Fr. Manny Guazon Elected AF chair

In a belated news release of the Association of Foundations,  Fr. Manny Guazon,  Executive Director of Pondong Batangan Community Foundation, Inc., was recently elected chair of the said foundation.  Fr. Manny has been elected to the AF Board in 2008 but has been chairperson of the AF’s Community Foundations Committee even before becoming a Board member.  Fr. Manny was also a former president of SAIDI and a recognized expert in organization development.  Presently, he is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Lipa Metropolitan Chapter of the Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference for Human Development, serving as chairman of the Committee on Programs.

Symposia on St. Joseph Fires off at Vicariate I

Lay empowerment in action! This is what  the Speakers’ Bureau of Vicariate IV showed when it started the simultaneous symposia in the six parishes comprising Vicariate 1 last July 18, 2009.  The symposium on St. Joseph is part of the action plan and programs for the third and last year of preparation for the Centennial Jubilee 2010 of the Archdiocese of Lipa.

Archbishop underscores importance of catechesis

(July 15, 2009) – More than lining up numerous activities undertaken in the last two years and presently being done for the third and last year of its preparation, and for the centenary itself, Archbishop Ramon Arguelles maintained that the ultimate purpose of the grand Centennial Jubilee 2010 celebration of  Lipa as a local church is the transformation of Batanguenos as better Christians (Catholics), giving more attention to the needy, marginalized and disadvantaged, with the families consecrated to the Most Holy Trinity.

Festival to include even non-Batangueno priests & religious

(July 15, 2009) –  Even non-Batangueno priests and religious will be included in the planned “Festival of Priests & Religious” during the Centennial Jubilee of the Archdiocese of Lipa set to start on April 10, 2010.  This was the consensus arrived at in the Ad Hoc Committee meeting held recently.  The meeting was presided over by Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles.  Earlier,  this festival, a sort of homecoming, was intended only for Batangas-born priests and religious ministering outside the confines of the Archdiocese. But according to Archbishop Arguelles,  the month-long activity, slated for August 2010,  will also acknowledge the contributions done by congregations and individual clerics and religious, especially those who ministered in the then-diocese but are no longer in the local church.

BBC-Lipa present at BBC National General Assembly

(July 10, 2009) – The Lipa Metropolitan Chapter of the Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference (BBC-Lipa) was ably represented by some of its officers and members in the 33rd General Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference for Human Development held at the AIM Conference Center.  The Lipa delegation included Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, chairman; former Ambassador Macario Laurel, president; Mr. Tony Pasia, treasurer; Mr. Chito Recto, Board member;  Fr. Clerence Patag, LASAC Head and Board member; Fr. Lito Malibiran, Environemental DEsk head and Board Member; and, Fr. Nonie Dolor, Social Communication and Mass Media head and board member.

Inter-Faith Group to Rally vs. ConAss

(Batangas City) -  The religious community of this prime city of CALABARZON Region will show its force in a Prayer March against HR 1109 which seeks to amend the Constitution through Constituent Assembly.  According to Fr. Cecilio Arce,  parish priest of the Immaculate Conception Parish and chairman of the six-interfaith Batangas City Ecumenical Council,  the march will be held on July 17, Fiday and will start at the Provincial Capitol and end at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

First MSK Forum held

(July 1,2009) -  Some 123 Munting Sambayanang Kristiyano (MSK) pastoral workers and leaders from 14 parishes of the Archdiocese of Lipa attended the first-ever Archdiocesan MSK Forum held at the Basilica Pastoral Center of the Immaculate Conception Parish, Batangas City.

Main resource person was Msgr. Jose Marie Delgado, P.C., Consultant for Visayas of the CBCP BEC Committee.   Msgr. Delgado revisited the vision-mission and life of MSK in the light of the mystery of the Trinity.

SOS Village-Lipa, 60 Taon na!

Tema:  “Karapatan ng mga Bata at ang pakikilahok”

Ang SOS Children’s Village Lipa ay nagdiwang ng ika – animnapung taong pagkakatatag na may temang “Child’s Rights and Participation” na ginanap noong ika – 27 ng Hunyo taong kasalukuyan. Ang nasabing pagdiriwang ay dinaluhan ng mga bisita at kaibigang tagapagtaguyod ng SOS, mga taga-komunidad ng Barangay Banaybanay na kalahok sa Baskteball at Volleyball, guro at mag-aaral na sumali sa patimpalak sa larangan ng pagguhit o “On the Spot Poster Making Contest”. Ito ay isang buong araw na pagdiriwang bilang pagbibigay-galang sa nagtatag ng SOS Children’s Villages na si Doctor Hermann Gmeiner na nagtatag ng unang SOS Village sa Imst, Austria.

Archbishop leads Pope’s Day Celebration; Closes Year of St. Paul

(June 30, 2009) –  It was a twin-bill celebration held at the Cathedral of St. Sebastian,  Lipa City this day as the Archdiocese celebrated the Pope’s Day and closed its own commemoration of the Pauline Year with a solemn Mass presided over by Most Rev. Ramon C. Arguelles, D.D.

“Anybody who does not hold the same doctrine and morals as the Pope is not with Christ,” the Archbishop said in his homily.  He then elaborated on the Pope being the sign of unity in the Church.  He then explained why even professors in the seminary should make the profession of faith to ensure that the right doctrine and morals  that are constantly the teachings of the Church are taught and not the individual opinions of professors, no matter how brilliant and popular they are.