redemptorists-cebu

THE DUMAGUETE REDEMPTORIST MISSION TEAM (DRMT)


Faithful to the tradition started by St. Alphonsus, the founder of the Redemptorists, the Dumaguete Redemptorist Mission Team(DRMT) was formed in the year 2000. Redemptorist missionaries had actually been involved in giving missions in the Negros Island area way back in the 1920's. And between the 1950's and 1970's, missions were continuously given in Negros Oriental and in nearby areas by the Redemptorists based in Dumaguete City.
The formation of the DRMT in 2000 revitalized the mission apostolate after some years wherein the administration of the Dumaguete Perpetual Help Parish became the main focus of the Redemptorists. The DRMT was formed with both Redemptorists and lay partners as members. Occasionally, some exposurees, like seminarians and deacons, would join the team during missions.

The DRMT was formed primarily to continue the vision of St. Alphonsus- to bring the Good News of Christ's Plentiful Redemption especially to the most abandoned. The present mission team has recently engaged itself in giving missions especially in the rural areas of the Dumaguete Diocese, in assisting parishes and chaplaincies in the work of evangelization, in the formation and strengthening of BECs, as well as in other needs that the local church asks the team to help. The duration of the mission in an area depends on the needs of the parish or chaplaincy, stretching at times from 2 to 6 months. During this time, the mission team lives among the people, shares with them their life, their work, and their faith. The celebration of the Sacraments and other activities are also facilitated in order to strengthen their faith and their sense of being a Christian community.
The Dumaguete Redemptorist Mission Team at present is composed of 3 Redemptorists and 4 lay missioners(2 females and 2 males), with 3 Redemptorist postulants and 2 deacons from the Dumaguete diocese.

The EASTERN VISAYAS REDEMPTORIST MISSION TEAM (EVRMT)

The Eastern Visayas Redemptorist Mission Team (EVRMT) is composed of 3 Redemptorist Missionary Priests and 4 Lay Missionaries. The Team is based in Redemptorists Tacloban. EVRMT started to conduct BEC Missions in the Diocese of Borongan, Eastern Samar sometime in 1995. In 2007 EVRMT moved to the Diocese of Catarman, Northern Samar upon the invitation of Bp. Emmanuel Trance, D.D., to conduct BEC mission. It was in Catarman where the EVRMT organized a 3 months General Mission. Redemptorist priests, brothers and lay missionaries from all over Visayas and Mindanao went to Northern Samar to help in the General Mission. In the span of 3 months the missionaries helped establish the BEC's in the Mission Center of Rawis, the Parish of Mondragon and the Cathedral Parish.

The missionaries went around the different Baranggays visiting houses, administering the Sacraments and Preaching the Good News of God's plentiful Redemption. After the three months of General Mission the other Redemptorists went back to their local units while the EVRMT continued to do Missions in the other Parishes of the Diocese of Catarman.

While the Mission team was doing BEC mission in Catarman the new Bishop of the Diocese of Calbayog, Bp. Isabelo Abarquez, DD invited the EVRMT to conduct a Centennial Mission in his diocese. In March 2009 the team bade farewell to the Diocese of Catarman for a while to begin a new phase of mission in Calbayog, Western Samar.

At present the team is working with the local church of Calbayog who are preparing for their Centennial anniversary as a Diocese. The Team is organizing a Centennial General Mission in the Diocese on January to March 2010. In this Centennial General Mission Redemptorist Missionaries from all over the Philippines will be invited to help prepare the 23 parishes of the Diocese for their centennial celebration on April 10, 2010. In this mission the Redemptorist missionaries continues to visit houses, administer the Sacraments, and bring closer to the people especially the most abandoned the God whose love is overflowing. In this Centennial Mission we preach the grace of the jubilee which is the fullness of life for all people echoing the motto of the Redemptorist Congregation "In Christ is fullness of Redemption."