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Br. Armin MVI_8954.MOV (with Microphone)

1:21 - 1:25

I am Br. Armin I work in the Department of Education but I am still a Brother

1:56 - 2:41

Well I remember during my time that the General Chapters were pushing the Institute to have a real

sense of the international character of the Institute and part of the struggle as well as the goal of

the Districts like the Philippines which generally just form Brothers to serve the country, was to first

of all repay the missionaries who came here many years ago - the last century - to build up the

Lasallian Mission in the Philippines.

2:42 - 3:34

It came at a time when Philippines and then Asia was looking at the role specifically of thePhilippine Church vis-a-vis the Asian reality where Catholics are actually a minority, its only in the

Philippines where Catholics are a majority and part I think of the growing awareness in the Church.

if I remember right, that was started by Pope Paul VI and eventually intensified by Pope John Paul

II where he challenged the Filipino Catholics to be missionaries. The whole idea is that the church

is by its very nature is a missionary church

3:35 - 4:15

It came at around that time when the Philippines as a District was looking at its own role (not

anymore) well seeing the fact that many of the missionary Brothers were returning, home retiring or

dying and you have a growing -well not big number - Philippine District.

And asking ourselves what is our role? Is it to serve the Philippine Church only or do we also take

on this missionary character of the church and of the International Institute.

4:23 - 5:06

Are Filipinos meant to be a missionary? The Local Church in the Philippines at that time was

also being challenged with its role in Asia and If I remember right, the first Philippine missionary

congregations were born such as those who were thinking to go to China and to other countries in

Asia and I think that was part of the reason why the District in the first place decided to venture into this missionary call .

*reactions

5:25 - 9:48

Well the district was undergoing some major changes. first of all, the Americans at that time - a big

bulk of the missionaries were americans- were already dwindling , the prospect of any new

missionaries abroad from other districts - lasallian districts - was not in the pipeline. Secondly, the

number of Filipino Brothers was growing not in big numbers but there was a lot of hope and a

sense that we needed to respond not just in the Philippine setting but also abroad. Thirdly, in terms

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of formation, the Brothers were acknowledging the fact that you dont just create missionaries

without making that part of the formation program and therefore formators like myself started

thinking aboutif we wanted to plant themissionary seed in a Young Brothers heart, you dont

start that when hes in the ministry. you start that very early on.

At that time there were a lot of cultural changes too among the Brothers. Common Formation

Programs, Inter-District Formation Programs and Gatherings with a sense that Brothers must begin

to see that my Vocation as a Filipino Brother is not just for the Philippines, my vocation is a

Lasallian Vocation, It must respond to the needs in the world not just in my country of origin.

to be able to do that, then the Brothers of the Philippines thought that we have to incorporate that in

the Formation Program. That did not come easy because we always struggle with,if we put that in

a formation program, instead of sending this young Filipino Brother to an apostolic community in

the Philippines, first, where do we send them? How do you deal with the cultural difference and the

adjustment? how do you accompany a brother when you send him to a foreign country in adifferent cultural view. at the same time, the other question was, well then, what does it mean to

keep the brothers here and address the Philippines. at the end of the day, I think the struggle to

help the Brothers respond to local needs will always be there but the call to respond to needs other

than what you find in the locality - in the Philippines - would always be a pull for the brothers.

the decision at that time was to include, well first, to start sending Filipino Brothers abroad for

mission and secondly, not only to do that but to include that as part of the formation program of

every filipino brother whether he will stay in the Philippines for a long period of time and not venture

into a missionary community, at the very least, every brother must have an experience working in a

culture other than my own. and the thinking was, that by doing that, then the brothers own

formation: sense of the world, sense of the international character of the institute, respect for

cultures and a deep sense of the needs bigger than the needs that you find in ones own country;

will hopefully be part of the formation, the life and spirituality of every Brother.

