Official Newsletter of the

Verbum Dei Catholic Missionaries Luzon

Issue 25 September 2017

Greetings
Hello, dear friends! With joy we share with you the latest updates of our missionary work,
which is possible thanks to your generous support and prayer. Hope you enjoy!

Spiritual Exercises 2017

From June 10-July 8, missionaries from Taiwan, Brisbane, Australia, Singapore and the
Philippines had the annual Spiritual Exercises in our Center of Evangelization, Tagaytay. Our
theme was Called by the will of God to be an apostle. (cf. 1Cor 1:1) The experience of prayer
created in each one of us the desire to dedicate more to the mission of making apostles of
Christ. Each one is on fire and determined to keep Gods love blazing and make each person
God has entrusted an apostle.

Verbum Dei Mission in China

So many thirst, so few hands; so much
hunger, so short of time. Urgent indeed is the
mission to bring the consoling light to where
there is deep hunger for God and for religious
freedom. The Lord indeed has opened the
way for Verbum Dei to be His voice in China.
What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the
light; what I whisper in your ear, proclaim
from the roofs. (Matthew 10:27)

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 Official Newsletter of the
Verbum Dei Catholic Missionaries Luzon
Issue 25 September 2017

Touched by Grace Concert

The Verbum Dei Music Ministry held a
concert on July 29, 2017 entitled
Touched by Grace in the Pasig
Apostolate Center. It showcased
original Verbum Dei songs together
with testimonies of lay disciples
relating each song with Gods Word and
with life testimonies. Many were
moved by the experience of preaching
and praying through music.
A special thanks to Mr. Wilson for sponsoring the Bose sound system and to all friends and
family of Verbum Dei for making evangelization through music fun and beautiful.

Apostles in the Making

The Verbum Dei founder, Fr Jaime Bonet often said, "Jesus claims and looks for decided
imitators more than adorers and admirers." The School of Apostles (SOA) is an opportunity to
learn how to become a "decided imitator" - to learn how to participate in the life and mission of
Jesus, through the charism of Verbum Dei. Through SOA, Verbum Dei deliberately forms lay
people in prayer, testimony of life and ministry of the Word. SOA is also OJT! On the job
training! SOAp-ers pray and receive formation but also learn while actually doing mission. Here
is the first fruit of our SOA - a recollection for our neighbors.

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 Official Newsletter of the
Verbum Dei Catholic Missionaries Luzon
Issue 25 September 2017

One Heart and Soul

The Fourth Philippine Conference on New
Evangelization (PCNE 4) was held on July 28-
30, 2017. The theme was of ONE heart and
soul (Acts 4:32). Main speakers included
Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop Fisichella, the
President of the Pontifical council for the
New Evangelization and Archbishop Auza,
the Vatican representative to the United
Nations. Over 6,000 participants attended
talks and various workshops. Let us put a
date in our Verbum Dei calendars: July 20-22,
2018 for PCNE 5.

VD Manila-Pasig Local Assembly

A spirit of dialogue, and a mutual desire to live out
with co-responsibility our identity and calling as a
missionary family filled the second Local Assembly
of VD Manila-Pasig last July 23. It gathered all the
members of the VD Family in order to assess our
current stage, re-organize and project the
enlargement of our tent toward a missionary
expansion. The new National Apostolic Project and
the new Organizational Structure of the Apostolic
Council were presented, including programs of the
different realities (Working, Couples, Youth).

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Official Newsletter of the
Verbum Dei Catholic Missionaries Luzon
Issue 25 September 2017

Expressions of Love in Marriage

We held our second married couples recollection
at our VD Apostolate Center in Pasig last August
13. Entitled "Expressions of Love in Marriage", the
recollection focused on helping couples
understand each other's "love language" and
reflect on how God uses those same languages to
express His love for the couple. Finally, each
couple made an action plan towards loving each
other and God more. Some couples brought
along their kids who had a mini-recollection of
their own! We were grateful for the twenty
couples (and eight kids) who attended this grace-
filled day of prayer and discovery.

Farewell to Luisa and Melaine

With gratitude and joy, we say farewell to
our dear missionaries Luisa Mesina and
Melaine Sallador, who are assigned to
continue spreading Gods Word overseas.
Luisa is now living the mission fulltime in
Majorca, Spain. While Melaine will have a
one-year experience of mission and
exposure to a new culture in Morelia,
Mexico. Let us accompany them with our
prayers and best wishes. Vamos,
hermanas!

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Official Newsletter of the
Verbum Dei Catholic Missionaries Luzon
Issue 25 September 2017

Life begins at 40!

Verbum Dei first arrived in the Philippines in 1977. Since then the community has grown and we
are now present in Manila, Tagaytay, Pasig, Pansol, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro. The Lord has
blessed our growth and in order to give thanks to his fidelity, we gathered together as one big
missionary family on Sunday Sept 3 in our Pasig Apostolate Center. Let us pray to be open to
the holy Spirit in the time ahead, and for the grace to fully dedicate to our mission of prayer and
ministry of the Word and forming apostles. If life begins at forty, lets watch out for Gods
surprises in the years ahead!

The LORD has done great

things for us, and we are filled
with joy! (Ps 126:3)