Our Healing Presence Now
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Today, 46 years after our foundation, we live our mission in La Union and Pangasinan in the Northern part of the Philippines; in the South, we are in San Fernando and Malaybalay in Bukidnon; and in Metro Manila, we are in several houses in Quezon City as well as in neighboring Antipolo City and Cavite City.
Our healing presence is expressed through diverse ministries: accompaniment and ministry to the youth and elderly; health care and education; wholeness and wellness programs; building of basic Christian communities; promotion of Earth’s well-being; work for justice and peace; worship and spirituality; and livelihood projects.
The Antipolo Geriatric Center. Before 2001, the Parish of Antipolo City did not have any organization or ministry for the elderly. The Medical Mission Sisters answered the call to mission and the Parish lent us a place to stay. Although we came across a day-care geriatric center nearby where the elderly from 16 barangays of the city would come for various medical and social services, it did not have the psycho-spiritual components toward a more holistic ageing process. Our focus then is the development and growth in spiritual wisdom for creative ageing.
Aside from the Antipolo Geriatric Center, we hold a monthly gathering in our own Epiphany Community as well as another monthly session at the Parish. The elderly have blossomed in their faith, self-confidence, and wisdom. They have become better persons in their families, neighborhood, and in the market place by serving as liaison for people in need to the various services offered by the Parish.
Inspired by the Epiphany, the Easter Community and the Emmanuel Community of Older Persons represent two gatherings born within the last five years of our ministry in Antipolo City.
The
Bagong Nayon Community. Meantime, Sister Fidelis Abad Santos lives with a community of the blind in Bagong Nayon, Antipolo. This community of 104 families is organized into the Balikatan Multipurpose Cooperative envisioned toward self-reliance. The Cooperative ensures that members have sustainable livelihood to enable them to live a dignified life and that Gospel values enrich their lives to promote their spiritual growth into a Christian community. Sister Fidelis actively engages in the Cooperative so that members are drawn in a very meaningful process of integration and ultimately help them experience the goodness and love of God.
community for the elderly
Sr. Fidelis Abad Santos with the
Balikatan community
Srs. Teresita Camomot and Ester Vite pioneered the MMS mission in Bukidnon. As early as the first months in San Fernando, they learned from their sharing with the Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC) group that the farmers among them have been deep in debt, hardly able to meet the basic needs of their families. The use of very expensive commercial chemical fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, etc., has deprived them of their rightful income.
The MMS joined the farmers in seminars for sustainable agriculture. Their group was able to produce organic fertilizer from raw materials available in their area. Using this organic fertilizer has significantly reduced their expenses for farm input, making their farm profits bigger! Now they are on their second cropping using their home-made organic fertilizers. They plan to share their learning with other farmers groups through seminars. They also plan to produce more fertilizers to share (at low cost) with other farmers.
Right photo shows Sr. Teresita Camomot (partly hidden) and Sr. Jane Caspillo, visiting a sample plot nurtured by organic fertilizer, with local “experts” in sustainable agriculture just as thrilled to see the plants grow healthily from home-grown, locally-produced fertilizers
Above shows Sr. Ester Vite with the Manobo 1st graders
For
a while, the MMS helped the Department of Education program of feeding Grade I Manobo (an indigenous community) children of Halapitan Central Elementary School in San Fernando. This program helped solve the problem of chronic absenteeism and drop outs among the children.
Realizing the enormity of the issues and problems faced by the indigenous people in Bukidnon, the sisters are now reaching out to network and participate with other groups and agencies working toward the improvement of the total life of the indigenous communities in Bukidnon.
Sr. Teresita Camomot applies tui na massage, one of the health skills she learned from her long years in Tawi-Tawi as a medical doctor, among children in the neighborhood
Lately, there have been more requests for Health Skills Training from BEC Districts in the Parish. These skills trainings are mostly on the use of herbals, on acupressure, reflexology, and tui na massage (a Chinese massage). The dream is for those already trained to teach others in far-flung areas. These trainings have generated much interest and enthusiasm among the farmers and their families. At least a few of those trained have asked to join the training team and have gone with them to subsequent sessions! They are seen as possible trainers especially for areas difficult to reach.
Sr. Jane Caspillo, in red jacket, shares a raft ride with
some youth from the Parish with whom she journeys
The coming of Sr. Jane Caspillo, the third and much younger member of the MMS community in San Fernando six months ago, has eased
the crisis situation of leadership among the youth of the Parish. Now these young people are more alive and active again. The organizing committee has scheduled visits to every District of the BEC to revitalize the youth involvement in the Parish.
MMS involvement in the Diocesan-level inter-religious dialogue helped in the “birthing” of the Bukidnon Silsilah Forum on March 6, 2006. Various schools, groups, and communities participated in the celebration of the Week of Peace held last November 30 – December 7, 2006.
