34TH CATHOLIC MASS MEDIA AWARDS FINALIST

Vol. 2, Issue 1 Jan. 2014

13 WONDER-FULL MOMENTS OF 2013

GEAR UP FOR

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CHOOSE TO BE BRAVE in the

YEAR OF THE LAITY

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EXPANDING TERRITORIES | EMPOWERING WITHIN | STEPPING UP | PUSHING FOR GREATER THINGS | MAKING LITTLE HEROES FOR CHRIST | BUILDING FAITH, FAMILY AND LIFE | CHANGING SOCIETY THROUGH CHASTITY | CREATING MORE SPACES FOR EVANGELIZATION THROUGH NEW MEDIA | LIVING, DEFENDING, PROMOTING LIFE PAGE 3-4

2014

GO FORTH IN POWER
Frank Padilla
CFC-FFL Servant General
Happy New Year! At the start of last year 2013, I had said that I was particularly excited about our life and work in this new year, and that 2013 was the year when we would start getting back on track on rapid and massive evangelization. Indeed that is what has happened, and I am even more excited looking forward to our work this year 2014. This year, with our theme of Empowered to Witness, we are looking at a more massive evangelization. Prepare yourselves!

(READ MORE ON PAGE 3)

2013!
3. FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT FOR LIFE
It aint over til its over. Even when Congress decided to railroad the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill into law last December 2012, CFC-FFL did not back down in its fight for life. Last June 3, 2013, our community filed a petition against the RH Law at the Supreme Court (SC). CFC-FFL servant-leader, Atty. Chito Liban, was one of the courageous lawyers who presented with much conviction the oral arguments against the RH Law before the Supreme Court justices. At present, the SC extended its status quo ante order, thereby suspending indefinitely the implementation of the RH law. We remain vigilant.

WHAT A WONDER-FULL

1. CFC AT 32:
FAITH ON FIRE
On our 32nd year as a community, the Lord has truly set our faith on fire! We have seen wonders work in our individual lives and in the lives of others as well. Our evangelization efforts in the service of the Church are bearing fruit, moving us to do even greater works for God! With the fire of the Holy Spirit empowering us more than ever, we journey into the Year of the Laity this 2014 with a readiness to witness to this Catholic faith that has worked wonders in our lives! Onward to the New Evangelization!

2. VICTORY FOR PRO-LIFE VOTE

CFC-FFL took a brave stand in politics this year. Our community became a part of the White Vote Movement, together with other Catholic lay organizations, in order to endorse candidates who are committed to defend life from womb to tomb. The turnout? An 86% winning rate for candidates who previously voted NO to the RH Bill. There is, indeed, a pro-life vote! The victory of pro-life politicians is a victory for us too who became fearless to stand up for faith, family and life!

4. REVVED UP FROM RIO

Forty delegates from the CFC-FFL Young Ministries were privileged to be part of the 28th World Youth Day (WYD) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil last (dates). They met delegates from all over the world, served as animators in the catechetical activities in one parish, and saw Pope Francis in person! It was, in many ways, a life-changing experience for each of our CFC-FFL WYD delegates. Everybody came back home fired up and eager to bring to life the WYD 2013 theme: Go and make disciples of all nations.

6. FROM TOTAL DEVASTATION TO TOTAL RESTORATION

7. WORKING TOGETHER TO WORK WITH THE POOR

While Super Typhoon Yolanda caused severe destruction and loss of property, livelihood and lives, it did not destroy the Filipino spirit. CFC-FFL was quick to respond to help the calamity victims through the A Drop Of Love campaign which has raised donations amounting to Php 8,173,359 as of January 8, 2014. Thousands of relief goods were distributed, temporary shelters were erected, damaged chapels are being repaired and lives are being changed. Above all these is that this tragedy has turned into a blessing, with the launch of CFCFFLs No One in Need Movement which aims to restore faith, family, and life amongst the least of our brothers and sisters. For more information, visit www.nooneineed.net.

A beautiful partnership began last July 11, 2013 as leaders from CFC-FFL and Habitat For Humanity Philippines (HFHP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize a collaboration that will contribute to fulfilling both organizations desire to serve the poor. As HFHP works to provide shelter to achieve its vision where everyone has a decent place to live, CFC-FFL will provide community-building programs such as values formation, livelihood projects, education and health services in various Habitat locations. This is in line with our desire to build faith-based communities. We have begun work in Cagayan de Oro, overseeing twelve sites consisting of thousands of families affected by Typhoons Sendong, Pedring and Pablo. Through HFHP, we were also able to collaborate with different agencies in our rebuilding efforts for earthquake and typhoon victims in the Visayas.

