Bylines and Byways REMEMBERING OUR MISSIONARIES One of this trips pleasant surprises was meeting a dedicated missionary and a beloved friend who once spent the best years of his life ministering to the faithful in the Butuan Diocese. Remember Fr. Ben Verberne of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC)? We had a wonderful meeting in Ingersoll, a town just an hour away from Hamilton, Ontario where were staying. Fr. Ben was on a trip from the Netherlands together with his younger sister to celebrate the 80th year of their elder sister, Hetty. So off we went to Ingersoll with our son John and his two kids for an extremely pleasant and unforgettable visit. Who could imagine having to meet again after so many years in a far-off land? We have Facebook to thank for as he is one of our cyber-friends in this page. Fr. Ben served in Butuan from 1968, and for the next two decades had his postings in Butuan for many years, then to San Luis, and he would cap his ministry as Superior-General of the worldwide MSC congregation. He is still very active in the administration of his order in another capacity. But it would be instructive if I cite the spirit of the times to illuminate to our younger generation about the many positive contributions of Fr. Ben and his confreres to the development of our place. The ancient Chinese used to have this curse: May you live in interesting times. Because Fr. Ben came at a time when two tremendous seminal events intersected during those years. The Second Vatican Council has just started a revolution that would shake the church to its core. It was a much needed change, but being a conservative institution set in its ways for centuries, it was never easy having to turn a new leaf. The reforms for greater engagement of the Church in the modern world, for social justice and human rights, for the worlds poor, and for a return to the simple tenets of the Gospel, an ecumenism for others who are also in the same search for the Truth, were all strewn on the path of a fast-changing world. It was also a call to renew the rigidities of hierarchy, formalities, and dogma. It was a time of confusion, anomie, and uncertainty. Things are much stabilized now. The other major event of the time was the declaration of martial law. If Vatican II was a positive force for renewal, martial law turned out to be a negative backlash on our freedoms, and we still suffer from its repercussions. Our talk turned to a remembrance of things past, and of inquiring about the fate of mutual friends over the years. It was laughter about our supposed successes and the forgivable quirks that all of us have, and quiet sorrow of what did not turn out well for those who have our affections. Our missionaries have done well for us, and have been with us in difficult times. Some went on to newer tasks in other climes, some have gone to a well-deserved rest, and some are with us for the newer challenges. Meantime, theres Facebook to remind us of each other!
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 18:36:10 +0000
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