Second National Congress of the Clergy

Catholic priests march along Roxas Boulevard on the last day of the Second National Congress of the Clergy, Jan. 29, 2010. AFP

THE national media spotlight shined intensely on the 2^nd National Congress of the Clergy, as the Catholic media joined forces in giving them blow by blow account of the event.

At least eleven Catholic news agencies have collaborated in a social media effort to cover the congress from print, broadcast, to online and then feed it to the mainstream media.

As a result, the NCC2 generated an unprecedented number of stories in the country’s major newspapers, television and radio broadcasts over the 5-day event.

The congress-related mentions on the Internet had also reached around 500,000 over Yahoo alone after the five-day event.

The gathering was also shown live on major broadcast networks and cable news channels.

Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, NCC2 Media Committee co-coordinator, said the NCC2 being an event of the Church and not only of the clergy, thus the need for media coverage.

The media coverage, he said, was very instrumental in making the lay faithful “journey with their priests in prayer, reflection and renewal”.

“The media, especially the Catholic media, believes that it can help bridge the clergy in congress with the praying, listening and learning Christian community in their homes,” Quitorio said.

The Catholic Media Network (CMN) with 51 radio stations nationwide broadcasted some parts of the clergy congress; and so did Radio Veritas with some of its morning programs aired right from the World Trade Center.

The Communication Foundation for Asia (CFA) video streamed selected parts of the event through the internet facilities provided by CBCPWorld which, for its part, also maintained the official website of the clergy congress.

TV Maria documented the whole congress, while Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) broadcasted some video footages of the event.

CBCPNews podcasted the congress at www.cbcpnews.com/podcast and serialized news stories for global readership.  The Manila Archdiocesan Office of Communication covered the event by posting talks and photos of the congress at www.rcam.org.

The Mission Communications Foundation, Inc. recorded the closing ceremonies of the clergy congress at the Cuneta Astrodome for later airing at IBC Channel 13.   (CBCPNews)

MANILA, Jan. 28, 2010─Saying that ordained life entails living a life in imitation of Jesus Crucified, Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal said priests, as disciples of Jesus, must learn from his examples.

In his homily in today’s mass, the cardinal explained that what priests learn from theology does not come close to the knowledge they gain from Jesus’ teaching from the cross.

He stressed that there is no other way for priests to learn from the cross except by carrying it themselves.

The cardinal said newly ordained priests normally have very little cross to bear because their initial experience of priestly life is usually characterized with wild adulation, abundant gifts and unmitigated affirmation from the faithful.

“But the cross that we have to bear is not the opposite of these, but the exercise of restraint in the face of adulation, gifts and affirmation. The first lesson of Jesus crucified is thus to ‘deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me,’ ” Vidal said.

Learning from Jesus, the cardinal said, is knowing how to seek him with single-minded devotion, and making Him his only choice.

The cardinal also said that learning from brother priests is another way of learning from Jesus.

He, however, noted that the prevailing priestly culture does not usually encourage learning from fellow priests.

“Yet, there is so much to learn from each other’s experiences, struggles, pains and joys,” he said.

“Among priests, there can be so much heated and excited discussions about politics, sports, and business, but when the matter turns to personal and spiritual life, everybody becomes deaf and dumb,” the cardinal observed.

He said the young clergy can learn a lot from the experience of elderly priests.

“It is not so much the stories that matter when it comes to elderly priests, but their testimony of life lived in fidelity and constancy,” said the cardinal.

‘Learn also from lay people’

Vidal said priests can also learn from the lay faithful, since they too, have something to share even in spiritual and moral matters.

“The best way a priest can know the condition of God’s people is through the confessional. Like St. John Mary Vianney, a priest should spend much time in the confessional to know the real needs of the people he serves. We do not know the needs of people by virtues they exercise; we know their problems by the sins they commit,” the cardinal said.

Vidal stressed the clergy must put ahead the needs of the poor before his own, because when a priest opts for himself, the poor always takes the last place.

“The quality of our service is determined by the direction of our desires. If our hearts are directed towards the self, we become masters to be served. When our hearts are directed to God and his people, we become the servants of all,” he said. (CBCPNews)