Year of the Parish for 2017

As the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Family and the Eucharist comes to a close, the Diocese of Dumaguete, with Bishop Julito Cortes, launched yesterday the Year of the Parish as Communion of Communities.  A concelebrated mass was presided over by the bishop and participated in by the clergy of the diocese.  Also present were Fr. Jerome Ponce, a Missionary of Mercy appointed by Pope Francis and Fr. Augusto Angeles, a consultant-priest from another diocese who was in Dumaguete to assist in the diocesan pastoral planning.

Bishop Cortes emphasized Pope message

In his homily, Bishop Cortes again emphasized the message the Pope Francis wants to get across to everybody this year, that is, to show mercy especially to those marginalized people.  As a transition to the Year of the Parish as Communion of Communities in 2017, he also talked about the importance of the Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) which make up the parishes.  He stressed that BECs should be open, a venue for collaboration with religious organizations that encourages communion, participation and mission.

An important activity to be undertaken is the strengthening of the BECs.  However, mercy and compassion should always be the foundation of all actions, encompassing everybody from different localities and social strata.