Last October, CFC-FFL launched High Five!, a fundraising campaign to support our work for Family and Life. High Five! represents our communitys high hopes in five convictions: Renewal of Families, Defense of Life, Service to the Church, Call to Mission and Enjoyment of Abundance in Life through the many exciting prizes at stake. Buy a raffle ticket so you do not miss the chance to win the grand prize, a brand-new Mitsubishi Mirage! The Grand Raffle Draw will be on January 25, 2014.

10. BACK TO BASICS

8. SERVING THE CHURCH AT THE PCNE

What a blessing it was for our community to be given the privilege to be part of the Service Team at the first Philippine Conference for New Evangelization held last October 17, 2013! Our Servant General, Frank Padilla, led a workshop entitled, New Evangelization: Work of the Divine Family. Our fulltime workers and mission volunteers served as facilitators in the youth catechesis of 3,000 students. We were also assigned to take care of the participants from foreign countries.

9. SOARING HIGH IN NEW MEDIA EVANGELIZATION

Our New Evangelization efforts in the field of media is also beginning to bear fruit through the work of Family and Life Quad (FLiQ) Media. 2013 saw the launch of FLIQ Medias five internet shows: Family and Life Update, High Time, Modern Day Prophets, The Review and Live Pure Tambayan; the comeback of Sound the Trumpets (STT) as a printed bulletin; and a special citation for our website, www.familyandlifeupdate.com from the Catholic Mass Media Awards. Faith worked a lot of wonders in new media evangelization and 2014 will surely be even more wonder-ful!

We give special thanks to the Most Rev. Teodoro C. Bacani, Jr., D.D., Auxiliary Bishop of Manila, who led us into a deeper understanding of our Catholic faith through the series of talks on the Twelve Articles of Faith held every second Friday of the month at the Christ the King Parish, Greenmeadows. The monthly teaching given by the kind bishop was a rich learning experience of the faith, specifically , on the Apostles Creed.

11. HAPPY TO BE HOME AGAIN

13. EVANGELIZATION IN EDUCATION

12. CALLED TO SERVANT LEADERSHIP

Almost five thousand young people experienced real freedom, true love and total happiness at the Homecoming Live Pure Conference held last August 18, 2013 at the Philippine Sports Arena (formerly Ultra). All those who came were affirmed of Gods original design for their lives and many found answers about the new direction their lives should take as they leave behind personal failures, broken relationships and insecurities. It was truly a day of overflowing grace and love where God brought us all back home to His embrace.

Our Educational Foundation Inc. (EFI) ministry was awarded a certificate of recognition by the Department of Education last December 12, 2013. The award was given in grateful recognition of the strong support given to the Adopt-a-School program, through the delivery of substantial and meaningful programs of intervention to public schools.

By the leading of the Holy Spirit, the Apostolic Board (AB) and Servant Council (SC) were formed last September 2013. Our Servant General (SG) appointed the members of both the AB and SC. The AB, composed of twelve brethren, helps the SG oversee our worldwide work and help safeguard our charism and vision. On the other hand, the SC, composed of seven brethren, governs the community life and work in the Philippines. May we keep these servant-leaders ever in our prayers.

