(The Evangelization Experience)
By: Eve T. Horvidalla
Beginnings of the Jaro Evangelization Team (JET)
After attending Scripture Ventures in Baguio City, in April 1989, I came home with 13 other Ilonggos fired with the Spirit to teach and train evangelists in the Archdiocese. Fr. Tom Tibudan, who was then director of the Dei Verbum Biblical Center headed our group. There were other priests with us, among them Msgr. Amadeo Escañan and Rev. Fr. Rafael Ely Fuentes.
Immediately upon our return, Fr. Tom organized a class on Catholic Evangelization Training for the Archdiocese with the expressed permission of the late Archbishop Alberto Piamonte. Fr. Art Ledesma headed the participants from the Parish of Our Lady of Candles in Jaro. Believing in the effectivity of the evangelization process to bring people to Jesus Christ, Fr. Art immediately organized the Jaro Evangelization Team (JET) in the parish, composed of certified evangelists. The team was originally composed of four lay parishioners plus Fr. Art as the Spiritual Director. Together with other certified evangelists from the Archdiocesan Training, the JET went out on house to house evangelistic visits to evangelize the people in Brgy. San Vicente. The evangelizees were grouped together every Saturday afternoon for Gospel Sharing sessions with JET members as facilitators.
In June, 1990, with the expressed permission of Msgr. Jose M. Gamboa, then the parish priest of Jaro, the JET invited key leaders of the parish mandated organizations to a Leaders’ Formation Seminar. The leaders were given the Full Gospel Presentation and most of them responded to attend the first 13-week Parish Level Evangelization course. From this group, 26 trainees were certified as evangelists and were incorporated into the JET. The others who were not able to meet the certification requirements were incorporated into the JET as prayer warriors. To deepen their commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, all the parish evangelists and prayer warriors experienced a Parish Renewal Seminar which the JET conducted in December 1990. The formation of the evangelists continued every Wednesday, which included Worship and Praise, Gospel Sharing, and teachings on the Basic Christian Doctrine. Brgy Desamparados was the evangelization site. Every Sunday afternoon, the evangelists revisited their evangelizees and shared with them four points: a) How to pray …. A prayer that is truly a dialogue with God; b) How to pray the Scriptures using the Word Method, so that the person can listen to God and receive His message everyday; c) Brotherhood . . . continuing fellowship with the evangelizees and evangelists during the visits; d) Church . . . invitation to receive the Sacraments and to the “Oras sang Parokya” every Wednesday.
Oras sang Parokya
“Oras sang Parokya, a project of Fr. Art Ledesma and the JETs, is a special Mass for the family of God in the Parish on Wednesdays at 5:30 in the afternoon. It featured a special prayer for the birthday celebrants of the month during the first Wednesday Mass and prayer for healing in the succeeding Wednesdays. Since its establishment in 1989, the Eucharistic celebration has been touching the lives of many parishioners and even of non-parishioners who religiously come. Many evangelizees who have not been to the Sacraments returned to the fold of the Church.
Mr. Esmeraldo Obeso, in his winning essay about “Oras sang Parokya” shares its effect in his life: “For me, “Oras sang Parokya” is so valuable that I have to postpone any appointment or if I am going to set an appointment, I see to it that it will not be in conflict with the Mass schedule on Wednesday afternoon. I give priority to my attendance at the “Oras sang Parokya.” For me, it is a commitment to the Lord – to be with Him and my family on this occasion.
“One time, I was admitted in a hospital and was scheduled for an operation. The night before the operation I asked permission from the hospital attendants to allow me to attend “Oras sang Parokya.” I was not allowed to go, thus, I went without permission. The attendants were so worried of my absence from the hospital. I knew that in attending the Mass, my operation would be successful. And indeed, it was. I did not even feel the pain, because during the “pray over” or the laying of hands after the Mass, I knew I was already healed.
“My friends whom I invited to attend the Mass with me, affirmed their physical healing, financial assistance, and / or spiritual enlightenment.”
Adlaw sang Ginoo sa Barangay
A month before Holy Week in 1991, and every year for three (3) years, the JET conducted one-day recollections in nine barangays of the parish and to the members of the Barangay Councils covered by the parish. The day was called “Adlaw sang Ginoo sa Barangay.” The JET together with the priests of the parish brought the Love of the Father; the Salvation of Jesus Christ, and the Empowerment of the Holy Spirit to the people of the barangays. The attendance ranged from 80 to 120 in each barangay. There were many conversions, reconciliations, and forgiveness that took place. Our three Assistant Parish Priests had their hands full hearing the confessions of the participants so that we could not start the Eucharistic celebration on schedule.
The JET did not end their activities with the recollections in the barangays. Follow-up teams went back to the barangays and held Gospel Sharing sessions with the participants and with their neighbors who were interested to join the sharing sessions. Because of these sharing sessions, many people began to know the Lord more and more. Several participants in the barangay recollections joined the Evangelization Training in May of that year.
After a span of almost twenty years what has happened? Attitudes towards the Church changed. Commitments to God has been manifested. Some of those who religiously attended the sessions before are now either barangay coordinators, or members of the parish councils. Some have become active in the different ministries / organizations of the parish.
The work of evangelization is not an easy task. But with God’s grace, Jesus was brought to the people of the parish, the work must continue in obedience to the command of Jesus Christ: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always: yes, to the end of time”… (JB - Mt. 28:18-20).
JESUS NEVER FAILS
I am a cancer survivor. The cancer was called Multiple Myloma, a type of cancer of the blood. That was in 1995. I was diagnosed with this disease after I complained of general weakness and high fever. I stayed in the hospital for 11 days. After my discharge from the hospital, my doctor prescribed a 12-session chemotherapy once a month.
Before the doctor administered the chemotherapy, I had to undego a check up on my blood chemistry. Now, every time I went to have my blood chemistry checked, and even on the way to my doctor, I always hummed this song to myself:
Jesus never fails,
Jesus never fails,
The things of this world
May let you down
But Jesus never fails.
I trusted that Jesus would not fail me and remove the cancerous cells in my blood stream. After my fifth session, my doctor told me that the protein count in my blood was improving. It was almost normal. Still I continued with the chemotherapy treatment. And every time I went to have my blood examined, I never failed to sing to myself that Jesus will never fail me. After the results were submitted, my doctor told me that my blood chemistry kept improving. On the seventh session, when I presented to her the results of my blood examination, she told me the protein count has leveled off.
Jesus never fails …..
When I went home, I reflected on what the doctor told me. Could I be on the way to recovery? I went before the Lord and asked Him what to do. Should I still continue with the last five sessions? Deep in my heart, I heard a small voice saying, that if I continue the treatment, the good cells in my blood will be destroyed by the medication. After my reflection and prayer, I did not go back to the doctor for further treatment. The Lord healed me!
Jesus never fails …..
That was in 1995. I thank God the disease has not recurred.
“At all times bless the Lord, and ask him to make all your paths straight …..(Tobit 4:19).
By: Eve T. Horvidalla
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