Hello to all,

It is with joy that we inform you that the new President and General Branch Responsibles of the Fraternity are:

• PRESIDENT: ANNE MARIE HEALY (Irish).
  
• Female Missionaries: MILAGROS JANETH CHAPARRO HERNANDEZ (Venezuelan)
  
• MISSIONARY MARRIED COUPLES: EDUARDO IBARRA NUNGARAY and ESPERANZA RODRÍGUEZ PINZÓN (Mexican)
  
• Male MISSIONARIES: SERGIO RODRÍGUEZ RAMÍREZ (Mexican).

We pray for each of them that they may carry out this task entrusted to them by their Branch Assembly.

Very united

#VerbumDei #verbumdeionline #RESPONSABLES #congreso #entrega #mission

Let's listen to a message from Anne Healy, new president of the FMVD and the FaMVD.

Photos, videos, and article taken from the official Verbum Dei Online Youtube channel and Familia Misionera Verbum Dei Online Facebook page. 

Dear brothers and sisters of the entire VDMF,

As you know, the VI General Congress of the VDMF will be held from 30 August to 27 September. It is an event of vital importance for the VD throughout the world, since the Congress is a privileged moment in which the whole Fraternity, represented by the Congress participants, opens itself in a special way to the Spirit, so that the Spirit may guide and orient its growth and development, in fidelity to the founding charism and to the signs of the times.

The General Congress is the highest authority of the VDMF and has the competence to elect the President of the VDMF and the General Responsibles of the three branches of the VDMF. But in addition to this, the VDMF Congress is a vitally important event because:

• It seeks to safeguard and promote communion in fidelity to its own charism, as well as to foster the development and expansion of the entire Fraternity, in accordance with the sense of the Church and the signs of the times.
• It evaluates the development of the Fraternity, its apostolic activities and its own works, its assets and financial situation.
• It watches over the consolidation, structuring and expansion of the Verbum Dei Missionary Family and the various groups that make it up.
• It drafts the guidelines for the new six-year period, so that the new General Board can implement them.

This VI Congress has another characteristic which makes it even more important. In addition to what has already been said, the Constitutions of the VDMF will be revised at this Congress, with the intention of submitting them to the Holy See for final approval.

For all this, and seeing the importance of this Congress, I would like to propose to the whole Verbum Dei Missionary Family a chain of prayer so that the whole FMVD may open itself to the Holy Spirit and allow itself to be guided by Him, so that we may be in the Church a Gift of God for the world. I invite all members of the VDMF, all VD missionary disciples, all LCMs and all people who are fond of Verbum Dei to join in prayer every day during the congress at 12 noon, according to the time zone of each country. I am grateful for all the initiatives that may arise in the local communities to pray for this very important event for all of us. May God bless you all. I also thank the whole Verbum Dei Missionary Family for their co-responsibility and for the journey made together in missionary communion.


​Rodrigo Carrizo Moya
VDMF President

​Father, you who create and sustain all things with your love, we ask you to make us artisans of communion, so that as we journey towards the Congress we may know how to welcome the diversity that characterises us as the Verbum Dei Missionary Family.
 
Jesus, human face of God, consecrate us to your Word so that the Congress may be prepared and carried out in profound fidelity to your voice, listening to each one of us and to the signs of the times.
 
Holy Spirit, you who open rivers in the desert, guide us in this time of discernment and decision, so that we may live, embody and offer our charism ever more fully, so that all the baptised may participate in the mission of Jesus entrusted to the Church.
 
Accompany us, Mary, with your loving motherly presence and intercession, so that this Congress may be a channel of hope in which God transforms us and makes all things new. 

​Amen.

Visit the main Verbum Dei worldwide page for updates related to the upcoming congress at:
https://verbumdei.org/blog/eng_ordinary_congress_vdmf2024/

​Twenty-nine (29) Verbum Dei Missionary Disciples from the Manila-Pasig, Pansol, Tagaytay and Cagayan de Oro Communities journeyed together to the National Disciples Silent Retreat from May 1 to 5, 2024, at the Verbum Dei Retreat House in Tagaytay.