GO FORTH IN POWER
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Aside from everything else we will be doing, this massive work will be due to three things we have initiated--the Live Christ, Share Christ (LCSC) Movement that targets lapsed Catholics through the parishes, the Live Pure (LP) Movement that will bring the message of youth chastity to many schools, and the No One in Need (NON) Movement that will build physical and spiritual communities among the poor. These three movements are reflective of who we are as CFC-FFL, and what the Lord has shown us as important in our ministry. We have been called to (1) evangelization, (2) family renewal, and (3) building the Church of the Poor. In the past year I have spoken to you about our being in the end times. While that is not to say that the Lord Jesus is returning any time soon, that is to say that these times are urgent, and there is no time to lose or to waste in doing Gods work. Darkness deepens, evil abounds, faith grows cold, assaults on the faith intensify. We must rise up and defend faith, family and life. In the Philippines we are also racing toward the year 2021, when the Church will celebrate 500 years of Christianity. That is a great milestone. But for Catholics to truly celebrate, the Church needs to grow in greater vibrancy. The years up to 2021 are a time of special grace from God, given to the Church to bring back her children to active and committed faith. There is a harvest already prepared, and we are among those workers called to bring in the harvest! God has given us much in over 32 years of ministry. God expects much from us. This year 2014, let us respond with great zeal to the Lords call, and give our all to the task at hand. Thank you, everyone, for all you did for the Lord last year. I know of many who worked tirelessly and even anonymously. There are of course many more that I do not know about. Thank you. For good and faithful servants, the Lord gives greater responsibilities. That is where we are now. Let us give even more of ourselves. Let us make the necessary sacrifices. Let us be thankful for the privilege of serving our God. Let us rejoice always. May we all have a Spirit-filled and extremely productive new year. And may our Lord continue to bless each and every one of you.

CFC-SFL: Stepping Up
This 2014, CFC-Singles for Family and Life (CFCSFL) as a ministry desires to step up in responding to Gods call to witness through empowered single men and women. The past years, we found ourselves being rooted in Christ and pruned to bear more fruit. Our relationship with God and with each other deepened through households, and we learned more how to live life to the fullest through spirit-driven assemblies and activities. We want to give more of ourselves to God through our community. This 2014, we respond to the call of bringing His cause to more singles as we bring SFL to more parishes through our Mission Support Group. SFL Household Servants will take the extra mile of going on mission to establish SFL in other areas. We will encourage SFL members to go on mission to other provinces and other countries to build up and strengthen the singles ministry in these places . We also believe that every SFL member has something to give, specifically, the rich variety of work backgrounds and skills sets can all be significant contributions to our mission. It is our commitment to tap this diversity of talents as our way to serve especially in the urgent needs of our country brought about by the natural disasters through our No One in Need Movement. This 2014, SFL will step-up to being empowered witnesses all for the cause of bring Christ to every place God sends us to.

CFC-HFL: Empowering Within

In the last year we saw how faith worked wonders for Couples for Christ Handmaids for Family and Life (CFC-HFL). Within the ministry, we saw a growing awareness of the different groups of sisters in HFL: widows, separated or divorced women, wives of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), single mothers, single mature women, women who are alone in the spirit (wives whose husbands are not in CFC), and CFC wives serving in HFL. For 2014, we want to continue in trying to have a better appreciation of the concerns of these various groups, so we can address their specific pastoral needs. As we support each other through our sisterhood, we want to empower each leader and member with tools that can help build stronger households and relationships. Liturgical Bible Study (LBS) is a specific tool we want to use more regularly and extensively.

CFC-SvFL: Expanding Territories

CFC-Servants for Family and Life is gearing up for 2014 as the ministry has been working to intensify its evangelization efforts among mature, single men who are widowed, separated or unmarried through our various programs: Corporate Evangelization, Migrant Workers, Live Christ, Share Christ (LCSC) and the Brethren Group. For Corporate Evangelization, we shall reach out to more employers and business centers. For the Migrants Workers Program, we shall bring our module to more parishes and to countries where we have a huge number of Overseas Filipino Workers. We shall focus on empowering our members so that they can also empower others in witnessing to Christ. Regardless of our mature age, Servants will be as dynamic and vibrant in our service for the Lord! to show His power and majesty to these little ones by allowing them to witness to Christs goodness. Jesus will once again be The Hero in this year of witnessing to others. He will continue to be present in our hearts for us to live and to share to others. 2014 will be another exciting year of fun and friendship! It will be a year of getting to know Christ even more through prayer, Kids Praise, monthly Kids Possible Assemblies (KPA), Bible Study sessions, advocacies and fun games. Kids, young as they are, will learn to testify Gods presence in their lives by being a good example to their classmates, friends and family members. As KFL servants, we, the entire KFL team, together with our Couple Coordinators and Heart Champs are once again called to bring the children to Him.

