1

Institute of Spirituality in Asia

BULLETIN 2013

(An Annual Report on ISA Programs and Activities)

3rd

Floor, Teresa of Avila Building, 28 Acacia St., Brgy. Mariana, New Manila, Quezon City,

1112 Philippines

Tel. No.: (632) 7230449; Tel/Fax No.: (632) 4122715; Email Add.: spirit@isa.org.ph

Website: www.isa.org.ph

2

Dear readers,

Warm greetings from the Institute of Spirituality in Asia (ISA)!

In our efforts to establish an affinity with our students, alumni, sponsors, benefactors, partners,

collaborators, friends and members of the ISA Family both locally and internationally, ISA has

come up with this annual ISA Bulletin.

We offer you a short description of activities like public lectures, seminar-workshops,

spirituality fora, summer courses, research, publications, meetings of the International

Academic Advisory Board (IAAB) and of the Board of Trustees (BOT) and many others.

We are proud to say that ISA has contributed in the area of raising people’s awareness

regarding the importance of spirituality, and that ISA has created its own niche in the

Philippines and neighboring Asian Countries in the field of spirituality.

We are convinced of the vision of ISA as a research-based and academic institute. We will

strive to live by this vision as we pursue programs guided by these two distinct characteristics

of our institute.

We are happy to share with you some highlights of ISA activities in 2013 through this ISA

Bulletin.

We thank all of you and all other people who, in one way or another, have become part of the

ISA family in the realization of its vision, mission and goals!

We wish you all a merry Christmas and a grace-filled New Year! God bless us all!

Respectfully yours,

Fr. Rico Palaca Ponce, O.Carm., Ph.D.

ISA Executive /Academic Director

3

PUBLIC LECTURE

The series of public lectures for 2013 started with the topic “The Life and Spirituality of Pedro

Calungsod” and with Ms. Angela B. Ureta aO. Carm. as speaker. It was held last January 25, 2013 at the

Titus Brandsma Center, 24 Acacia, New Manila, Quezon City with more than 40 lay and Religious people

coming from different schools and religious congregations.

The speaker shared her experiences in doing the documentary film “San Pedro Calungsod”, which she

showed during her lecture. In doing this film for ABS-CBN, she went to the place where St. Pedro Calungsod had died.

JANUARY 2013

4

PUBLIC LECTURE

The second public lecture - “The Role of Politics, Leadership and Spirituality in Philippine Society” –

had Dr. Rosalina O. Fuentes, the President/Dean of Southeast Asia Interdisciplinary Institute (SAIDI)-

School of Organization Development, as speaker. Held on February 22, 2013, it was attended by 27

participants coming from different institutions, organizations and religious congregations.

According to the speaker, politics, leadership and spirituality are inseparable enablers of transformation.

Regardless of the context where we find ourselves, these three elements affect/influence us as individuals

and as members of organizations, communities and of society itself.

FEBRUARY 2013

5

PUBLIC LECTURE

Ms. Ma. Carmelita Coloma a professor from the University of Santo Tomas, gave a lecture entitled

“Communication Spirituality” on March 22, 2013 at the Titus Brandsma Center. There were more than

twenty participants, most of whom were educators and students. ISA was honored to have Bishop Rochus

Tatamai of the Diocese of Bereina, Papua New Guinea as one of these participants.

MARCH 2013

6

2013 SUMMER COURSE

“Carmelite Spirituality”

The summer course this year was held successfully on April 15-20, 2013. It was attended by 27 regular

participants and 16 non-regular participants coming from different congregations, organizations and

institutions. The entire course was held at the second floor of the Teresa of Avila Building, New Manila,

Quezon City, unlike the public lectures which are usually held in what is called the “Open Space”

(Crispin Offermans Hall) of the Titus Brandsma Center.

APRIL 2013

7

The topics and speakers were:

1) Dr. Anna Marie Bos, O. Carm., a staff member of the Titus Brandsma Institute, Nijmegen, was the speaker on the first day on “Carmelite Spirituality in Historical Context and Development” and

on “Elijah in the Carmelite Tradition” on the second day.

2) “St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church” was the topic of Sr. Maria Socorro Garachico, CM, a member in the Formation Team of the Carmelite Missionaries.

3) Bro. Sheldon R. Tabile, O. Carm., the incoming President of Mt. Carmel College, Agusan del Sur, gave a lecture entitled “Finding Hope in God: Holocaust, the Cross and Edith Stein” during the

fourth day of the summer course.

4) Another topic was “Spirituality of John of the Cross” with Fr. Mariano Agruda III, OCD, from the Spirituality Center, Bacolod City as the speaker.

5) The last lecture, “Carmelite Devotions and Popular Piety”, was given by Dr. Marissa C. Alcantara, aO. Carm., the Assistant Academic Director of the Institute of Spirituality in Asia.

