is cry, and then continue to thrive on. I admire these women for having courage and resilience, and for being brave enough to take risks. They sacrifice their lives for their family and their children, knowing that when they return home, things will be different. For my part, I can only share my presence, listen to their stories, put myself in their place and empathize with them. At the same time, I am praying for them that God will give them more courage to continue living.
The Synod of the Amazon is important to us in the Philippines because it reminds us that our local realities are the loci where our collaborative efforts to care for our common home need to be forged, nurtured and sustained. Thus, the Synod of the Amazon is not only for Latin America, it is also for us in this side of world, and for the circle of life. It is indeed a Synod for life. One of the slogans for the Synod of the Amazon is “Save the Amazon, She will save Us!”, not far from the cry to defend the Sierra Madre Mountain ranges, “Buháy na Sierra Madre, Buhay nating lahat” (Sierra Madre Alive or Full of life, Our life.)
After greeting the police officer on duty, I went inside to the cells and heard a child crying. To my surprise, a heartbreaking scene was waiting for me. A little six-year old child was holding a soft drink can and crying out, “Mama, I want my Mama. Mama come for me.” She was made to be like a criminal behind the iron bars of a terrible, smelly cell.
Through all the hardships, all they can do is cry, and then continue to thrive on. I admire these women for having courage and resilience, and for being brave enough to take risks. They sacrifice their lives for their family and their children, knowing that when they return home, things will be different. For my part, I can only share my presence, listen to their stories, put myself in their place and empathize with them. At the same time, I am praying for them that God will give them more courage to continue living.
A letter to Fr. Shay Cullen, founder of PREDA, from Pontificia Universita Gregoriana Center for Child Protection thanking Fr. Cullen for his collaboration with the diploma course in "Safeguarding of Minors" and the first year of the Center's new licentiate in Safeguarding.
The Subanen culture and our Catholic tradition both profess that God created the Earth as a sacred gift. And it has become evident that this sacred gift needs healthy ecosystems if we are to fulfill, in a sustainable way, the Gospel’s commission to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, heal the sick, and shelter the homeless.