CFC-YFL: Pushing for Greater Things

2014 is going to be a year of new things for CFC-Youth for Family and Life (CFC-YFL). This year, with the same Holy Spirit who has been empowering us to do so many things in the past, we shall be led to new and greater horizons for God and His Church from now to eternity. This year, we will be true to who we, the youth, are challenged to become: the hope of the Church. The world must know our testimony of Christ. This year, we will go to where the youths are. We will bring Christs presence to more parishes, high schools, and colleges. Our focus this year would be to: (1) empower young Catholics through the Cool Catholics program as our response to the call of knowing the faith in the Year of the Laity; (2) continue proclaiming the virtue of chastity through our partnership with the Live Pure Movement; (3) work for social justice through the No One In Need Movement; (4) have massive evangelization through E-Project activities, Live Christ Share Christ camps, retreats, recollections, and praise concerts, etc; and (5) encourage the youth to bring hope and inspiration to their families through our different family-focused activities, like the Family Enrichment Retreat and Parents Night. Again, far greater things are yet to come. With this, we will journey with Mary, our Mother. Be excited. Be empowered.

We will work closely with Teodora in developing a module on purity that is specific for mature women, so as to address chastity issues related to dealing with loneliness and longing for a partner in life. Many of our HFL sisters have survived experiences that needed healing, and many of us remain works in progress. Some of us are beset with illnesses that are sometimes borne out of a lack of forgiveness. To address this, we shall develop a set of teachings on Forgiveness and Healing. Finally, we look forward to the grace of the Lord to empower us to witness to the love He has planted in us as we prepare for the World Handmaids Congress 2014 that is happening on April 26 and 27 in Cebu City.

CFC-KFL: Making Little Heroes for Christ

After the Year of Faith, God has shown the kids that He is truly there to guide and to love them, through all the CFC-Kids for Family and Life (CFC-KFL) activities He allowed us to accomplish. For 2014, God will continue

Live Pure Movement: Changing Society through Chastity

As the year 2013 came to a close, 22,804 young people from various cities and provinces all over the Philippines have heard of Gods plan for their love lives in this Year of Faith through our Live Pure Movement.

FLiQ Media: Creating More Spaces for Evangelization through New Media
The Year of Faith has allowed us to break new grounds in creative media and new evangelization. We were able to reach out to more of our brethren and to widen the audience of people who have heard Gods message in this era of social media. This 2014, we shall go deeper to where the Lord has led us into the past years. As we have launched FLiQ @ 8 online shows and defied odds that came with being new into this work, this year promises to be a more empowering one with the new shows that we are launching. By creating our very own Premium Channel which will showcase more shows, we hope to reach people from all walks of life, empowering and moving them to boldly go where the Lord leads them. Watch out for the Season Two of Family and Life Update, Modern Day Prophets, Live Pure Tambayan, Season Three of High Time and and more exciting stuff from Family and Life Quad (FLiQ) Media! Visit and Like our pages: www.facebook.com/fliqmedia www.fliqmedia.com www.youtube.com/fliqmedia The Lords work is exciting, massive and should be shared so we love collaborating and working with more people who would like to creatively share Christ in this digital age. Contact us at fliqmedia@gmail.com!

No One in Need: Building Faith, Family and Life

This 2014, we are responding to a greater call from God - the call to live a preferential option for the poor so that there will be no one in need. No One in Need (NON) is a Catholic movement that has a mission to share the teachings of Jesus as a strong base of developing sustainable faith-based communities. It is our privilege to receive this calling to be Gods instruments in bringing His grace and generosity to those in need. NONs vision comes from the example of the first community of disciples where they shared everything they have with each other, including the least amongst them. This is what NON hopes to accomplish - to develop communities where there is the culture of love and sharing, where the love for God is manifested in how brethren in community live and relate with one another. NON wants to build communities where skills and talents are developed, where children have access to good education, where families can enjoy decent homes, where beauty is exhibited in the simplicity of living. We have several community-building programs that will bring to life our response to the call and mission of the movement: Shelter, Health, Education, Environment, Livelihood and Community life. We are called to live Christ and share Christ. We shall continue to spread the good news and build Gods kingdom where there are people in need. We believe that love of neighbor, especially the poorest of the poor, is the concrete step towards greater love of God. Be part of the No One In Need Movement! ple. Everyone, from all walks of life, has been called to take courage and be the change in the society we live in. We, as Catholics, from the moment we were baptized, have been entrusted with the mission to be truly soldiers for Christ. To share in more than just Christs dignity as a Son of God, but to take on His mission as well. We have been called to return to the truth, fostering the common good for all. Our mission begins in the ordinary circumstances of everyday life. Through our interactions with friends and family, but more importantly, it has to begin within us. It has to begin with a wholehearted yes to the divine call that each of us has. Pope Francis urges us to take courage and go out into the world of the family, of business, of economics, of politics, of education, of mass media and social media of communications, and to every human endeavor where the future of humanity and the world are at stake and to make a difference. We all have to make all things new in our beloved country, one brave choice at a time. And as we choose to act of out love, for ourselves and for our fellow men, we go out into the world, as heroes. We the laity must stand up for Christ not only in religious activities but in our private and public lives. Speak up for Jesus and His church in the public. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO BE CATHOLICS. BE BRAVE!