DISSERTATION FINAL DEFENSE

ISA-SAIDI Ph.D. student Fr. Peter

Nguyen Thanh Nhiem, SVD,

successfully defended his dissertation

entitled “Using Positive Stories as a Tool

towards a Transformative Spirituality

among Vietnamese Youth” on April 19,

2013 at the ISA Conference Room, New

Manila, Quezon City. The seventh

graduate of the Ph.D. program, he has

returned to Vietnam to assume an

important task in formation.

8

“New Evangelization Seen against the Background of the Story of Salvation in the Old and New Testaments” was held May 20-25, 2013. This seminar-workshop was given by Fr. Bernard Roosendaal,

O. Carm. It revealed the Old Testament as the memory of the Jewish people and of Jesus himself, and the

New Testament as making clear how Jesus the Nazareth as historical man was faithful to the memory of the

religious tradition of his ancestors in facing up to the challenge of his prophetic mission. The Seminar-

Workshop was attended by nine participants.

MAY 2013

9

PUBLIC LECTURE

A public lecture on May 31, 2013 on “Spirituality and Healing” was attended by 17 participants from

different institutions, organizations and religious congregations. It was held at the Titus Brandsma Center.

It had Ms. Ma. Clarissa “Ilsa” B. Reyes , as speaker, and she addressed questions such as What is healing?

Do I need it? Is there a connection between the soul, mind and the body? Am I living in my true self? How

does God view healing?

10

PUBLIC LECTURE

A public lecture on “Lord Teach Me Your Love: A Research on the Spirituality of the Psalms” was

held last June 28, 2013 at the Titus Brandsma Center The lecture was part of a wider study to be published later;

its speaker, Fr. Martin Pierik, O. Carm., S.T.D., wanted to introduce students to the aspect of spirituality in the Psalms.

This lecture was attended by 57 members of religious congregations as well as campus ministers and

students. Questions were addressed during the open forum.

JUNE 2013

11

BOOK LAUNCHING

The eighth in the ISA Research Series on Spirituality, entitled “Songs of the Babaylan: Living Voices,

Medicines, Spiritualities of the Philippine Ritualists-Oralists-Healers”, was launched on June 11, 2013

in partnership with the University of the Philippines College of Social Work and Community Development

(UPCSWCD). Author Ms. Grace Nono-Aves was joined by some of her resource persons – who travelled

from Mindanao, Baguio, Tuguegarao and other parts of the country – and in some cases, by their

descendants.

12

PUBLIC LECTURE

The public lecture “Spirituality of Titus Brandsma” was successfully held on July 26, 2013 at the Titus

Brandsma Center. The speaker was Fr. Bernard Roosendaal, O. Carm. Most of the 23 participants were

members of the Carmelite Family.

JULY 2013

13

13th

SPIRITUALITY FORUM

The 13th

Spirituality Forum was held on August 7-9, 2013. Its theme was “Have you not a word for us?:

Celebrating the Spirituality of Vatican II on its 50th

Year”. Most Rev. Angel N. Lagdameo,

Archbishop of Jaro, Iloilo, was the keynote speaker..

The topics and speakers were:

1) “The Spirituality of the Youth as Torch Bearers” with Ms. Jessica Joy Candelario 2) “The Spirituality of Men and Women of Thought and Science as Seekers of Truth” with Dr.

Christopher Bernido

3) “The Spirituality of Development Workers as Chief Artisans of Prodigious Changes” with Mr. Denis Murphy who was then in the United States for the funeral of his sister and paper was read by

Mr. Ed Gerlock

4) “The Spirituality of Women as Bearers of Life” with Dr. Ligaya Acosta

As is customary, the forum was followed by a plenary sharing by the members of the ISA International

Academic Advisory Board (IAAB).

The forum was attended by 103 participants coming from different religious congregations in Asia and the

Netherlands, and by lay persons coming from different schools and institutions in the Philippines.

AUGUST 2013

14

BOOK LAUNCHING

The newly published books “Run where Jesus Walked” by Dr. Marissa Cos Alcantara and “Songs from

the Heart”, a collection of definitions, stories and poems on lived spirituality by Fr. Sirenio Jarenillo,

O.Carm and by selected ISA students, were launched on August 7 and 8, respectively during the 13th

Spirituality Forum.

The ISA International Academic

Advisory Board (IAAB) held its annual

meeting in the morning of August 10,

2013, and the Board of Trustees (BOT) in

the afternoon. The meetings took place

after the successful 13th

Spirituality

Forum.

15

PUBLIC LECTURE

Another public lecture was held in the afternoon of September 27, 2013 at the Titus Brandsma Center. The

topic was “Spirituality and Sexuality” with Fr. Roberto Noel Rosas, O.Carm. as resource person. There

were 52 participants at the lecture, mostly from the Carmelite Family.

SEPTEMBER 2013

16

BOOK FAIR

As a member of the Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc. (ACCI), ISA participated in the 2013 Manila

International Book Fair (MIBF) held last September 12-15, 2013 at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay

City. ISA publications were made available at the booths of Logos Publications, Jesuit Communications,

Rarebooks and Book Trends.

