The COVID Pandemic has challenged us to focus… One of the positive effects of the COVID 19 Pandemic is it has challenged us to focus on what is more essential, urgent and empowered us to collaborate with others who believe in the same goal and importance.
In this spirit, the Episcopal Commission for Interreligious Dialogue (ECID) of the Catholics Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is moving in all possible ways, using also the online programs in answering many collaborative invitations.
One of the program that the CBCP – ECID secretariat is encouraging, in collaboration with Silsilah Dialogue Movement and the Emmaus College of Theology (ECT), is a formation program for Mindanao Catholic Leaders with the focus on “Our Mission on the Road” as a spiritual journey for a Synodal Church.
This program is a kind of deepening of the World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW 2022), focusing on the “Love of God, the love of Neighbours and the love for the common good”.
This new initiative of the World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) launched by the United Nations in 2010, has found us in Silsilah happy and willing to initiate this new program also in the Philippines. We started the initiative in Zamboanga City and spread in many parts of Mindanao and Manila. In each area, we form groups of partners for special week of the WIHW, every year from Frbruary 1-7.
We in Silsilah, believe in a Dialogue and Peace formation and action starting from building the spiritual foundation. We are glad to see many committed to celebrate the WIHW initiative. Now, we see the importance of the Synod on Synodality as proposed by Pope Francis for the Church and we are doing our best to internalize and share it to many. Thus, the CBCP-ECID commission gives full support to the new formation program “Our Mission on the Road” proposed by the Emmaus Dialogue Movement (March 1-15) which will be facilitated both virtually and face to face in Zamboanga City.
(See enclosed brochure: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dklBi0YIS5m_d9dY7WsMrfSkFWtgZN3W/view?usp=sharing )
Formation Program for Mindanao Catholic Leaders Registration form:
The Commission already sent information to all the Dioceses of Mindanao, but those who wish to participate online can come from other sectors and countries. Basically this formation program is prepared to form Catholic Leaders in the Church, however those who wish to know more about this new spirit of Synod on Synodality in the Church are also welcome to be part of this online program.
In this spirit, those who are interested, you may contact us to secure a link of the program. Those who attend regularly and follow some basic guidelines will receive a certificate at the end of the formation from the Emmaus College of Theology, based in Zamboanga City. Those who wish to have the recorded episodes/lessons can watch in Youtube at the end of March with title: A Spiritual Journey for a Synodal Church: Our mission on the Road.
The CBCP-ECID is happy of this form of collaboration and invite many to attend. Please contact us, and send emails to silsilahdialogue@gmail.com / emmausdialoguemovement@gmail.com / cbcp.ecid19@gmail.com