Archbishop Streamlines Body Overseeing Centennial Celebration

(August 28, 2009) –  Prior his departure for Geneva,  Archbishop Ramon Arguelles streamlined the Executive  Committee overseeing the planning for the celebration of the Centennial Jubilee 2010. Naming Msgr. Ruben Dimaculangan, Vicar General, as head,  a Central Steering Committee was set up in lieu of the multi-layered Executive Committee.  According to the Archbishop,  this will lessen the number of people coming to a meeting, avoid overlapping of functions and makes the line of responsibility easier to define.  

The Central Steering Committee will act as the coordinating body to the Archbishop and the different committees previously set up by the former larger body, set general directions for the centennial celebration, monitor activities,  work with the committees as animator, and facilitates the flow of information regarding the centennial celebration.  As a started, according to Msgr. Dimaculangan,  the Central Steering Committee met last August 24 at the Archbishop’s Residence to map out the actions that they are to take.

The newly-streamlined body is composed of Msgr. Ruben Dimaculangan as head with Fr. Manny Guazon, Fr. Eyong Ramos, Fr. Jojo Gonda, Fr. Randy Marquez, OSJ, Fr. Gamelin Balita and Fr. Oscar Andal.  Fr. Manny Guazon was formerly over-all chair of the program committee that oversee all the programs of the three-year preparation.  Fr. Jojo Gonda was co-chair of the program for first year ; Fr. Eyong Ramos co-chair for second year; and, Fr. Randy Marquez, co-chair of this last and third year program.  Fr. Gamelin Balita is Dean of Vicars Forane,  while Fr. Oscar Andal is the Archdiocesan Chancellor.  

During that meeting,  plans for the opening of the Centennial, April 10, 2010 was discussed.  The plan is set to be presented to the archbishop in a meeting set for August 31, Monday. 

Lipa Gears for the 6th Marian Pilgrimage to Carmel

All roads will lead to the Mediatrix Shrine at Lipa this September 12!

The Archdiocese of Lipa is bracing itself for the influx of Marian devotees for the 6^th Marian Pilgrimage for Word Peace and Sanctification of the Clergy on September 12.  Making it more meaningful,  the Pilgrimage will also mark the first day of the four-day First Asia Oceania Mariological Conference (FOMC) with noted Marian theologians, Dr. Mark Miravalle, STD, and Msgr. Dr. Arthur Calkins, STD, giving their lectures on the proposed 5^th Marian dogma.

Archbishop to Religion Teachers: Be Faithful to the Magisterium

(August 14, 2009) – Lipa Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles met with more than 200 religion teachers in Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Lipa, together with the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) catechists, in his residence as part of his personal effort to reach out to all the sectors in the Archdiocese to drum up the evangelization efforts being undertaken in preparation to the celebration of the Centennial Jubilee of the local Church in 2010.

Lipa Clergy had Neo Experience for Annual Retreat

In order to know the Neo-Catechumenal Way up closer,  Archbishop Ramon Arguelles invited the responsible teams of neocatechumen catechists to facilitate the annual retreat of the Lipa clergy held last July 25-July 30 at the Carmelite Sisters Retreat Center in scenic Tagaytay City.