Accompanying them was a team of missionaries from various communities – Fr. Michael Cheong (Pansol), Sr. Maribel Martin (Cebu), Sr. Angela Bedoya (Manila-Pasig) and the Missionary Married Couple Cookie Abrio (CDO).

It was indeed a joyful encounter for the missionary disciples as they were able to receive and deepen their understanding of the four (4) different sources of spirituality.

Indwelling with the Trinity. The first source of spirituality was introduced in the afternoon of Retreat Day 1, after the dynamics and the introduction of the theme in the morning. The Holy Trinity was then explored by likening it to a family that lives within the hearts of God's people – diverse but one. If we live with them, we can be one with them.

Eucharist. A loving encounter between a person and Jesus is perfected in the presence of the Eucharist. It is always available for all of us – waiting. A source where we can always go when we need to be close to God. A reminder that our life is a school of presence – learning and remembering that He is always present for us, wanting to be close to us.

Mystical Body of Christ. The map in our altars signifies the many different realities of our brothers and sisters all over the world, making us remember that we are a part of the whole body of Christ – all of different parts and functions but still forming one whole body. We are invited to remember that we do our mission not in the world but in Christ – in his body.

Mary. Another source of spirituality in Verbum Dei is none other than Mother Mary – the one who makes the Word of God flesh. A source of spirituality who accompanies us and prays with us in our following of Jesus. We are all invited, just like the disciple Jesus entrusted his mother to, to take Mary again into our homes.

Daily morning prayers, guidelines, rosaries, masses, and exams of prayer were also in place each day during the duration of the retreat. All were also asked to give a thank-you note to each source and were then asked to place their commitment to a specific area they are called to focus on praying for – Verbum Dei Family, Youth, Peace and Justice, or Families.

By the end of the silence after the morning guidelines of May 5, the missionary disciples were asked to share one experience and one Word of God that touched them the most. The joy in each one is evident, though in different shapes and forms, as they express themselves to one another.
​
The retreat was a beautiful reminder that we can draw from many different sources of spirituality depending on our current reality and needs. But no matter what we need from the Lord for our own spiritual nourishment, one thing is clear – He desires that His joy may be in us!

“May kasabihan nga na kami ay mga dating lulong, ngayon tumutulong. Dating kunsumisyon, ngayon ay nag-mi- mission.” John and his friends are now serving the Lord, having found purpose and meaning in their lives. They have become the “Voice of the Word” proclaiming the Word of God. They organize prayer activities, recollections and retreats. They share their testimonies and give talks to different groups of youth like students of Balara high school, CICL (Children in Conflict with the Law) in Molave Youth Home Payatas and many more.

​John gratefully concludes, “We were stuck in our circle full of broken people, yet with the Lord’s help we were saved and now we are helping the Lord to save others. We are blessed, chosen and sent by God. On behalf of the Verbum Dei youth, thank you for making all of these possible.”

The second testimony was delivered by Rosmarie Andol, 41. She and her husband, Ronilo, received the sacrament of Holy Matrimony through the Verbum Dei Community where they got to know God intimately. Then the entire family experienced a peaceful transformation. From a life full of deep despair, they now live a fruitful life of faith, prayer, service and gratitude.

Here are some videos taken from the event:

​A fun-filled sportsfest and lights on synodality. These were the special features of 2023’s annual post-Christmas Day permanent formation for the members of the Verbum Dei Fraternity. The Fraternity consists of the consecrated members of the Verbum Dei Family - consecrated women (sisters), men (priests and brothers) and married couples with special bonds.

​“No one was expecting a sports festival,” recalls Fr. Michael Cheong, “but everyone thoroughly enjoyed it— the bonding, the team building, the games, the laughing together, the competitiveness. It was truly a refreshing moment of just having fun together, a fraternal bonding in a very natural and uncomplicated way.”

