2011 Oasis News

On June 11, 2011 a symbolic obelisk in R. T. Lim Boulevard was unveiled by Congressional Representative of the 1st District Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, witnessed by Mayor Celso L. Lobregat , members of the IFCL and other groups of the Silsilah Dialogue Movement, friends from the Inter-Religious Solidarity Movement for Peace (IRSMP) and the officers […]

The 2011 Silsilah Special Course was on the theme “The Mindanao Conflict: Multiple Perspectives of the Problem and the Need for a Common Articulation of the Solution” held on May 23-28, 2011 This theme was chosen for a number of reasons, three of which are 1) the continuing conflict deepens the divide between Mindanao groups

Things begin, and things end. On April 24, 2011 the 25th offering of the Silsilah Basic Course on Muslim-Christian Dialogue began with 30 participants. Most of the participants were from the Philippines but there were 2 participants from Vietnam and 2 from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These Vietnamese and Congolese participants are all

Some 98 youth leaders attended the 12th Silsilah Solidarity Youth Camp (SSYC) on May 10-14, 2011 at the Harmony Village Campsite, in Pitogo, Sinunuc, Zamboanga City. The participating youth leaders represented different youth groups, communities, schools and organizations in a 5- day camp organized by the SilPeace, a program for the youth of Silsilah Dialogue

“Over  the many years I have spent with the peace movers of Silsilah I have witnessed the difference… where before we viewed each other with the eyes of suspicion and hatred, we now express our views in terms of what we can do together to erase centuries-old social irritants between groups”. These were the words

In 1987 the first Silsilah Summer Course was offered out of the Silsilah office in a building in downtown Zamboanga City. The course was designed to give knowledge about the basic teachings and history of Islam and Christianity; Muslims and Christians sat in the same class and thus together learned about each other’s religion. The

The Philippine summer is already upon us in spite of the fact that April has been a very “wet” month here in Zamboanga City, rather than the dry and hot month it normally is. The year 2011 marks the 25th offering of the Silsilah Summer Course which over the years has seen a modification. The

“The times they are achanging.” Librarians know this as well as most people do. They are aware that the needs of users for libraries have changed and so libraries have to change too, and adapt to the needs of the communities that they serve. The changes in librarianship are more than changes in the types

The Inter-Faith Council of Leaders (IFCL) in Zamboanga city meets in the afternoon of every first Saturday of the month in the Silsilah Center on Gov. Alvarez Ave. For each meeting the group follows this agenda: The Inter-Faith Council of Leaders (IFCL) in Zamboanga city meets in the afternoon of every first Saturday of the

Wearing face masks, many of the children stood out among the other kids. They were in chemotherapy for the conditions they had – leukemia and similar conditions of the blood. Some looked like they were pre-school kids; another was a teenager. They and their mothers were all in the simple program organized by Silsilah at

The Australian Embassy in the Philippines has recently approved a proposal submitted months ago by the Silsilah Dialogue Movement to undertake a project that will address the matter of trauma healing for people in areas of conflict. Silsilah is keenly aware that in situations of conflict some people are more seriously affected than some others.

North Africa and the Middle East have been wracked by unrest and civil disorder since January this year. While the situations in Tunisia and Egypt have evolved into the stage where the respective countries are now working out new constitutions and the people in general have a stronger sense of what kind of governance they

Different parts of the world remain unstable because of conflict arising from cultural and religious differences, which in turn generate violence that pits one neighborhood against another or one family against another. Add to this the devastation in people’s lives caused by natural calamities and we get a picture of the reason for the deep

Close to a thousand Basileños, braving the scourging heat of the sun, marched a 3-kilometer road on February 24, 2011 to show that violence in the province has to finally put an end. “Walk for Peace” is one among the concrete plans that the IFCL in Basilan have undertake after series of meetings and consultation

Silsilah regularly follows the commentaries of Samir Khalil Samir, a Jesuit born in Cairo and presently a professor of Oriental Theology at St. Joseph’s University in Beirut, Lebanon. In an article which came out on February 24, 2011 in an on-line publication which Silsilah regularly receives, Fr. Samir comments on the recent events in North

The formation of Silsilah Forum in different areas allows Silsilah members, alumni and their friends to reflect and share their experience of dialogue. This is the space given to the members to ground them with lived realities of others to face issues and support each other in dialogical spirit. Hence the readiness to collaborate and

Tolerance is a great virtue but it can never be a one-way street. If we want others to respect the ideas we espouse, then that means that we must also respect their ideas. Respecting the ideas of others does not mean that we accept their ideas as correct; rather, that we allow them to believe

“When we start to dialogue it is a sign of hope”, these were the words that struck a chord in the hearts of members of the Inter-Faith Council of Leaders (IFCL) of Basilan when they met on February 3, 2011 in the conference hall of Basilan State College in Isabela City, Basilan. IFCL-Basilan is comprised

Farmers are among the most involved, hands-on caregivers of the earth. Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra, PIME, the founder of Silsilah, intuitively recognized the need for small farmers to be trained so they become conscious tillers of the earth, and with dignity and compassion give their contribution in caring for all of God’s creation. This is the

On Christmas morning, December 25, 2010, Fr. Rickjy Bacolcol, DCJ, was the presider at the mass in the Asturias Sacred Heart Chapel in Jolo, Sulu and Fr. Romeo Villanueva, OMI was the mass co-celebrant. Fr. Rickjy had just been ordained about a month prior to this date; Fr. Villanueva has been in the Apostolic Vicariate

Daily the media bring before our consciousness news about violent incidents taking place in different parts of the world and our spirits are troubled. Doubly so if these violent incidents have religious overtones. Silsilah is dedicated to the pursuit of dialogue as a style of life – and it sees dialogue as “a style of

In 2001 the Silsilah Dialogue Movement started the practice of sharing joy and happiness during the Christmas season with the children of less-privileged families living in the areas surrounding Harmony Village. Over the years this has become a yearly tradition. Thus on December 28, 2010 some 500 chosen children from families of different faith affiliations

On January 2, 2011, the Feast of the Epiphany, family and friends of Jackelyn L. Timoteo came to the Holy Family Church to witness as she made her vow of commitment to a Life of Promise as a member of Emmaus Dialogue Community (EDC). The same occasion also marked the Renewal of Lifetime Commitment as

It has been a commitment for Silsilah Dialogue Movement to produce every year the Silsilah Calendar which was started in the year 1992. From a simple calendar planner to an informative Gregorian and Hijrah calendar it has been very useful to Muslim and Christian community. Individuals, groups and institutions continue to request for it and