17

SPECIAL EVENT

A lecture/workshop on “Happy Teachers Will Change the World: Mindfulness Course for Educators”

took place in the morning of September 28, 2013 at the Titus Brandsma Center. This lecture/workshop was

organized by Plum Village Hongkong in partnership with ISA. The speakers taught the participants how to

bring joy to the classroom through mindfulness.

18

SYMPOSIUM

The Institute of Spirituality in Asia, Socio-Pastoral and St. Joseph Formation House organized the Symposium

on the Theology of Bishop Julio X. Labayen, OCD. Held on October 15, 2013, the symposium focused on

“Steward Builder of the Church of the Poor in the Philippines” and had Fr. Daniel Franklin Pilario, CM

and Bro. Karl Gaspar, CSsR as the resource persons.

OCTOBER 2013

19

PUBLIC LECTURE

Rev. Fr. Gabriel Dolotina, O.Carm., Research and Publications Director of ISA, gave a lecture on

“Spirituality and Education” in the afternoon of October 25, 2013. Held at the Titus Brandsma Center,

the public lecture had lay and Religious participants, mostly educators from different schools and colleges.

Essential questions included: For what purposes and to what ends do I teach? and Who is the self that

teaches?

20

SEMINAR-WORKSHOP

A seminar-workshop on “Deepening Workplace Spirituality through Internal Spirituality Quotient

(ISQ): A New Evangelization Tool and Values Metric” was held last November 12-14, 2013 at the ISA

Library. This workshop was offered help on how to measure the shallowness or depth of spirituality in the

workplace and on how to discover ISQ “new evangelization” techniques and tools for organizational

success and stability. This was facilitated by Dr. Isabelita Palanca, a published author and values coach.

Fourteen participants completed the three-day seminar-workshop. They came from different schools and

universities and corporate organizations.

NOVEMBER 2013

21

SOLIDARITY WITH VICTIMS OF SUPER TYPHOON

Together with ISA Executive and Academic Director Fr. Rico Ponce, O.Carm. and the Carmelite Sisters of

Our Lady, ISA staff volunteered in the re-packing of relief goods at the ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya in its

newly- opened Fairview Warehouse in Regalado Ave., Fairview, Quezon City.

We were there on November 19, 2013 from 2:00 to 6:30 P.M. We felt good contributing something to our

“kamilya”, the victims and survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas. We did not feel tired;

instead we were very happy thinking of the faces of the recipients of the goods that we were packing. We

thank the ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya for giving us the opportunity to help.

22

GRADUATION RITES

Fr. Peter Nguyen Thanh Nhiem,, SVD from Vietnam and Canossian priest Somphong Chatbanyong from

Thailand received their diplomas on Ph.D. in Organization Development major in Transformative

Spirituality on November 23, 2013 at SAIDI, Antipolo City. Both of them specialized in Asian

Spiritualities.

Fr. Peter’s dissertation title is “Using Positive Stories as Tool towards a Transformative Spirituality

among Vietnamese Youth” while Fr. Somphong’s is “A Template for a Spiritual Formation Program

of the Junior Professed and Priestly Candidates of Canossian Sons of Charity Philippine Delegation

based on a Positive Change Model”.

23

CARMELITE CO-WORKERS’ ADVENT RECOLLECTION

The administration and staff of ISA joined their Carmelite co-workers in the Advent recollection on November

25, 2013 at the 3rd

Floor, Teresa of Avila Building. The recollection was facilitated by Fr. Christian B.

Buenafe, O. Carm., Prior Provincial of the newly-erected Philippine Province of Blessed Titus Brandsma.

After the successful recollection, Fr. Edgar Cayanan, O.Carm. ISA Director for Administration and Finance,

presided at the Eucharistic Mass at the chapel.

24

PUBLIC LECTURE

The last public lecture for 2013 was about “Spirituality and the Season of Advent”. It was held in the

afternoon of November 29, 2013 at the Titus Brandsma Center. The speaker was Fr. Raymond Ruga from

the Vicariate of Calapan, Mindoro. He is a graduate of ISA’s Certificate Program on Spirituality.

25

ISA MEETING WITH THE STUDENTS AND CHRISTMAS FELLOWSHIP

The academic staff of ISA together with the some of the students had an annual meeting last December 18,

2013 in the morning. Through this meeting, the students were able to express themselves regarding the

status of their studies and shared thoughts in their journey of studies. After the meeting, a Eucharistic

celebration followed that was presided by Fr. Rico Ponce, O.Carm., the ISA Executive/Academic Director.

After the Eucharistic celebration, lunch and staff fellowship follows. The staff played bowling at Star Mall

Bowling Center in Mandaluyong City. This bonding is aimed to enhance the closer and harmonious

relationship among one another.

DECEMBER 2013

Annual meeting w/ students

Staff Fellowship