Fr. Ron, newly - ordained Fr. Andy, Fr. Amadeo

Eudists' Philippines Mission

Finally… It begins

by Fr. Ron Bagley, CJM

The Eudist presence in the Diocese of Imus in the Philippines has officially begun. On March 5, 2006, Fr. Amadeo Pedroza arrived and was warmly welcomed by Bishop Luis Antonio (Chito) Tagle. Since that date, he has been enjoying the hospitality of the Good Shepherd Sisters at Maryridge in Tagaytay. He quickly began his acculturation and now says Mass in Tagalog each weekend in a parish in Alfonso (not far from Tagaytay).

On May 11, Fr. Ron Bagley arrived in the Philippines. He was welcomed by Typhoon Caloy which arrived in Tagaytay the day after Fr. Ron did. Since the Sisters at Maryridge are on “high ground,” we did not experience much inconvenience. The ones most affected by the storm are the poor who live in marginal housing in the low lying areas.

We have begun the process of getting our community life organized even as we await the arrival of Fr. Pierre Marchand from France this September. Ron and Amadeo bought cell phones so we can “text” like true Filipinos. We began looking for a vehicle for transportation; we set up bank accounts; and we even made some forays into looking for a piece of land on which to build our future residence. After enjoying the hospitality of the Good Shepherd Sisters for some time, we moved to the P.I.M.E seminary, which is operated by an Italian order known as the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions. We will rent space there until we find or build our own house.

The school year begins in June and we will both be involved in the two diocesan seminaries. One is the major seminary which is called Tahanan ng Mabuting Pastol (Home of the Good Shepherd) and is located in the city of Tagaytay. The minor seminary is called Our Lady of the Pillar and is located in the city of Imus. We will spend time assisting in the spiritual direction of the seminarians at both seminaries. It is in that capacity that we gave the opening retreat from June 5 to 10, 2006 at the major seminary.

We have also agreed to serve as chaplains for the Good Shepherd Sisters at Maryridge. We will assure them Mass each day. We also look forward to joint celebrations of our Eudist feasts and conferences on Eudist spirituality.

We have had many opportunities to meet the priests, seminarians and lay leaders of the diocese at various events. One particularly joyful event was the ordination of a new priest, Fr. Ferdinand (Andy) Alvarez. Both Ron and Amadeo concelebrated the Mass of Ordination. It was a beautiful celebration of our one priesthood in Jesus Christ. It is one of the special joys of sharing in the ministry of priestly formation.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our new venture. Without your support, we would not be able to do the good work that has been put before us. May God bless you.

Return to the main page - Return to News Bulletin