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El Encuentro
Krizia Leal
It was nothing like I have ever experienced before.
I remember asking my mom about it a month earlier. She looked at me quizzically, as if that was the last thing she'd want to hear from me. Then she said, "I'll think about it…" Well, I guess I wouldn't take no for an answer.
And suddenly here I was, through the grace of God, sitting on the bus to Antipolo. I was one of the three Judenites who were to participate in the Filipino Chinese Catholic Youth Encounter from May 4-6. Yes, three. Out of a hundred and twentysomething Judenites who applied for the FCCY, only the three of us (batchmates at that) went to the encounter. (Ironical, considering that it was the St. Jude Chapter that organized it and that most of the facilitators were former Judenites) And maybe because of that, we found ourselves isolated from the others from time to time. Typical Judenite behavior to stick together when venturing into the unknown.
Twelve youths and three singles comprised the fifteen participants. Aside from us, seven were from St. Peter the Apostle School, and one each from Xavier School and Chiang Kai Shek College. There were supposed to be much more, but due to the very untimely state of rebellion, many from the Mary The Queen chapter backed out. The three singles were John Oliver Tanbonliong, Robert Pangilinan, and Christopher Ong. The full-time facilitators were composed of Faith Quieng, Dolores Quieng, Marilyn Uy, and Albert Go-Alcantara from the St. Jude chapter and Judianne Ang from the Mary the Queen chapter.
We arrived in the Saint Michael Retreat House in San Jose Street Extension, Antipolo around 3 p.m.. A very welcoming sight for everyone after an hour's trip in an UN-airconditioned-but-supposedly-airconditioned school bus (get what I mean?). The compound was located reasonably high up in the mountains. After settling in our respective rooms, the three of us decided to go out and explore the lush garden. We took our time gazing at the different flora, among them colorful Birds of Paradise, wonderful santans and gumamelas. Then we had a texting session together.
So, what did we do there? We started late Friday afternoon with the pillow game, where we had to introduce ourselves and do to the pillow what we do to our friends (think: kissing, hugging, patting, shaking, etc.). Practically anything. But then we had to do that to the person beside you… :P
The participants were divided into four oikoses for our sharing sessions. Oikos is a Greek word meaning household or family. Each oikos was composed of four participants and two facilitators, and was named after the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Talks were an important part of the retreat. Our main lecturer was Fr. Peterson Tieng of Batch 87'. He gave a wonderful speech on God's Love and the history of our salvation (with the traditional humor of course J). Some facilitators also gave talks; with Albert lecturing about self-inventory and FCCY Coordinator Richard Uy dropping by Saturday and speaking about the Holy Spirit.
Sharing sessions were often held after talks. It was in these sharings that we got to open up and get intimate with each other. We were free to express our emotions, opinions, reflections, and thoughts, while people actually listened to you. I sure felt better after I had poured out all my bottled-up feelings inside.
Lively songs were also an important part of the retreat. I couldn't help noticing that the three of us were the only ones who seemed unfamiliar with the songs since the other guys were belting out wholeheartedly. The harmony that we produced was heavenly. Some songs were so touching that I found it hard to control the tears that were forming in my eyes.
On Saturday morning, we had an activity called Breaking of the Bread where we reenacted the Last Supper by partaking of a piece of bread and wine and then praying for the members of our oikos.
One of the many new things that we Judenites experienced was Praise and Worship. The guys from St. Peter seemed to be already familiar with it. Before proceeding, facilitator Dolores Quieng gave us an idea of what we were to do by differentiating praise from worship (oh yes, they're different) and then enumerating the parts: Invitation to praise, opening song, spontaneous prayers, worship song, silent worship, listening or scripture reading, reflection and sharings, petitions and intercessory prayers, and the closing prayers and song. One nice thing about this was that nobody made fun of you or ridiculed you when you raise your hand or shout your praises to the Lord. It is a personal encounter with the Lord, and though it may be done in common, it remains to be our personal time with God.
Who could forget the surprise letters we got from our family? It was certainly the most mushy part of the whole encounter because we didn't have an inkling about them and because of the nice timing (right after Fr. Peter's touching talk on family relationships and not to mention the heartwarming letter of a dying mother to her daughter). The facilitators sure got us on that one! We were told to write back to our families, too. Then came a one-on-one session with our respective facilitators. I was still shedding tears when I spoke with my oikos facilitator-Juday. Fr. Pete then made himself available for the Sacrament of Confession afterwards for further cleansing and reconciliation.
Another memorable thing we went through was the Empowerment of the Holy Spirit. It was held to prepare, cleanse, open up, and pray for the participants in order for us to be aware of the presence of the Spirit within us, as well as receive the gifts of the Spirit, and hopefully bear fruit after the encounter. Basically, Fr. Pete led the facilitators in praying over us while the lights were out and only the candles in the altar lighted the room. He instructed us to reflect on our lives and get rid of any hurt feelings we have. To further signify this, he told us to burn the list of the people who have hurt us and whom we have hurt. Reverend Gary Fuentebella, deacon, and Christopher Tan from Cagayan were there to assist in the musical background (dramatic, isn't it?).
Sunday morning came too soon. Before we knew it, we were in the conference room, sitting for the last time by oikos, having the last sharing session. An activity wherein we took turns conversing with everyone by completing the phrases "My first impression of you was…", "Thank you for being …", and "I hope we could … someday" followed. Then Fr. Tieng presided over the mass.
Our last lunch together was nothing out of the ordinary, except for the fact that some just couldn't keep their hands out of their cameras while we ate. Most of us were just quietly slurping sinigang soup when we would suddenly be startled by a flash from somewhere. J Meals typically consisted of rice, soup, meat, veggies, and fruits for dessert, and were served in a separate building where the chapel, souvenir booths, and other function rooms were also located.
After we had exhausted our monetary supply buying souvenirs and pasalubong, we trudged back to our rooms for the last time, savoring a few more moments of the quiet atmosphere before we went back to the crowded cities. Not long after, we found ourselves outside our rooms with our things, ready to board the school bus (this time air-conditioned, thank goodness). Several group pics taken first, of course.
And then we were finally back to the hustle and bustle of Good Ol' Manila. This time, with a renewed relationship with God, newfound friends, and memories to cherish all our lives. I still can't stop singing...
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