PCNE: A Past, Present, and Future

This is my reflections during the 1st Philippine Conference on New Evangelization held at University of Santo Tomas last October 16-18, 2013. I have submitted this and was published to The Sparks, the official publication of Don Bosco School Manila.

“Behold, God makes all things new!” This verse from the Book of Revelations (21:5) served as the battle cry of more than 6,000 delegates who attended the first Philippine Conference on New Evangelization (PCNE) held at University of Santo Tomas last October 16-18, 2013. But, my PCNE experience started months before those three days.

I knew of the PCNE as early as July of 2013 through a Facebook post. Cardinal Chito Tagle will convene that gathering as a response of the Philippine Church to Pope Benedict XVI’s call for the New Evangelization as part of the celebration of the Year of Faith. When I saw that post, I desired to join that conference but I don’t know how. I thought of talking to our pastoral council president of our parish to express my desire. But, I had some hesitations since there are officers in the council to be considered before me. I just prayed and informed the Lord of this desire. It’s up to Him if He will allow.

As days pass by, I received updates of the preparations through Facebook. The secretariat already set up a website where the details of the gathering were posted as well as a portal where delegates can have their online registration. My desire became strong and I really want to join that conference but still, the answer to my ‘how’ question is not yet clear.

One day, when I visited the HR office, I saw a paper announcing that event. I asked Ms. Elaine and she informed me that the school will send delegates but on a limited number only. Unfortunately, I was not included in the list. Not the right time, I thought.

A week after, I was really happy when Ms. Elaine broke the news that Sr. Celia already approved the delegation of all faculty and staff of the school. One by one, we registered online and chose our own streams and pathways (concurrent sessions) for the three days. Due to my excitement, I even volunteered to Sr. Tita to accompany Ms. Elaine in picking up the kits and all the materials a week before the event.

It was not my first time to attend such faith-filled gathering organized by the Church. Since I am active in our parish and works with the young people, I often attend various youth gatherings, seminars, and the like. As a DBS staff, our FMA sisters annually provide us with different recollections and retreats as well as seminars, conferences, and fora. But, PCNE is a new and renewing experience for me, true to its purpose and objective – New Evangelization.

If you are going to ask me what PCNE is for me, I will only give you one simple answer: PCNE is a renewal of my faith, mission and commitment as a lay person.

During those days, almost all of the high-ranking officials of the Catholic Church – the Cardinal, bishops, priests, and nuns, are there. But what struck me the most is the emphasis given to lay people. Various personalities, both well-known and those ordinary people where invited as resource speakers to share the importance of faith in their own respective fields. On the first day, Cardinal Tagle facilitated a talk show where he invited Mr. Mike Enriquez of GMA 7; Ms. Tina Monzon Palma of ABS-CBN Foundation; Ms. Charito Manglapus, the president of the association of people inflicted with cerebral palsy; Dr. Nora Luceno, a non-Catholic and the president of the Philippine Bible Society; and Michael Lagarse, a young person.

On the second day, we have famous TV personalities like Christopher de Leon, Coco Martin, and Judy Ann Santos, who shared stories about their devotions to a particular saint and image and title of Jesus and how these devotions changed their lives and led them to a better relationship with God.

My own faith was reaffirmed after hearing the different stories of those people, who, like me, are also lay persons. I have realized that we cannot rely only on the ordained ministers like the Pope, our bishops, and priests, for the laity are part of the Church, the body of Christ.

Reaffirmation of my faith did not end by listening to them. It was Jesus himself who talked to me in those three days. I had a great experience of journeying with the Lord through the concurrent sessions that I have attended. On the first day, I attended a session about prayer called Prayer: A Friendly Exchange with God. Here, our facilitator, Ms. Noena Surmieda invited us listen to Jesus in the silence of our hearts. During that prayer experience, Jesus showed to me an image of him, just looking at me without saying any word. An eye to eye contact with the Jesus, my friend.

On the second day, Mr. Rene San Andres shared some points about the current trends of young people and the role of the family in their development. He stressed out that the formation of the character, personality, and attitude of the young depends on their family dynamics. While listening to him, I saw myself and how my own family developed my own character. I also remembered you Bosconians and all the young people under my care. I prayed for you and your families.

Realizations and learning will only be in vain if not put into practice. Cardinal Tagle gave three points for all of the delegates in his homily during the closing Mass on the third day of the conference, the feast of St. Luke. I took those points as my personal challenges which the PCNE left for me and I am sharing those to you as I end this reflection. First, we are called to be laborers in the vineyard of the Lord. In whatever life status we are in, whatever position we are holding, and whatever situations we are experiencing, God is calling us to work for Him, to share the Good News, and to introduce Him to others. He is sending us as His missionaries.

But, we are not sent alone. This is the second point: we are sent by two’s. Quoting the great Cardinal: “Jesus sent his 72 disciples by pairs not only because the testimony of two people is more powerful than one, but to emphasize the communitarian aspect of mission.” He added that in mission, there is no such thing as “lone ranger”. The challenge now is to stay with one another, love one another, and be real brothers and sisters with one another.

Lastly, we are sent as lambs among the wolves. According to the Cardinal, our job is to share and witness to the Kingdom of God. We are not asked to bring anything like purse, bags, or shoes (cf. Luke 10:4) because in our vulnerability, we will only rely on the power and riches of God. He added that as laborers, we are challenged to act like lambs, not like wolves because Jesus, the Lamb is the one sending us. Simplifying this, we are asked by Jesus to remain always pure and humble.

But the next question is, how will be become missionaries of God? To whom shall we evangelize? Pope Francis has answer to this. In his video message aired on the last day of the conference, he affirmed all of us by saying: “Don’t get tired of bringing the mercy of the Father to the poor, the sick, the abandoned, the sinful people, and family. Let Jesus speak now in the world of politics, business, arts, science, technology, and social media.” In short, let us bring Jesus in everything that we do everyday.

PCNE is not a just a three-day event for me. It is not a mere conference just like the other gatherings that I have attended. For me, it is a journey. It is a past which I will surely return and remember, a present in which I have to live everyday, and a future which will guide my decisions. I am very much thankful to the Lord for giving in to my desire and answering my prayer. I also thank the FMA Sisters, especially Sr. Celia and Sr. Tita for allowing me and all the teachers and staff to join and be part of this three-day journey. May I always live to the purpose of PCNE because through this, I am proud to be a Catholic!