Verbum Dei Philippines at 40... moving forward!

​Verbum Dei first arrived in the Philippines in 1977 with the missionaries Juana Crespí, Antonia Pizá and Asunción Gomila. Forty years have passed since then and, with God’s help, the community has expanded throughout the country. We are now present in Manila, Tagaytay, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro Quezon City, and Pasig City.

Certainly the Lord has blessed Verbum Dei Philippines and in order to give thanks to his fidelity, we gathered together as one big missionary family on Sunday September 3 in our Apostolate Center in Pasig.

The spirit of the celebration can be summed up in the words of Saint John Paul II, “Let us remember the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm, and look forward to the future with confidence.” (Novo Millenio Ineunte, 2001)

Upon arrival, the attendees received a name tag with a color corresponding to the decade in which they first met Verbum Dei. It was exciting to see disciples that have journeyed with us from the very beginning—true witnesses of the display of the charism in this country.

After the Eucharistic celebration, lived in a spirit of joy and thanksgiving, video messages of  missionaries who have passed through the Philippines were shown. We were all happy to see them again and felt their words of encouragement as an impulse for the years ahead.
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Let us pray that all of us, as a missionary family on the go, may be faithful to the Holy Spirit in the time ahead, and for the grace to fully dedicate to our mission of prayer, ministry of the Word, and witness of life for the formation of Filipino apostles who will reach all of Asia and—why not?—all the world! If life begins at forty, let’s watch out for God’s surprises in the years ahead!

See some photos of the event: