The Province of Santo Niño de Cebu-Philippines held its 10th General Assembly from 1st-5th March at the Santo Niño Spirituality Center of Tolo-tolo, in the city of Consolacion. There were 29 Augustinian friars in attendance - including members of the provincial council, priors, superiors, presidents of the provincial commissions and the vicar superior of the vicariate affiliated to the Province of Christus Totus in Papua-Indonesia, who attended the Assembly with the aim of reporting and assessing progress against the recommendations and actions that arose in the circumscription after the last chapters.
Renewal of community life
The meeting began with a lecture on "Synodality in the Church" by monsignor Midyphil Bermejo Billones, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cebu. This was followed by the regular working sessions.
Under the theme that the Province is adopting until 2024 - "Filipino Augustinians beyond 450: Renewal of community life for a new evangelization" - the attendees spent these few days in a spirit of fraternity, prayer and exchange of ideas that it is hoped will facilitate the work of evangelization in the centres, seminaries, parishes and other places of encounter where the Augustinian community is present.
This objective, and the pastoral projects that are being carried out, will be reviewed again at the next Ordinary Provincial Chapter to be held in February 2024.
About the Province of the Santo Niño de Cebu, the first Augustinian Province in Asia
At present, the Province of the Santo Niño Province of Cebu has 128 solemnly professed friars across 13 communities and 7 residences. Their main apostolates include service in parishes, schools, spirituality centres, formation houses and mission areas in collaboration with the dioceses of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao (the three main islands of the archipelago). Nineteen friars are currently serving in various overseas mission apostolates in Australia, Europe, North America and Asia. This year the Province celebrates the 40th birthday of its canonical foundation at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu on December 25, 1983 and its inauguration on January 15, 1983 as the first Augustinian Province of Asia.