By Cl. Jarmy Reignier A. Roxas, SDB

Paranaque City, the Philippines, 30 June 2019 -- Salesian clerics from the Seminaryo ng Don Bosco (SnDB) have undergone their summer immersion program both in urban and rural settings. The objectives of the said program are for the brothers to: (1) discover God’s presence among the poor and articulate the nature of this presence by experiencing community life in an urban and rural setting; (2) better understand the reality of poverty and the sinful social structures that support it; (3) experience a participatory approach in gathering data of a community for needs identification; (4) learn to effectively respond to the concrete needs of the community; and (5) achieve a deeper and fuller self-knowledge.The program began when they visited the Makati City jail. After that day, the brothers visited the “Laura Vicuna Foundation, Inc.” in Cubao, Quezon City. That same day in the afternoon, the brothers went to the “Kuya Center for Street Children” and joined in the street apostolate of the said center.

12 June 2019, the SnDB brothers traveled to Valenzuela City for their urban immersion proper. The brothers lived with families who were working in the factories of the said city. The urban immersion was facilitated and processed by the Urban Missionaries. The urban immersion ended last June 18, 2019.

18 June 2019, brothers from SnDB and Sandor communities began traveling in the evening for their rural immersion in Sagada, Mountain Province. In the morning of June 19, the brothers arrived in Kilong, Sagada in the parish of Saint Joseph the Worker. After lunch, the brothers were entrusted to their respective host families. The brothers were sent to different places – Kilong, Tetep-an, Antadao and Aguid. The brothers stayed with the families until June 27, 2019. They experienced the life of the families they were sent to. After the immersion proper, the Salesian Lay Volunteers, together with Fr. Arnold Sanico, SDB, processed the experiences of the brothers. After the processing, the remaining days were spent for fellowship of the brothers seeing the places around Sagada.

On the afternoon of 30 June 2019, the brothers traveled back home to Paranque City.

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