Nobody is rich enough that he cannot give – Nobody is poor enough that he cannot share
Father Paddy Muckian has recently returned to his native Ireland. He writes about his years spent on mission with great zeal and joy:
For over three decades, the Marist Mission in the Philippines wasn’t just my assignment—it was my life. These are some of the memories I carried home with me. What an exciting place it was, working and ministering with Marists from many different places: Australia, the Philippines, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, U.K., the United States and Ireland.
The role of the Society was to implant the Society of Mary in the Philippines. Just a few years ago the Philippines celebrated 500 years of the arrival of Christianity under Spanish rules. The Marist Brothers had arrived in the Philippines in the early 1950’s, they welcomed and sponsored us as we began life in Mindanao. There was a great sense of mission and excitement in the group.
There were probably about ten confreres when I arrived there. We were all part of the District Council, there was a sense that we were on the move, exploring new ideas and embracing the Church in all its aspects. Formation had begun a few years earlier with many Filipinos who joined our Formation programme in Cotabato City. All confreres were involved in formation, whether formally or by accompanying the seminarians when they came on Pastoral Exposure.
My first assignment after completing a year of language and cultural studies, was in the gold-mining area of Diwalwal, Davao Del Norte. I arrived there, for the beginning of Misa de Gallo, the ten-day Novena that Filipinos flock to in their thousands every December 16th. At 3 o’clock in the morning I went with the sacristan, climbing the rough terrain with a flashlight in hand. It seemed so strange, I remember thinking: what am I doing here. However, as we approached the Chapel we could hear the choir practising Christmas carols and all fear and anxiety seemed to disappear and I never looked back.
Marists went across the mountain slopes to minister to the mining community in five chapels. We tended to work in areas which the local Bishop found difficult to fill. These were usually in the mountains among farmers, tribal people and also in the politically charged Cotabato region.
In Davao, we lived in a squatters area for three years and shared in the life of the poor. It was an area well known in Davao where bodies were salvaged during the Marcos-era and thrown into the sea. People lived in cramped conditions. Our house was built on stilts in the sea where the tides came in-and-out under us. We reached out to the people and ministered to their needs.
One afternoon my confreres were away and before I went out visiting in the community, I hid our monthly budget under the mat on my bed. Later on, I came home, and before I went to bed I shook off the mosquitos from the mat out of the window. Early next morning I was awakened by excited voices of the neighbours as the sea came in. They were recovering peso notes that were thrown out the window the night before. The people were so happy, nobody asked where it came from. A few weeks later the local Archbishop was visiting us and I related the story. He laughed and said, it was good for the people to win the lottery at least once in their lives!
Marists also minister in the prisons. Lay Marists work with religious, we get to know the prisoners and their families. There were family days, Bible study, faith sharing, the 3 o’clock prayer, the rosary in the cells at night. The Mass was celebrated each Sunday morning and the GKK’s from our parish took turns to join the inmates. Each Saturday morning there was a choir practice and faith sharing. A stranger who might come into the group would be surprised that their sharing was like that of any other faith sharing group.
Last November we had a wedding celebration for eight couples in BJMP prison (750 inmates). It was a momentous occasion, the inmates had been preparing for weeks. The ‘Couples for Christ’ and parish catechists prepared the couples. Dresses, shirts, flowers, food, drinks were sponsored by generous donors from outside. The whole prison stood still for a few hours and enjoyed the celebration and the couples expressed their happiness afterwards.
Finally, Marists have been ministering in a rural urban parish in Digos City for the past ten years. It is made up of 24 GKK (small Christian communities). Each chapel is made up of about 80 members. They have their own Chapel President with supporting officers. Each GKK is connected to the parish and to the diocese. There is conscious effort to renew the groups through pastoral seminars and spiritual renewal. We are also building a Parish Church and hopefully in the next few years it will be completed.
In conclusion, there are ten million Filipinos working throughout the world. The Bishops Conference of the Philippines sees them as New Asian Missionaries and many of them wish to play such a role. What a gift they are!
