11 January 2012

It has been a tradition that every Epiphany Sunday all the PDDM Sisters gather in celebration. Last January 8, 2012, the Alberione Oasis community in Antipolo City hosted this year’s gathering.

Fun and games opened the celebration and the sisters, both young and old, had joyfully participated. At 4 o’clock, we celebrated the vespers led by the novitiate community. Within the community celebration of vespers, Sr. M. Gemma read her first circular letter for the year 2012. Taking inspiration from the Gospel reading of the Solemnity of the Epiphany, she invited the sisters of the Province to offer to the Lord the “gold of coordinated apostolic creativity, the frankincense of contemplation coupled with compassion and the myrrh of co-responsible and loving communion.”

Photogallery

Read more...

09 January 2012

Rome, 8 January 2012
Feast of the Lord’s Baptism

Dearest Sr. M. Gemma Victorino, Provincial Superior
and Sisters of the Philippine/Taiwan/Hong Kong - Province,

I give thanks to God for each of you and for the abundant gifts of grace and apostolate that accompany our PDDM presence among the pilgrim People of God in the Philippine/Taiwan/Hong Kong Province.

This letter is to formally announce the fraternal visit in your Province, according to our Rule of Life.

I will be with you from February 14 to March 19, together with Sr. M. Leticia Bantolinao, General Councilor and Sr. M Agar Coreno, General Bursar, as you will see in the program attached to this letter.

Praying and reflecting together, we could grow in awareness of the spiritual and human resources that are present in each of you and in the communities, conscious of the ever maturing spirituality of communion within and outside the Congregation. In the light of the Word of God, the Eucharistic Mystery and the story of salvation written in our hearts, we desire to search for God’s will for the future of our PDDM presence and mission the world over, and in particular, in your concrete situation.

Aware of the complexity of the moment in which humanity lives and which touches us all, let us renew our faith in God and prepare ourselves to face the challenge of the multicultural context in which we are inserted. Let us put every talent to fruition that we may contribute to the coming of the Kingdom of God, the reign of Jesus Master, Way-Truth-Life in the world.

I am with you in prayer, with the wish that you may grow more and more in our charismatic identity and mission, as persons and communities called to be bread blessed, broken and shared for the life of the world. The Rule of Life and the General Directory always inspire our life as Sister Disciples of the Divine Master also during the fraternal visit. Let the visit be a time of grace and communion, and an experience of co-responsibility, renewing all in the sense of belonging to the Congregation.

I suggest that you prepare yourselves for the fraternal visit praying the “Secret of success” composed by our Founder.

Entrusting the visit to the intercession of our Mother M. Scholastica, I greet you all, in communion with the sisters of the General Government, especially the sisters who are preparing to be with you. I invoke upon each of you the fullness of the Lord’s blessings.

In Jesus Master,
Sr. M. Regina Cesarato
PDDM Superior General

09 January 2012

EPIPHANY 2012
Dearest  Sisters,

What did the magi bring to the Christchild? The Gospel reading from Matthew is very precise: gold, frankincense and myrrh (Mt 2:11).
Why these gifts? Tradition interprets them as follows:
- Gold is the gift fit for royalty. The Christchild is KING;
- Frankincense is burned to accompany prayers sent to heaven. The Christchild is GOD;
- Myrrh is an aromatic herb used to heal wounds for its strong antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. But its most notable use was that of an embalming material. As an embalming ointment it signified that the Christchild was born to die for the world. He is HUMAN like us. In fact, Myrrh was one of the burial spices of Jesus (John 19:39).

In this New Year 2012, a new opportunity of following Jesus Master – King, God, Man – how can we present to him our gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh? I would like to attempt an answer.

Read more...