“Mary arose and went with haste…” – Luke 1:39

The National Council of theVincentian Marian Youth (CoM-VMY) Philippines recently held its National Assembly last July 13-15, 2023 at the Betania Retreat House, Nivel Hills, Cebu City. The assembly was attended by officers, moderators, as well as lay, priest, and sister advisors from different CoM-VMY units all over the country. The event was facilitated by the NEB and hosted by the Archdiocesan Council of Cebu.

A Eucharistic Celebration was held prior to the start of the program proper which was presided by Rev. Fr. Christian Sambajon, CM, Archdiocesan Priest Advisor of the Archdiocese of Cebu. In the afternoon, Rev. Fr. Christian gave his talk about “CoM-VMY Journey on Synodality with Mary” where he discussed the “synod, synodal and synodality with Mary”. He also shared that we should make the world a better place where all are welcome: all colors, ideologies, and creeds. A socialization night concluded the program on the first day, in which various CoM-VMY units showcased their talents in singing and dancing.

On the second day, the delegates were gathered for the Eucharistic Celebration presided by Rev. Fr. Francisco Nicolas P. Magnaye Jr., CM, VMY-Sub-Director. The topic on the Day 2 of the National Assembly focused on the “CoM-VMY Leadership” and was facilitated by Ms. Marie Claire Balo, VMY Councilor for Asia-Oceania. During her talk, she shared about the four “I”s in Leadership namely “Influence”, “Integrity”, “Initiative” and “Imagination”.

“Integrity is about being a leader who practices what they preach. It is about being authentic and of good character. For Christian leadership, this requires being a Disciple of Jesus first and a leader of people second.” – Ms. Maria Claire Balo, VMY Councilor for Asia-Oceania

It was followed by the drafting of the CoM-VMY Commitment for 2023-2027 as facilitated by Sr. Martha Gamolo, CoM-VMY National Sister Advisor, where the delegates were asked to write their response to God’s prompting. The delegates were asked to complete the statement, “As an Officer/Advisor, I commit myself to; I pledge to; and I offer”. Several units shared their responses, and all submitted their drafts to their respective councils for the drafting of the COMmitment for 2023-2027.

Meanwhile, Session 3 entitled “Art of Facilitating: Activity Module-Making” was facilitated by Engr. Erl Julen Tulod, President of CoM-VMY Philippines. He shared about the components of a CoM-VMY Formation and the role of formators, where he mentioned that “CoM formator serves as an instrument of the Holy Spirit and helps the members learn how to apply the Catholic faith to their lives as a Com-VMY”. He also taught how they can make their module which will help them to facilitate activities within their units. As part of the activity, every unit was asked to create their module, which was then shared by some delegates during the program. Session 4 is the Election of National Executive Board officers. The new officers were presented to the assembly and they are: President – Erl Julen Tulod (CoM Bacolod), Vice President – Jose Alan Tejam (CoM Iloilo) , Secretary – Nerlmalyn Palomo (CoM NCR), Treasurer – Sherlene Tulda (CoM Cebu), and Auditor – Christopher Quiño (CoM Cebu). The council appointed another two officers namely; Michelle Buenavides (CoM Tondo) as Asst. Secretary and Geneveve Sy (CoM Cebu) as Asst. Treasurer. The Day 2 of the national assembly concluded with an activity called “living rosary”.

On the third day of the assembly, the CoM-VMY Commitment for 2023-2027 was presented followed by the Pledge of Commitment of all the delegates. The newly elected and appointed officers were presented by Rev. Fr. Rolando “Choy” F. Limjoco Jr., CM, CoM-VMY National Priest Advisor during the assembly which was followed by the Eucharistic Celebration and Induction of the new NEB Officers.

There were a total of 37 CoM-VMY Councils and Units who joined the said national assembly. The CoM-VMY Councils consist of the following: National Executive Board of the Philippines; VMY International Secretariat; Western Visayas Regional Council; Archdiocese of Capiz Council; Diocese of Bacolod Council; Archdiocese of Jaro Council; NCR-Plus Council; and Archdiocesan Council of Cebu. Meanwhile, the Local Units who also attended the said event consisted of Sta. Rosa de Lima Unit-Paniqui Tarlac; Hospicio de San Jose Unit; CoM-VMY Baguio City; Archdiocesan Shrine of Sto. Niño de Tondo; Adamson University College Unit; Sanctuario de San Vicente de Paul Parish; Santo Niño de Tondo Unit; Colegio Del Sagrado Corazon de Hesus- Iloilo; St. Louise de Marillac School of Miagao, Iloilo, Inc.; St. Louise de Marillac School of Bulan;m  Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima Unit; Alliance of Two Hearts Parish- Banawa, Cebu; Colegio de San Jose, Jaro, Iloilo City; Columban College, Inc.; Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Parish- Calumpang, Iloilo; Virgen dela Regla National Shrine- Lapu Lapu City; St. Louise de Marillac College of Sorsogon, Inc.; Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion Inc. (Cebu); University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos Unit; San Juan de Dios Educational Foundation, Inc.; St. Anthony College of Roxas City, Inc.; Santa Isabel College Manila; St. Louise de Marillac College of Bogo, Cebu; San Roque Parish Unit, Ramon, Isabela; Sto. Nino Parish Unit, Zamboanga Sibugay; Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral; St. Joseph the Patriarch, Mabolo; Our Lady of Annunciation Cathedral Parish – Catarman Unit; Sacred Heart College of Lucena City.

Michelle C. Buenavides
Assistant Secretary, CoM-VMY NEB Philippines

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