Dehonian Youth Missionaries Summer Mission 2015

This is the theme that stimulates the Dehonian Youth Missionaries annual summer mission this year. In solidarity with the Year of the Poor and inspired by Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, fundamentally rooted in Jesus’ commissioning to his disciples, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News” (Mk 16, 15),  40 young missionaries joyfully took the challenge to announce to the people of Dansolihon Chaplaincy, Cagayan de Oro City the joy of the Gospel they themselves experienced.

They started their mission with a formation seminar on May 13-16, 2105 at the Sacred Heart Formation House before they were sent forth to the mission areas of Dansolihon and Mambuaya on May 16-22, 2015.

The missionaries visited and blessed the Christian families in the areas. During house visitation, they prayed together with the family, shared about their Christian life, and bless the household. They also conducted activities in the main chapels like Taizé prayer with confession, Eucharistic celebration, animation and the popular Flores de Mayo for children. One of their aims was to organize the youth and children of the chaplaincy. In the afternoon, while the others resumed the house visitation and blessing, some members worked with children, youth, and adults by giving seminars and catechism. They facilitated themes on Christian leadership, community building and recollection.

The Lay Dehonians also participated by having an afternoon of feeding program for the children in Dansolihon. All had their share and enjoyed the food very much.

The participation of the communities made the missionaries even more enthusiastic to mingle with them. Besides, the community life being experienced by each group strengthened their bond. Amidst differences and several preferences, they became missionaries as well to each another. Their way of life, even for just a short time, became a proclamation of the Good News.

This mission activity was not merely an enhancement for the people of Dansolihon Chaplaincy but significantly for the moral and faith development of the Dehonian Youth. With the inspiration they learned from Fr. Dehon, they live out in their lives the Ecce Venio and Ecce Ancilla. The spirit of availability for God becomes even more enriched and actualized.

Being available to the invitation of God, striving to be prophets of love and servants of reconciliation in  their own youthful way, our Dehonian youth missionaries eagerly endure to “go forth and proclaim the joy of the Gospel!”

By: Fr. Patrick L. Gutib, SCJ