MORE than a hundred lay ministers from different parishes in the country who are under the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas are now in Cebu City for their 19th National Biennial Convention which was held at the Summit Circle Hotel from Oct. 23 to 25.
The theme for this year’s convention is “The Eucharist, the Family and the Parish in the Jubilee Year of Mercy.”
Speakers during the opening program yesterday included Most Rev. Teodoro Bacani Jr., Bishop Emeritus of Novaliches and Most Rev. Jesse Mercado, head of the Episcopal Commission on the Laity of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Today, the convention will be graced by Msgr. Roger Fuentes, spiritual director of the Cebu Archdiocesan Council of the Laity; former Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr.; Fr. Ely Suico, director of the Cebu Archdiocesan Commission on Family and Life; and Fr. Amado Picardal, executive secretary of the CBCP Committee on Basic Ecclesial Community.
The convention will end tomorrow morning with a recap of events by Dr. Rene Josef Bullecer, Laiko vice president for the Visayas and Laiko president Dr. Amelita-Dyrit-Go.
Gonzalo “Jun” Catan Jr. said they will also introduce during the convention their “Gabay Kristo” campaign, which will be participated by lay Catholics, Christians and Evangelical faith-based groups, to help the faithful choose the best candidates in next year’s election.
Catan of the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals and the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas said the Pilipino Movement for Transformational Leadership to which they also belong aims to give out scorecards to 10 million voters of the different parishes in the country.
The one-page scorecard will help voters rate and assess the qualifications of their chosen leaders.
It provides three different criteria – leadership criteria, leadership abilities, leadership integrity — in selecting a leader.
“We are helping people decide, select their candidates using Gabay,” said Catan.