The ordinations of four young Guanellians in the Philippines and Vietnam, testimony of the living charism of Don Guanella
by Don Francesco Sposato
PBy an unexpected gift of Providence, I had the joy of traveling to Quezon City – Manila (Philippines) to take part, on March 24, in the perpetual profession and diaconal ordination of the Filipino Guanellian Harry Indonilla, and on March 25, the solemnity of the Incarnation of the Lord, in the priestly ordinations of the Guanellian deacons Michael D. Adlaon (Filipino), Peter Nguyen Van Dien (Vietnamese), Paul Nguyen Van Dao (Vietnamese).
The ordaining bishop was Monsignor Elias L. Ayuban, bishop of Cubao, a friend of the Opera Don Guanella, whose diocese includes only one neighborhood of Quezon City, a city that in turn is part of the metropolitan area of Manila. A European, only when he can live for some time in these enormous agglomerations, realizes the unthinkable concentration of inhabitants and the multiplication of problems of all kinds.
The ordination ceremony took place at the parish of San Isidro Labrador, Tandang Sora. In addition to the religious and nuns of the Opera Don Guanella and the candidates' families, many faithful and friends did not want to miss their presence, who in this land of the Far East benefit from the good that the Guanellians do every day for the poor.
If I were to make a brief assessment of my visit to the Philippines and Vietnam, I would not hesitate to put first the joy I felt in seeing the gratitude and recognition of so many people for the mission that the Guanellian brothers carry out in those lands. Through the Opera Don Guanella, a tangible sign of God's Providence is manifested in places so far away and different from ours, which does not only meet requests for help and material support, but also offers those who are left behind in life the possibility of feeling loved and made protagonists of their own existence, as a tangible fruit of that charity that Christ first showed us.
So allow me to feel proud of what I have seen. I am convinced that good works, when they are done well, must be made known, also because today we feel more driven to let ourselves be influenced by evil that seems to prevail over good. Good still exists, even if very often it makes no noise!
Another element that I think is right to bring out from this journey of mine is the sense of welcome and hospitality, which was shown to me not only by the Guanellians in the communities I visited. I also witnessed the extraordinary affability of the relatives of Deacon Harry Indonilla, as well as the relatives of the three new priests and the numerous people I met on this journey. Wherever I went, I felt at home, indeed for them I represented a blessing from the Lord. Everyone who met me wanted to have me, even for just a few minutes, in their home, where together we recited a prayer and invoked the blessing of the Lord. These extraordinary displays of cordiality were offered to me in the part of the house that is reserved for welcoming guests and which is found at the entrance of each house, where the family has the Crucifix together with the statues of the Madonna and the Saints (usually large), as well as photographs of their deceased relatives.
Another thing that filled my heart with hope was seeing a large participation of people in the liturgical celebrations and in particular in the Holy Mass. The churches are packed with the holy people of God, especially in Vietnam. Men and women; children, young and old: everyone is gathered around the altar to celebrate the Eucharist. Even early in the morning (5 in the morning) there was a massive presence of the faithful for any weekday Mass. Simplicity, participation, living faith: these are the characteristics that keep Christians united, especially the poorest, without ever losing hope in the Lord Jesus. I have seen firsthand how true it is: Christ is the hope that does not disappoint!
In a time when discouragement and uncertainty seem to prevail and where there seems to be a lack of safe points of reference, because evil seems to prevail over good, Christian life is built in those lands, so geographically distant from Rome and also so different from each other, but which offer good “fruits of hope” and which contribute to realizing Jesus' dream: to form a single family, united in the love of God and bound by the bond of charity, sharing and brotherhood.
The invitation of the late Pope Francis not to lose hope, to remain grounded in the gifts of grace, which in this case were the four young people who offered their lives to the Lord in the Guanellian mission, remains very timely also for the entire Opera Don Guanella and opens before us a path to the future, so that the charity of Christ can continue to touch the hearts of people, often imprisoned by resignation and pessimism.
Certainly, even in those generous lands, there is no lack of temptation to settle and stop only at the exteriority of a rite, to the detriment of authenticity and fidelity to the Gospel. The temptation can manifest itself in the desire to have a church that is more beautiful and larger than the neighbor's, and to forget instead the proclamation of the Gospel with one's own life, by being among the people, by accompanying people by uniting faith with charity. We must always pay attention to ensuring that the love for Christ, which leads us to serve those who are left behind in life, is not reduced to just an excellent theory, but becomes good practice, which knows how to embody, in this as in every other time, the beauty and joy of following Christ as Servants of Charity. This is the only reason that can make the remoteness of those remote places a mere fact of geography, but not of the heart, because in the Philippines or in Vietnam, as well as in Italy, God the Father responds every day through us to the request of those who implore, like the sick man in the Gospel at the pool of Bethesda: "I have no one".