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There Were Gems in
the City of Gold
by Fr. Gene Gilos, OMI
"In each
person is a gem! This cliché summarizes/defines the four-day
(March 1-4, 2004) togetherness among eight Oblates from 6-10 years
in the ministry. This gathering at the Carmelite Retreat House in
Cagayan de Oro City (the City of Gold) had provided them a venue
of deeper disclosures about what had transpired in their personal
as well as ministerial lives over the years of active pastoral involvement.
This recent
ongoing formation was originally booked at the Benedictine Monastery
in Malaybalay, Bukidnon. It had supposedly for its theme, "The
Monastic Spirituality," but because of some unavoidable circumstances,
it did not materialize as planned and scheduled.
And yet, what
was thought a disaster turned out to be a bag of gold. The group's
convenor, Fr. Ed Santoyo, gave each member instead some reading
materials focused on "Spirituality of the Priesthood."
That was supplemented by other reading materials like "Priest,
Power and Sexual Abuse," "The Addictions of Clergy and
Religious" and "Sexual Dynamics in Ministry Relationships"
all culled from Human Development.
The articles
unlocked a lot of reflections among members of the groups. That
led them into honest-to-goodness assessment about how they fared
in their religious and priestly life in the past years. And because
it disposed them well, their sharing was a no-holds-barred session.
It was okay to come to grips with one's strengths and limitations.
There were scores of acceptance, support, affirmation and resolution
as they acknowledged the multi-faceted side of their community.
As they were
done in 'excavating' the deepest and vulnerable core of their very
being, they were unanimous discovering that despite what they are,
"in each person is a gem" rooted in the image and likeness
of God. Too bad, the group missed both Fr. Zaldy and Bro. Noel who
are in France for the De Mazenod Experience. They could have added
radiance to the group's newly found treasure. Indeed, in that moment
of togetherness (with Ed, Dennis, Jun, Ox, Jimmy, Celoi, Joe and
Gene) there were gems glittering in the city of gold!
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