*characteristics/quality

10:05 - 14:23

well at that time it was always a dialogue between the formators, the Visitor, and the Brother

himself. I think it is important to point out that the church at this period was moving from the oldunderstanding of missionary which is once you go, youll never leave that place of mission - its

almost like a lifetime mission. By this time, in the church and in the institute, the idea of mission

was even for a period of time, meaning there was a chance for the brother to return or to move to

another mission area. So, in one sense that kind of changed the understanding that one of my

formation - for example - if i were to go to a foreign country will just be focused on that. Secondly, it

moved away from the Brother or the Catholic/Christian going to one mission area and solving all

the problems and then bringing in all the resources at the same time. We go to a different culture

and rather than respond just to needs, we actually participate in the life of the church. we dont

come in as a know-it-all person, in fact the mission becomes now a conversion experience for the

brother. I think thats the background behind the choice. The choice was obviously, should it be

some missionary culture within the ASEAN region? should it be very far? what will be the practical

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considerations - like if that missionary area would use a language thats very different from what

we know and may not be using english? how much formation or orientation would the brother

require? will all that investment will be worth it if the brother does not stay there too long so if you

needed to be oriented or formed for two or three years, and then youll only spend just three to five

years in that missionary area, is it worth all the trouble and all the expense? so all of those

-considerations were put into - were under consideration and obviously the last thing was is the

receiving culture or district ready for it, it cant be just a one way thing. at the end of the day the

choice was on Papua New Guinea. Because Papua New Guinea was under the missionary are of

Australia and New Zealand and there was a sense that filipino brothers could respond to and bond

better with Papua New Guineans more than a white Australian living with them, since were both

Asians and english was obviously an important factor because we did not need much retraining in

terms of teaching in school and the country legally also was very open to foreigners teaching so

that was not much of a problem like what we find in Sabah today.

14:37-end

*stories heard as Visitor

Papua was like for Filipinos, an exotic place. the culture first of all is very very different from what

we would know as asian culture. while the language makes it easy for us to communicate with the

locals, their Australian Background versus our American Background makes it also rather different.

the topography and cultural richness of the country while comparable to what we find in places in

the Philippines is very very different also in terms of animal and plant life. the schools there too, the

design of the schools are mostly stand alone on their own, very far from the cities and the studentswere, most if not all are boarders so its a set up thats very different from what we know with the

Philippine Schools. it was a good place to be. the brothers had to go an orientation and understand

that the reason why we were going there was not to be a saviour but of whatever problems there

are we will continue to collaborate with the Australian who were sent there, who are still working

there together with local vocations that were beginning to enter in to the congregation. but there

was also a lot of fear also among the brothers because it wasnt really a safe place as we were

accustomed to here in the country. there was a lot of abuse to women - physical abuse to women -

there was a sense of richness of the culture and yet there were many many poor people. and well,

food was very very different also so the brothers had to adjust. the Australian brothers who wereassigned to Papua New Guinea were very independent. our sense of community as filipinos will be

very different from the sense of community of Australians so the brothers had to be with their

loneliness as well as all of these issues and security. but I think thats precisely why we wanted to

send missionaries of the age of Br. Jun then and Br. Raffy Reyes but also young filipino brothers,

they have a sense of this is what it is in other parts of the institute a sense of what a brother goes

through when one enters a missionary work.

MVI_8955

0:00 - 1:02

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Its actually a vocation within a vocation. Youll begin to discover a different sense of community,

God in the missions and a deep respect for the culture that you will find there that maybe very

different from ones own. and the personal struggle of brothers who have to deal with those

differences and recognize hopefully at the end of the day that their God is my God too, that they

speak a different language, they speak differently, but its the same God who called them, its the

same God who called me. and recognising that journey, by actually taking that long trip of a

missionary journey in a foreign land.

1:40 - 6:55

*effect on the District

well, Id say, youve kind of conjoin the personal effect of that, on the missionaries who went there,

together with the brothers who stayed in the philippines but continued to see, hear and understand

stories of our brothers now in different countries and eventually, the papuan new guineans who

came over who work and/or had their formation here. all of that put together, i think created asense, while prior to that there were individual brothers who volunteered. There was a call from the

institute for brothers to go on missions and it was an invitation for individual brothers to respond to

that. I think Br. Cris responded to that call but this is the first time that the brothers in the philippines

decided to make missionary communities as start of the journey, the targets, as well as the

program for filipino brothers both as a missionary working in a foreign land and also part of the

preparation for final vows. the effect of that is a sense of - a great sense of humility - recognising

that were dong so many good things in the philippines but as brothers we will always need to

respond to the call at the periphery. maybe this recognition in the contrast is that we are not

brothers for our schools however successful our schools are. the brother is always called to go to

places and areas of greater need and I think thats a very humbling experience. it is also an

experience of detachment -that you build up - a missionary adventure is like sayingId go there

but I dont have to stay there forever and ever. the effect for that for brothers is we dont build

institutions and once its built up and successful, we stay there. it is a very good reminder for the

missionaries who went to papua new guniea and those who stayed here that we cant just serve

one institution orour institution. youd always have to be - God keeps calling us to places that

need us most. but certainly, I think the most palpable effect of that for those who went there and

those who stayed here who listened to their stories, a recognition that we are not called to be

