austraLasia
#1873
Mary in Mindanao
DAVAO CITY: 11th June
2007 -- Mary took her place as mother
and help for the people in the southern island of Mindanao (Philippines).
Last June 6, 2007, the bishop of Davao City, Msgr. Fernando Capalla, inaugurated
the new parish of Mary Help of Christians and installed the first parish priest,
Fr. Medelino Borgueta SDB. Before a crowd of over a thousand people and more
than thirty priests, the decree was read, delineating the boundaries of the new
parish carved out of the mother parish, Sacred Heart of Calinan, Davao City.
Nineteen chapels and their corresponding basic ecclesial communities were
included in the parish.
In his homily, Bishop Capalla
emphasized the ministry of the Salesians on behalf of young people and
challenged them to serve the young, not only in the parish, but in the whole of
Mindanao.
The parish community is made up of farmers, in
an area known for good bananas exported to other countries, and for luscious
fruits such as durian, pomelo, and rambutan. However, the use of aerial spray in
the cultivation of bananas has been affecting the health of the people.
A small chapel and a makeshift convent serves as the
temporary center of the parish. In due time, a larger church and convent shall
rise on land generously donated by families.
Davao City
is the third largest city of the Philippines, and the largest in the world in
terms of land area. The parish is located in barangay Dacudao, in the district
of Calinan.
The parish is Don Bosco's second in Mindanao.
More than a decade ago, the Sacred Heart Parish was established in Mati City, a
three-hour trip away. It is God's gift to the people and to the Salesians in the
Philippines.
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