By Donnie Duchin Duya

Don Bosco Center of Studies, Paranaque City, Philippine: The Bible Study Methods Seminar students of Don Bosco Center of Studies (DBCS) had a first-hand experience of how Bible study is conducted in a parish setting. Last March 13, Fr. Celestino "Jun" Lingad, SDB, who handles this subject on Bible Study Methods led his DBCS students out of the classroom and brought them to St. John Bosco Parish in Tondo, Manila.

One can easily notice how this Bible study class is different from the rest: the church is full of young people!

The DBCS class, composed of seminarians from various religious congregations and nationalities noted how the participants were attentive to the inputs of Fr. Jun. Most of them even took down notes. The DBCS students also admired their professor’s dynamism in imparting God's Word. The participants also had the chance to ask questions since Fr. Jun was going all around the church. The Bible Study activity lasted two hours.

Twice a month, people of all walks of life gather on a Friday evening (from 7-9 PM) in the parish church itself to listen to the exposition of the Word of God. The Bible pericope, which is the object of their study, comes from the Gospel that will be proclaimed in the forthcoming Sunday.

Fr. Jun told the DBCS students that he has been handling this Bible Study class there for the past three years now, although he first started giving the Bible Study classes more than 27 years ago when he was assigned in Don Bosco Tondo as Parish Priest.