A day of formation followed. The resource person was Fr. Jason Laguerta who heads the Office for the Promotion of New Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Manila. He gave rich input on synodality as a way of “being church”. Later, Fr. Michael recalls, “seeing Verbum Dei’s three branches there, listening to how we worked together and realizing that the spirit of synodality was already there right in front of him, he said, ‘I think that you can teach us what synodality is.’ He told us to value and to share this gift that our community has—because what we have been living since our foundation is really something new in the church in the Philippines.” Everyone felt quite encouraged and motivated to share the gifts of Verbum Dei even more.

The next day was devoted to preparing for the 2024 Congress on Mission using the dynamics of synodality. Fr. Michael says, "We were able to practice what we learned from the formation by sharing with each other our dreams as individuals, as branches, as a Fraternity - all in the spirit of really listening to one another."

​This year, Verbum Dei’s 60th, the Lord of the harvest has sent more lay ‘workers’ into His vineyard. On Aug 28, several college students, young professionals, and adults from the Pansol-based Schools of the Word (SOW) made a formal year-long commitment as Verbum Dei ‘missionary disciples.’ The commitment rite was done during mass and witnessed by the Luzon communities and key members of the Verbum Dei General Board. On October 1, more adults from the SOW based in Christ the King Parish made similar commitments.

​Who are Verbum Dei’s missionary disciples?
They are lay people who have experienced the fruits of journeying with Verbum Dei and feel called to grow more in their following of the Lord through the path of the Verbum Dei charism. After discernment and dialogue with Verbum Dei missionaries, disciples make a formal commitment for a year, and may renew that commitment yearly, and at some point, permanently.

​Disciples commit to daily prayer with the Word of God, seeking a personal encounter with Jesus.

​They also commit to having a missionary apostolate field where they can accompany others in the faith.
They also commit to participating in ‘revision of life’ (a regular faith sharing within a small group of disciples). They are also asked to participate as much as possible in what is called the School of Apostles. This is a special Verbum Dei formation program which offers different opportunities for prayer, formation, training and spiritual accompaniment to help the disciples integrate faith and life—so that they too may eventually also help form others to be followers of Jesus and evangelizers.

John Allan Garcia, a college student, shares:
“Because of Verbum Dei, my outlook on life changed, and they helped me see God's love for me and they also helped me to grow in my life …
so now I am one of the missionary disciples who can help even more people who are looking for God's love…“

The Advent Recollection, hosted by VD Cebu in collaboration with VD Bohol, with a theme: “The Greatest Gift….Waiting for You” was a fruitful and spiritually filled event that took nearly a month to prepare, from venue reservation and invitations to coordinating with preachers. Despite facing challenges and struggles, the organizers demonstrated faith and trust in God, overcoming doubts and uncertainties, and ultimately becoming grateful for their experiences.

A Memorable Experience, A Joyful Encounter

The recollection was filled with life-changing, talks and dynamics focused on preparing for the coming of Jesus, the greatest gift, and the virtues of peace, joy, hope, and love that He brings. Participants were heartened to free themselves from attachments to material possessions and the opinions of others and themselves, creating space in their hearts for the Lord, not just during the Christmas season, but at all times.
The symbolism of Jesus's birth in a manger, serving with humility, and the joy expressed by the angels and shepherds were contemplated, prompting introspection among the attendees. The Rosary to the Blessed Mother also enabled participants to share the significant role of Mother Mary in Jesus's salvific mission, as described in John 3:16. The event concluded with a timely opportunity for confession, culminating in a Holy Mass on the First Sunday of Advent, with insightful readings and a homily.

Growing in Faith, with a Grateful Heart
​
The Advent Recollection left a lasting impact on all those who participated, serving as a powerful reminder of the importance of faith, trust, and the pursuit of spiritual fulfillment. The organizers expressed their gratitude to everyone involved, with a special acknowledgment of God, who made the entire event possible. As the Church continues to prepare for the coming of Jesus, events like the Advent Recollection serve as a reminder of the transformative power of faith and the endless possibilities that await us when we trust in God's love and grace.