The South American region has contributed about 101 canonized and beatified saints to the Church. We have the saints like St. Rose of Lima, St. Peter Claver, and of course, our very own Bl. Ceferino Namuncura who all come from this region.
Being considered the most Catholic continent in the world, the question “why does it need Catholic missionaries?” surely defies logic and reason.
Meeting in Brazil four years ago, the region's bishops called for the Latin American church to be in a "permanent state of mission." The bishops realized that "Latin America is a continent of people who are baptized, but who are not really disciples, much less missionaries," noted a Bolivian theologian.
When I came across this news earlier this week, I suddenly felt afraid for the catholicism in the Philippines. Was it not that Fr. Rector mentioned last night that there is just an estimated 15% of genuine Catholics in the country?
Just looking at the support of Filipino Catholics to the RH bill, which is tantamount to contradicting the teachings of the Church, one cannot but see the writings on the wall. If we do not do our part, we are also doomed to face the same situation.
We who belong to an institution founded for the main purpose of evangelizing and educating to the faith needs to do more. A lot are expected from us.
But before we set foot in inviting others back to the church, before we dream about that wonderful first sermon in our thanksgiving mass, or the awe-inspiring good morning talks which we'll deliver to the students, let us begin first the serious task in the mission field we are asked to evangelize: let us begin first to evangelize ourselves.
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