Tag: Miarayon

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Fund for Apostolic Works

The Bukidnon Mission District: St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish

St. Therese School of Miarayon
Fr. Noel "Weng" Bava, SJ with Talaandig youth, Miarayon, Bukidnon

St. Therese of the Child Jesus was established by Jesuit missionaries thirty (30) years ago.  It subsists largely due to the generosity of the foreign and local benefactors, mostly friends and relatives of missionaries assigned in Miarayon, who see the wisdom in educating the youth of the mission area alongside delivering spiritual nourishment of the people.

When the pioneer missionaries get transferred to other assignments, benefactors and donors of the school stop supporting the school or transfer their support to other projects of the previous missionaries.  Often, the school is left operating on a shoe-string budget and on many occasions,  borrows funds from the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus for the needed upgrade and upkeep of its facilities.

The passage of  The  Enhanced Basic Education Act (R.A. 10533) in 2013, which seeks to increase and improve compulsory education from 11 to 12 years, adds to the burden because of the need to accommodate a greater number of students.

Miarayon is a barangay of the fourth class municipality of Talakag, Bukidnon. It is a community of tribal minorities: Talaandigs (80%),  Dumagats (15%), Maranaw Moslems (4%) and Igorots (1%) comprising about 5,000 families. The local dialect is Binukid but most could speak the Visayan language.  The area has limited access to water and electricity and the roads may be accessed mainly by motorcycle (habal-habal), horse-riding or walking. There is no reliable signal for telecommunication yet.

Map-289x150 The Bukidnon Mission District: St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish

Miarayon-_old-woman_FB-232x150 The Bukidnon Mission District: St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish

 THE TALAANDIGS

The Talaandigs are friendly people.  They are deeply religious and value family and social kinship.  They are reliable    and industrious.  Despite these traits, many remain poor because of the lack of opportunity to get proper education.  To know more about the Talaandigs, view the full video made by Symantec Tooth and Gum Care here.

ST. THERESE SCHOOL OF MIARAYON

St. Therese School of Miarayon is the only High School operating in the area covering about five (5) barangays or villages with about seven (7) or so public elementary schools.  The next available High Schools are some sixty  (60) or so kilometers away from the centro.  In 2015,  there are approximately 320 students. However, this figure dips radically due to  students who drop out within the first quarter of the school year.  Of the students who continued, approximately 500 students have graduated and a good number have gone on to college and earned their degrees.

Fr.-Weng-Bava-225x150 The Bukidnon Mission District: St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish
Fr. Noel “Weng” Bava, SJ Parish Priest

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About Us

The mission continues

The only school in Miarayon region with no covered hall to keep children safe from rains and the heat during out of class activities. But the kids don't complain."

The Jesuit Formation

Jesuits in the Philippines are prepared for ministry through a long and rigorous process of formation.  The formation of Jesuits for priesthood takes 11-12 years, indeed a considerable period of time.  For quality service requires quality preparation.  The costs of formation over so many years are very high.  For many years, the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus has managed to cover the cost.  But with rising costs, the Philippine Province is beginning to feel heavily the financial responsibilities of its mission.

The impact of the Jesuits in the Philippines is extraordinary and unparalleled.  They are probably best known as caring and gifted educators, but they are also deeply committed to community service, apostolic missions and religious vocations.0004-372x150 The mission continues

Over the years, so many Jesuits have lived, worked and died in the Philippines.  This is what they do – give their all, no matter what the cost.  Today there less than 300 Jesuits in the Philippine Province, of which 100 are over 70 years old, and so many of them are infirm in one way or another.  Their health and medical care have taken its toll on the finances of the Jesuits.

We appeal to our lay partners to honor and support these deserving men with your kindness, thoughtful prayers, and with your generous donations.

Jesuit Mission

Our Jesuit priests are called to bring hope, reconciliation and peace into situations of hopelessness, strife and enmity.  They are missioned to Bukidnon to serve the people in Zamboanguita and especially the indigenous people in the surrounding mountains, to the poor people and former lepers of Culion, to the prisoners of Muntinlupa, to the sick at Philippine General Hospital, to direct the Emmaus Center to provide counselling for religious and priests, and even to Myanmar, Cambodia and East Timor.

Wherever they are assigned, our Jesuit priests cannot do the work alone.  In most places where they serve, the people have very little money to put in the collection box.

tinaytayan-Elementary-School-Childrens-Mass-444x150 The mission continues
Tinaytayan Elementary School Children’s Mass     

We appeal to our friends to join our priests in their mission with prayers and through generous contributions to their apostolic works.

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Fund for Apostolic Works

Blessed, broken and given away (Mathew 26:26)

Jesuit Mission

The Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus is engaged in ministries located near rural parishes and parish schools. These works, which fall under the Apostolic Arca, or simply Apostolic works, require subsidy since target beneficiaries are poor and belong to marginalized communities. Jesuit priests are sent to minister to these communities.

Jesuit Communities

The Society of Jesus’ newly ordained priests will be sent to the communities below. Please click on the links to know more:

Henry C. Ponce, S.J. will do prison ministry with the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service in Muntinlupa.

Irmo Francis A. Valeza, S.J. will continue chaplaincy ministry at Philippine General Hospital and also serve as Assistant Chaplain of Jesuit Volunteers Philippines.

Ambrosio F. Flores, S.J. will finish his Licentiate in Theology and in the second semester go to Culion to assist in the parish and in Loyola College of Culion.

Mark Peter L. Lopez, S.J. will go to the mission in Cambodia.

Arnel T. Ong, S.J. will be the chaplain for the Basic Education units of Ateneo de Zamboanga University.

Alvin D. Laput, S.J. will be the assistant parish priest in Miarayon, Bukidnon.

Please lend your support by making a donation TODAY! Just click inside the HOW TO MAKE A DONATION box above. You can also like, follow and share the Philippine Jesuit Aid Association (PJAA or Jesuitaid), the development arm of the Society of Jesus, Philippine Province on FB and twitter, or do the same for the Jesuit mission areas mentioned above.  Every little action helps.

Blessed-broken-given-away-183x150 Blessed, broken and given away (Mathew 26:26)
Blessed, broken given away