Message
My heartfelt greetings and
congratulations to the Claretian Missionary Sisters – Philippine Dependent
Delegation, as you celebrate the Silver Anniversary of your missionary presence
in the country!
Coming this far is a blessing
that each one should humbly recognize. This only shows how faithful God is. Your
commitment to your different ministries is also an expression of your generous
response to God’s fidelity to you. Yes, you may have gone through some bumpy
experiences in the past twenty-five years, but as you look back, you will
realize that these were avenues that paved the way for a more relevant
missionary presence of your Congregation.
May you continue to be
generous, committed and faithful. I pray for your continuous missionary presence
in the Philippines in the coming years.
Yours sincerely,
Leo Dalmao, CMF
Provincial Superior
Claretian Missionaries –
Philippine Province
Greetings on the 25 Anniversary of Foundation in the Philippines
Today, we are celebrating
with joy the 25 years Anniversary of our Foundation of Quezon City. Many things
are coming to my memory of these 25 years. The day of foundation was October,
7, 1987 and the first Eucharistic Celebration in our house was on October 12. At
that time, the Provincial Superior was Sister Delfina Llamas and from the year 1988
to the year 2000 the care of the sisters who were sent to Quezon City was
entrusted to me. At the beginning, the sisters were living in Maginhawa Street
and they were doing their best to learn the language and the culture, following
the charism of our Founders Saint Anthony Mary Claret and Venerable Maria
Antonia Paris to make known the love of God manifested in our Lord Jesus
Christ. In this our journey, starting
with Father Moraleda, we had experienced the continuous support of the
Claretian Missionaries, always encouraging us to go on.
The great joy that we can
experience today is that the sisters of this community, with great missionary
spirit not only have expanded around Philippines – Zamboanga & Guimaras –
but also in others countries of Asia such as: India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, East
Timor and now Vietnam. The Lord, really, has blessed us and we can see now the
fruits of these Foundation. In these endeavors we are also very grateful to the
Claretian Fathers for their encouragement and support, especially at the starting
of each of these events. We cannot also forget especially, our sisters Inocencia
Rodrigo y also Maria Ruth Villalba(RIP) , the two of them were initiating these
endeavors.
Along these 25 years we have
received the help of many persons, spiritually and materially; thanks to them
we could continue our journey in spite of the difficulties we have encounter
several times. From the bottom of our hearts we give thanks also to them. I remember
very well the words of Cardinal Sin when we went to ask him the permission to
start the Foundation in this place. With a warm heart he gave to us the
permission and told to me: “I will be
glad if in the future you go to China for a misión”. Now in the actual
situation we cannot go, but I hope that in our 50 anniversary we can enjoy also
this foundation. Thanks also to Cardinal Sin.
May our Immaculate Mother
Mary be our model at the service of the Kingdom of God.
Takatsuki -Japan, September, 28, 2012
Asunta
Hori,RMI
Superior Asia
Viceprovince
CLARETIAN MISSIONARY SISTERS, 25 YEARS OF GRACE IN THE PHILIPPINES
CONGRATULATION!!! Philippine Dependent Delegation!!! CONGRATULATION!!! Japan!!!
The 25 years of grace in Philippines, were without doubt 25 years of grace for the Vice-province of Asia, initially called Vice-province of Japan.
Let us remember the works of the Lord in the historical events of the Congregation in the Philippines and in Asia
One of the important historical events was the Celebration on August, 27, 1955 of the 100thAnniversary Foundation of the Congregation in Cuba.
The General Superior, Mother Maria Teresa Negroni, decided to commemorate it with the Perpetual Profesion of 20 Sisters, in Reus, beside the tumba of Mother Foundress, and also with the Foundation of the first house in Japan.
Japan was born under the charismatic signs of “poverty” and “communion”. “Poverty” because the lack of material means, and “communion” because the union of all the houses of the Congregation sharing with the new foundation have been performed the miracle of life and expansion inside of the country and in others countries of Asia
Moved by the Spirit of the Lord, the Sisters in Japan were willing to share the Claretian Missionary Charism, in other countries of Asia. The first was Korea and the next, impel always by the Spirit of the Lord, was Philippines.
On October 7th, 1987, feast of Our Lady of Rosary the Foundation in the Philippines became reality.
Sister Maria Delfina Llamas, the Viceprovincial Superior at that time, started the Foundation and the next Superior, Sister Asunta Hori continued the support and consolidation of the Foundation.
The
first Sisters been sent to Philippines from Japan, were: Ruth Villalba y
Eduarda Pérez(Oct. 1987); Cecilia Kondo y TeresitaNoi (2 months later) ;Inocencia
Rodrigo (Julio 1988).
One year after the foundation, four young Filipina girls wanted to experience our way of life, and with then the formation of future Claretian sisters in Asia have started. Year by year the number of candidates increase, and the Formation House of Quezon City became an international place of formation, full of the joy of experiencing “communion” without frontiers of nationalities and sharing the richness of different cultures. The Sisters in the Philippines with their open welcome and generosity, and Japan providing all the necessary, are truly a grace of “communion”.
From
Philippines the expansion of the Congregation became reality. Inside of the country: Quezon City, Zamboanga
and Guimaras. In other Asian countries: Indonesia and Timor Leste; Vocation
Promotion in India and Sri Lanka and the formation in Quezon City of the first
sisters than later have accomplished the foundation in their own countries.
Writing this brief article I feel the need to express than my personal history, because the plan of God, form part of the history of Japan and Philippines. For this I gave continually thanks to God.
Among the 20 sisters that have Professed Perpetually on August 27th, 1955, commemorating the 100º Anniversary of the Congregation, I, I was one of them. On 1965, I was sent to Japan and on 1988 to Philippines.