As we look to an even more exciting year ahead, we remember the thousands of students we have encountered, the music and the laughter shared and the convictions forged. It has been such a wonderful privilege to be given the opportunity to share Gods great news on chastity and love, and be able to touch young hearts and minds. With so many milestones to be grateful to the Lord for, the Live Pure Movement is committed in its mission to make a difference for the country especially as we enter the Year of the Laity this 2014 and embrace the communitys theme to be empowered witnesses. In the words of Archbishop Soc Villegas, the challenge to be holy has never been more relevant than today. And we, the Live Pure Movement, are taking up this challenge! Ordinary as we are, we will be courageous and strive to be that change in the society we live in one Live Pure forum, one heart and one person at a time.

Work for Life: Living, Defending, Promoting LIFE

The CFC FFL Work for Life Ministry sees 2014 with a more massive implementation of our Live Natural - NFP Porsuelo Experience alongside the institutionalization of the Live Christ, Share Christ (LCSC), No One in Need (NON) and Live Pure (LP) Movements. This will kick-off with the CFC-FFL top leadership attending the NFP Porsuelo Experience this January. We will have more young couples as Trainors and the communitys couple seniors will promote and participate in the Parishes, Restoration Villages and other NON Movements partners and network. We will likewise continue to defend the Gospel of Life against all pending anti-life legislative measures. Underway, is our petition in the Supreme Court for the repeal of the Reproductive Health Law. These will be the Work for Lifes major contributions, along with its Mothers Circles Program and Mother-Child Bonding Program in partnership with the movements (LCSC, NON, LP), for the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines celebration of the Year of the Laity this 2014. Its programs are seen as avenues for evangelization and the promotion of marital intimacy and stability, along with the living out of motherhood (mothers are the primary educators of saints and heroes). We will continue to educate our members into learning how to live out, promote and defend the culture of life. Humanae Vitae, after over 40 years, continues to be the compelling moral backbone of this very urgent task of the CFCFFL Work for Life, to wit: The transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator. Responsible Parenthood can either welcome more children or hold off on having others for serious reasons and with due respect to moral precepts, which means recognizing their own duties toward God, themselves, their families and human society. Pope Paul VI knew that Humanae Vitae would be controversial. But, he declared, the Church does not, because of this, evade the duty imposed on her of proclaiming humbly but firmly the entire moral law, both natural and evangelical. Like Christ, the Church is destined to be a sign of contradiction.

By Archbishop Soc Villegas, CBCP President

The World that We Live In Natural disasters have devasted our country. Greed and corruption taint our society. Crime, poverty and sickness have laid waste to so many innocent lives. Temptation is everywhere. But perhaps the biggest temptation of all is to do nothing in the face of all these tests of faith. The challenge to be holy has never been more relevant than today. Our Strength What can move us to take up this challenge? Love. The fullness of our life can be attained when we act out of Love. Love shall become our strength, a banner that many others would rally behind. We have been tasked to seek the truth, to speak the truth, but more than anything, to act and live it in our daily lives, powered by Love. Our Mission This year is the Year of the Laity--of ordinary peo-

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

January 12: Leaders Conference at Layforce Guadalupe January 25-26: Empowered Weekend at CAP, Baguio City February 22-23: Empowered Weekend of Central/Western Visayas February 28-March 2: World Singles Congress March 2123: World Servants Congress April 11-13: World Youth Congress April 26-27: World Handmaids Congress May 9-11: World Kids Congress

Tell us about the exciting things that are happening in your ministry or area. Take a picture of those spirit-filled moments. Share how the Lord is inspiring you through our life in community. Help us improve this STT Bulletin. SEND NEWS, PICTURES, SHARINGS, COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS TO: fliqmedia@gmail.com