Sr. Ester Vite (9th from left, standing) and Sr. Teresita Camomot (12th from left, standing) among participants at the Inter-Religious Dialogue now being initiated in the Diocese of Malaybalay, Bukidnon
The
Malaybalay Community. The
latest in District Philippines, Srs. Lourdes Kangleon and Evelyn Anuncio opened the Malaybalay
Community in August 2006. The community has recently moved to a new residence at the heart of Malaybalay City, located in the city proper, next to the Cathedral, and a short walking distance from Bukidnon State College where Sr. Evelyn is involved. Community
residents are nourished by the bounty of Malaybalay’s fresh fruits, vegetables and its cool weather.
The community’s mission is to make known the cause of healing mission through vocation promotion. Sr. Evelyn’s involvement in Campus Ministry at the Bukidnon State College is in partnership with Ms. Imelda Agnes Tubeo, the Campus Ministry Coordinator, who is also an MMS Lay Vocation Promoter. Through the Campus Ministry, they are able to accompany student catechists and Catholic youth organizations by facilitating recollections; offering formation; counseling and spiritual direction; conducting prayer meetings and first Friday masses; and initiating youth encounters and other youth-oriented activities.
Sr. Lourdes is a joyful presence to Sr. Evelyn as she embraces her reality as an elderly sister. Having spent many years as a missionary doctor in Tawi-Tawi, India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Quezon City and Cebu City, Sr. Lourdes now devotes her time and energy supporting vocation promotion efforts in this area.
Malaybalay City
Sr. Evelyn with a youth group from Bukidnon State College
Sr. Mary Anne Bellosillo shares this piece about her mission with the community of life in the Center for Ecozoic Living and Learning (CELL), Cavite City:
“Healing the Earth is to care for the Earth. This is the passion of my life for many years now. The ecological crisis that is so disgusting and sickening made me see that this crisis is also a spiritual crisis. Therefore, it touches my whole being and humankind. For me it is a call to understand more deeply the cycle of the different life forms of which I am a part. It is a call to reconnect and relate to our community of life. This is the fire and flame that moves me to be where I am now – Center for Ecozoic Living and Learning (CELL). Care for the earth is to care for me. Destroying the earth is destroying me. Thus, living out in my life the story of Creation and sharing this with others have grounded me in touching and walking in this sacred place – the Earth, our only HOME. We are all connected; we are all related."
"Having seen myself as part of this web of life, has led me to
discovering the wonders of creation and the wonderful Creator I
have. The revelation of the face God has been experienced in so
many different ways: to watch a seed pop out from the earth, to
hear the songs of joy of the chicken when one of them has lain an
egg; the worm that provides us with fertile soil; the birds that
wake you up in early morn; to feel the different waves of the wind
that comes and go…sometimes gentle, sometimes harsh; and sometimes
blowing their cool breeze and to be in awe with the music of the
rustling leaves and the graceful swaying of the bamboos and young
trees...indeed it is a symphony of beauty that one experiences daily.
How true what Thomas Aquinas says: One who does not understand creation,
does not understand God. Aaahhhhhh, the wonder and beauty
of LIFE. Come and fill us all with the zest to participate in healing
the earth by caring for the earth. Amen. Alleluia.”
during a routine morning “earthcare”
Sr. Anne in one of the ecozoic zones which
she helped develop at CELL
The Jubilee Community. The Jubilee Community is a community that promotes alternative health care in the diocese of Bagulin, a rural town of La Union. Close to Baguio, it has ten barangays: one in the lowland and the rest on the mountains. It is a 5th class municipality with little resources for the livelihood of its people. The population, composed of Ilocanos and the majority belonging to the Kankanaey tribe, is mostly farmers with broom-making as the main source of income.
The Medical Mission Sisters’ house is near a clear river and surrounded by green mountains amid a friendly, hostpitable, and hardworking people.
Sr. Carmella Canlas (left) applying light therapy
(spectrochrome) on a patient
Three sisters started the community through the invitation of the Bishop to promote alternative health care in the diocese since most of the people are poor and cannot afford to buy medicines. The approach is wholistic healing (physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, social, ecological).The MMS aims at empowering the health workers in the parish and barangays by
making them aware of their gifts and talents and by training them so they become responsible for their health and the health of their communities. Different modalities in alternative health care are offered them. The people choose what they are interested in and capable of learning and doing, such as medicinal herbs, acupressure and reflexology, massage, pranic healing, dry-cupping, and lately, the use of spectrochrome or colored light therapy, and Qigong.
Sr. Elsa Zerrudo teaching dry cupping (“ventusa”) to members of a community
In the parish of Bagulin itself, the MMS mission is not only in the aspect of health but also in assisting in the building of Basic Eccclesial Communities (BCC) especially in the mountain barangays.
