CHAPTER III.

CICM in the Philippines

This Chapter traces the story of the growth and development, as well as the setbacks, of
the CICM since they set foot in the Philippines in 1907. Significant persons, events, and
accomplishments are mentioned, with the view of eliciting appreciation from the students of
how these zealous missionaries, imbued with the spirituality of dedication to the the
Incarnate Word, and under the patronage of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, struggled to do
their “beautiful mission” in these Islands.

Lesson 1: The Stages of Growth

Activity: Beforehand, let the students (by group/parish/Church) research on the history of their
parish/Church. Let them relate in class any striking detail/event/story, and what do they learn
from it.

OR

Activity : The teacher distributes anecdotes from the booklets of [Link] C. Salvilla Missionary
Heart and Aches (2008), and Missionary Guts and Bellies (2012) to the students, individually
or by groups of two or more. Let the students narrate in their own words what the anecdote is all
about. The objective is for the students to have a glimpse into the joyful yet difficult lives of
missionaries of long ago.

The Mission Statement of Jesus (Lk. 4:18-20)

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has chosen Me

to bring Good News to the poor… to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind… set free the oppressed and announce
the that the time has come when the Lord will save His people…”
 It is evident in the reading that in His inner consciousness, Jesus understood
that He had a mission from His Father to preach the Good News of God’s reign and to work for
the establishment of that reign. He was totally faithful to that vision. He understood that His
mission was to do the will of God, and He pursued that goal with a single-minded fidelity that
He foresaw would bring Him into conflict with the secular and religious powers. It was this deep
human integrity that brought about His destruction.

Such mission of Jesus is liberating, transforming, salvific. It liberates man from

all forms of miseries, and evil. It penetrates all dimensions and strata of life. Christ, our Savior, is
an evangelizer, one who teaches and proclaims the Good News of salvation. As an evangelizer,
He proclaims the kingdom of God and the center of His Good News is salvation, this great gift of
God which is liberation from everything that oppresses man but which is above all liberation
from sin and the Evil One. This He did throughout His ministry, marked by service. Jesus served
the needs of the people of His time and He still serves our needs. As He serves our needs, so
must we serve one another’s needs and carry on His work in the world (Knox, Ian. 2011).

The Church and all her members must participate in this evangelizing and
liberating mission , drawn from the very mission of Christ, the greatest evangelizer. Witnessing
to the Gospel is always given importance. Doing this entails a personal conversion which begins
from one’s own heart, for such is the demand of the kingdom which Jesus inaugurated. What
then, are the characteristics of the kingdom? Today, we can start reflecting on some questions
that point to the reality of the kingdom. Are the poor not discriminated by the society? Are the
sick being tended to and cared for? Are there people trying to make peace? Are there people who
promote justice and are prepared to die to see it accomplished? Are there people and institutions
committed to healing brokenness and alienation? In other words, are there people today trying to
carry on the work of Jesus? Do we give our share or contribution for the promotion of the
kingdom? If we want transformation, then it must begin with an urgency to change one’s own
heart first. “We cannot teach the demands of the kingdom to others if we do not exert effort to
live by its principles (Knox, Ian, 2011).”

It is therefore our duty to work for the accomplishment of such salvation for all
peoples by eliminating poverty, injustice and oppression, enslavement of peoples by war,
exploitation of the powerless by the greedy. We have to make the salvation offered by God a
reality. Jesus has brought salvation; we are living in the new age of salvation. We should be
experiencing its effects now; otherwise, how could we possibly experience the grace of Christ,
which makes our life better now?
 Ad Gentes Divinitus 1-5. The universal plan of God for humankind which
is salvation entails the missionary nature of the Church; from the very beginning God
had called women and men to be in the forefront of the ad extra missionary work, to
reach out to the frontiers, to go where there is the greatest need. That is exactly what
the CICM did when they accepted the invitation to do mission in the Philippines.
Their missionary presence here could be roughly divided into three stages:
(1) The Pioneers (1907 to 1930’s): the arrival of the first missionaries; the
beginnings of missionary work in Baguio and Benguet, Cervantes and Tagudin,
Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya, and in Manila; the Philippine
Mission becoming a CICM Province; the First World War; the Catholic School
Press; the beginnings of Saint Louis University and Saint Mary University; and,
the new Diocese of Tuguegarao entrusted to a CICM bishop.
(2) Growth (1930’s to 1960’s): the creation of the Apostolic Prefecture of the
Mountain Province; the ordination of the first native priest of the Montanosa; the
Second World War; the change of the Prefecture Apostolic into an Apostolic
Vicariate; the foundation of the Congregation (later Sisters) of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary/Tuding Sisters; the start of the novitiate program; the transfer of
the Provincialate to Quezon City; the foundation of Maryhurst Seminary; the
beginnings of St. Louis Colleges in San Fernando, Tuguegarao, (later University
of St. Louis) and Mandaue; the ordination of the first Filipino CICM missionary.
(3) Expansion (1960’s to the present): the first Filipino CICMs left for ad extra
mission in Brazil; the creation of the Prelature of Bayombong; the opening of
Maryhill School of Theology; the appointment of the first Filipino Provincial; the
separation of the Missionaries of Jesus.
 VIDEO CLIPS ON: The Nine Pioneers
HISTORY OF MARYHURST
HISTORY OF MARYSHORE
ST. JOSEPH CHURCH IN KALINGA

Having known the great sacrifices of the CICM missionaries in coming to the
Philippines I would express my gratitude to them by not easily complaining about the
discomforts brought about by the weather (rainy or hot), calmly accepting the fact that I do not
live with a parent because he/she is laboring abroad for me, respecting differences in culture,
language, religion, etc.

References:

Austin, Flannery, OP (Gen. Ed.), “Vatican Council II: The Conciliar Documents”. Vol 1,
New York: Costello Publishing Co., 1984.
Bulatao, Romano, [Link]., “The CICM Pioneers in the Philippines”, in Growing as a Missionary
Church.” CICM Publishing House, Philippines. 2013.
CICM, “Carrying on the Mission 100 Years of CICM in the Philippines”. CICM Philippines,
2007.
Constitutions and General Directory of the Congregation of the Cimmaculate Heart of Mary.
Rome, 1988.
Depre, Albert, CICM. “From a Tiny Shoot: The History of the RP CICM Province 1907-1982”.
CICM Philippines.
Rev. Fr. Verhelst, Daniel, CICM,“CICM Missionaries Past and Present”. Leuven University
Press, 1995.
“The CICM Story in the Philippine Setting” in 365 Days with the Lord 2007, CICM Centennial
Edition. Makati: St. Pauls, 2007.