Annual Diocesan Recollection for Council Members

The Filipino Community Council Members in the Dicocese of Limburg gathered for a Recollection on October 7, 2023 in St. Marien Church, Bad Homburg. It was a day of reflection, conversation and exchange on the themes that are drawn from theme of the 16th Synod of Bishops convened by Pope Francisfrom October 10, 2021 to October 2023. The synod is not only participated by bishops but also priests, nuns, and lay people with representations from the global church. Pope Francis dwelt on the theme: For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission. These themes were also the focus of reflections and exchanges in the FCC Recollection.

Fr. Francis Ofrancia the presented theme on the Synodal Way and the Filipino Catholic Community. He talked about the goal of the Synodal Path as a expressed by Pope Francis in the Synod of Bishops in Rome and the Synodal Path of the German Catholic Church which aims to addressed the current crisis and challenges brought about by the clerical sexual abuse. After the talk, the participants engaged in a dialogue and exchange as part of the experience of the synodal path.

The second conference was presented by Deputy Consul Rogelio Villanueva who focused on the theme of Listening and Compassion. He talked about the importance of active listening not only to communication and dialogue but also in our work in the church. He encouraged the participants to pay close attention to the barriers to active and effective listening. The last conference was given by Fr. Mario Estrellia who dwelt on the theme of Fulfilling the Evangelization Mission. He spoke about his personal experience in his current parish on the various challenges in doing mission today and how to address them by exploring new strategies of evangelization. Overall, there was a very positive feedback from the participants on their recollection experience.