Archbishop Jose Palma (GOOGLE)
Palma urges new members of Missionaries of the Poor to cherish the gift of mission
As the Catholic Church yesterday celebrated the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, five young men have decided to leave life’s comforts to serve God and the poor.
Jurio Lanoy, Jimmy Pia, Elmer Dupalco, Edward Belarmino and Ricardo Guevarra — all of the Missionaries of the Poor (MOP) — made their “perpetual profession of vows” at the San Pedro Calungsod Chapel at the South Road Properties in Cebu City.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma presided over a Mass attended by officers and members of the MOP as well as parents and relatives of the new missionaries.
In his homily, the prelate urged MOP members to cherish the gift of mission, and to joyfully carry out the tasks entrusted to them by God.
“You gave up yourselves for God. You may be poor in terms of material things, but your joy is in serving the Lord,” Palma said.
He also thanked the parents of MOP members who molded them into God-fearing individuals.
“As I always say, vocation to religious life starts with the family. It is at home where we first learned to pray, know about God, go to Mass every Sunday and practice good manners. The family is the foundation of religious vocations,” Palma said.
The archbishop called on the faithful to ponder upon the lives of Saints Peter and Paul — the two pillars of the Catholic Church.
St. Peter was among the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, who was eventually chosen by the Lord to lead the Church.
St. Peter, the Catholic Church’s first pope, was crucified on Vatican Hill during the persecution of Nero.
On the other hand, St. Paul was a Pharisee from Tarsus who was eventually converted to Christianity. He became the “Apostle to the Gentiles” and preached throughout Asia and Greece. St. Paul was later beheaded for continuously preaching the word of God.