By Fr. Donnie Duchin Duya, SDB

FIN Province, 21 August 2020 --The FIN Province had its first quarterly recollection for this formation year. The talk was preached by Bishop Broderick Pabillo, Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila through a pre-recorded video.

Organized by the Commission on Formation (CForm), the confreres from their respective settings simultaneously listened to Bishop Pabillo. After which they had their adoration and sharing of their responses guided by the reflection questions given by the Bishop.

CForm Delegate Fr. Rafael Dela Cruz, SDB, in his letter to the confreres, noted that the motivation for the simultaneous listening of the FIN communities “is a simple expression of solidarity and communion.”

Bishop Pabillo’s talk, entitled “Pastoral Accompaniment in this Time of Pandemic and Political Crisis” centered on some of the characteristics of the new normal, to wit:

1. The danger of infection is always here.

2. Economic recession

3. Online is here to stay

4. Danger of authoritarianism

5. Global warming

Cl. Paolo Romero, a practical trainee in Don Bosco Tarlac felt that this recollection will help him attain the balance between “work and life” as it is an invitation for him “for a pause, for a rethinking of my values system, for an examen of my convictions.”

Responding to one of the questions of Bishop Pabillo, Fr. Renato de Guzman, spiritual moderator of the high school department of Don Bosco Makati observed that youth ministry in this time of the new normal is done by "accompanying the young in online and offline contexts."

Bishop Pabillo, a Biblical scholar, made parallelism between leprosy in the time of Jesus, and the realities of the pandemic which confront us now.

FIN was able to hold the recollection today, August 21, since the government has declared it a non-working day due to the martyrdom of former Senator Ninoy Aquino.

Photos courtesy of Cl. Ricky Evangelista, SDB; Cl. Jonas Lacson, SDB; Fr. Lonxs Eleosida, SDB; Cl. John Paolo Romero, SDB: Br. Kerwin Valeroso, SDB; Fr. Ding Cortez, SDB; and Cl. Paulo Calderon, SDB

---

---