This means pastoral and value formation work
because the Jubilee Community is also a base community for vocation
promotion and formation. For the sisters, such activities entail a lot of climbing on foot especially during the rainy season when no other mode of transport can reach the mountains.
Jubilee Community. From left to right – Srs. Elsa Zerrudo, Betty Mathay, and Rosalinda Maog with Janette Alejandro (candidate)
Sr. Elsa Zerrudo demonstrating how to prepare
a herbal ointment for arthritis
The
Urdaneta Community. Located in Barangay San Vicente West, Urdaneta City, the Urdaneta Community is blessed by the healing presence of Sisters Loreto de Guzman and Manuela Gonzalez. They share the love of Christ in this community where the majority has few resources.
The Mother Anna Dengel Alternative Health Clinic brings to the sick spectochrome therapy, qi-gong, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and other health care modalities. Prescriptive medicines are also administered when necessary. Aside from ministering to physical ailments, Bible study and apostolate to street children help build a caring community for those in need and imbibe them with a compelling sense of love, justice, and peace.
Although ageing (Sr. Loreto is 88 years old and Sr. Manuela is 79 years old) is claiming more and more their physical energies, they continue to give thanks to God for the gift of life and for His graces that still enable them to get involved in our Healing Mission amid any bleak situation, bringing comfort and hope to the poor and the needy.
Ministry to Street Children. Some street children with
Sr. Loreto de Guzman and teacher Jocelyn
Ministry to the Elderly. Sr. Manuela Gonzales on a home visit to Nana Olympia
“In its every aspect, the human is a participatory reality. We are members of the great universe community. We participate in this life; we are nourished by this community; we are instructed by this community; we are healed by this community. In and through this community, we enter into communion with that numinous mystery whence all things depend for their existence and their activity.” (Thomas Berry)
This
echoes the very spirit of the CELL (Center for Ecozoic Living and Learning)
in Silang, Cavite. Last year, Sisters Natividad Cristobal
and Lynn Kaum spent some days in the CELL for an exposure to experience
and learn through their programs the "how to contribute to the Great
Work, whereby humans learn to move from a stance of destroyer of
the Earth Community to a stance that is mutually enhancing.” Enthused
with the new insights and knowledge gained from the exposure, they
joined the Urdaneta Community on February 11, 2006 to explore and
prepare the Capulaan Villasis Project. Inspired by what they
experienced in the CELL, this project hopes to respond to the present
ecological crisis that is happening in our land.
They envision
a community and a place that will allow people to live closely
with nature and with other community of life mutually enhancing
one another.
The Capulaan Community. Capulaan is one of the 17 barangays in Villasis, Pangasinan. A donated land of two hectares is the proposed site for the ecological haven they envision. It has rolling hills and lush open space in undulating terrain. It is 15 minutes away from the town proper.
The first time the sisters set foot in the land, they experienced a peaceful "aura" about it. They felt a certain harmony with all the community of life present there. Last May, they began phase 1 by planting seeds and fruit trees. That also marked the beginning of their hopes, dreams and desires – that this place will awaken in others the beauty and sacredness of God’s creation and to His call to bring healing to Mother Earth.
Sister Lynn Kaum and Sister Natividad Cristobal
in Capulaan
The St. Anne's Community. Srs. Fe Mandreza and Rowena Pineda share life in mission among women, youth and families in Kaingin 1, an urban poor community atop a small hill in a corner of Quezon City. In efforts to develop a community health program, they are both involved with a small group of women, initiating livelihood projects and health trainings, both springing from their collective efforts to respond to health-related issues such as poverty, lack of basic social services, landlessness and lack of decent housing.
They are presently working in partnership with Kairos Philippines, a national Christian movement, with whom St. Anne’s Community shares the same vision of health and well-being among urban poor communities. Srs. Fe and Rowena are actively involved in the formation and education of youth in Kaingin 1, as well as youth in other urban areas organized by Kairos. They participate in programs that help develop the youth into mature and responsible Christians, preparing them for service in their communities and to be participants in social change.
Sr. Dulce Corazon Velasco, facilitator for a series of health
skills training sessions, restores confidence among young
mothers to initiate integrative health care to family and
neighbors
Srs. Rowena (extreme left, standing) and Fe (extreme right, standing), with the Kaingin 1 Kairos youth group during their 1st Chapter Assembly held at the St. Anne’s Community garden
Called to be a formative community from its birth in Novaliches in 1992, St. Anne’s Community has evolved in its presence to life in a healing way. The growth in people indicates their readiness to take on the responsibility for their development. 2007 is their phase-out year, after which Srs. Fe and Rowena are ready to move on and welcome new expressions of mission.
Committed to develop an ecological lifestyle, Srs. Fe and
Rowena have nurtured the seeds of the past 15 years