Messiahs - theres only one messiah- we go, we join, we enter a different culture with deep deep

respect. we cannot go there and bring what we think is good to us as filipinos and as christians andsayI have all the answers to all of your problems but recognise that brothers go to a new

place and enter a world where God has been there even before we arrive, before we felt the call

and when we leave, God will continue to be there too. its a leap of faith there, and one would

begin to think that the culture is not very catholic, they're not very- it is very humbling to know

that one enters and recognises the process that God is also there in the midst of a lot of fear and

anxiety because its not the culture that I know, or comfortable with, the food, the language, and

im not even safe there. there were religious who have been raped there, religious who have been

mugged, even physically, it is not a very safe place. but i think its that experience that helps a

brother who goes through that whole experience and listens to the experience recognises that God

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is there. and its the same God who walks with me, even while Im home, and keeps beckoning me

to places outside of home.

7:03 - 8:40

*would you recommend that young brothers should be sent out as well?

i thing the experience of the district was very good. there are many practical considerations but

now we are LEAD, i think more than ever it is critical that young brothers do not only have an

experience of working and being formed in another country but also an experience of mission. the

needs are much bigger, much greater than what I find even in my own country . i could respond, i

could respond to that lasallian need, to that educational need even if I am not from that same

place its a wonderful way of proclaiming our vocation as not just a vocation to serve lasallian

schools but also i think the experience is so so much different because brothers who lived there go

to that venture will now have to recognize the God of the ordinary and the familiar is also the God

of the exotitc and the far fetched and it would be a good experience for filipino brothers and thosein the district of LEAD to go through that missionary experience very early in life.

8:50 - 11:49

*advice

well the advice would come from somebody who has never been a missionary. ive visited filipino

brothers in the various mission when I was visitor. I have been very very supportive of the missions

but the painful reality is that I have never been a missionary. i know during the few experiences in

my own life I go to places that are different for example, my role now in DepED go to places the

first time I visited. that creates a lot of anxiety, fear and great adjustment, youd have to be moved

out of your comfort zone. a missionary would have to think from that frame of mind that moving out

of my zone, i cannot bring in what im used to and neither can i preach that what i know is the best

at every instance. id go there with deep humility. id have to remove the shoes from my feet and

say really God has been here before we arrive and even before I leave. im so sure I will not solve

all the problems but God will continue to be here. I think thats a very very profound experience. my

own advice is to take on that experience from the point of view of faith. i dont think anyone can

take on such a challenge of moving out of ones comfort zone, away from family, away from

resources that Im familiar with into a total new place. into a foreign land. and say I will give my life

at least that period of my life totally to these people. there can be asense of rejection, there can be

a sense ofit may not work and therefore at the end of the day its only in Faith that one takes onthat journey because a way from what is familiar, away from friends and family, you end up with no

one truly except with God unless you open yourself to that experience you just end up as a tourist

that is very different from a missionary. but I could also say that even if you stay in the Philippines,

you dont have to forget about end of video

MVI_89556.MOV

0:00 - 0:38

- help is needed even outside of the country, even if im not physically there. the missionary

patron, co-patroness of the missions St. Therese of Liseux who stayed all her life in a convent,

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being a a missionary does not have to be being in the missions all the time, it also means having

the heart for the mission, praying for them and being conscious of their needs.

*if bro was to go to a mission

0:43 - 3:08

at this time I will find it very very difficult to go as a missionary. but I dont think I will say Im close

to that. at every instance in our lives God calls us and while I have no appetite now to go to the

missions, God calls us at different moments in our lives, we just have to respond. who knows? if I

were to go to the missions, I would really want to go to - there are many places I could go to -

uhm I have a personal sense of going to the missions where I find filipinos for example, Sabah

speaks to me very much when I visited last time. cause I saw many stateless filipinos who are not

able to go to school. in conditions worse that what i find even here in the Philippines, I sense that

there is an attraction for me to go to a place like that, but there are many places in the world where

dependents of filipinos are in conditions that are very bad, whether thats in the middle east. its adifferent kind of mission because youre outside of your place but your work would be among

learners who are filipinos as well. Hong Kong for example - that would be very different - my

personal preference would be not in the cities, my preference would be in the rural areas where I

think the struggle will be very different from what you find in institutions like schools that we

have/big institutions that we have in the Philippines.