ASIA/PHILIPPINES - A sign of hope in the travailed island of Jolo, scene of conflict and massive military operations: Silsilah Centre for Muslim-Christian harmony

Monday, 10 September 2007

Jolo (Agenzia Fides) - A dream come true: on the island of Jolo, stronghold of Sayyaf terrorist group, scene of war, conflict and great suffering for the people a new Silsilah Centre will promote initiatives of reconciliation and peace, dialogue between Christians and Muslims and social and religious harmony in the Sulu archipelago.
The new Silsilah Centre- “chain” in Sufi Muslim mystics- is a fruit of the experience of the Silsilah Movement started in Zamboanga on the island of Mindanao by Italian PIME missionary Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra in 1984. It has developed since then with a “dialogue of life” building a Harmony Village near Zamboanga, where Christian and Muslim families live side by side in reciprocal harmony respect and brotherhood.
Present for the inauguration of the new Centre in Jolo the local Bishop Angelito Lampon (OMI), Vicar Apostolic of Jolo, the local Muslim leader Julasini Abirin, civil authorities and numerous Christians and Muslims. The Centre intends to organise cultural and spiritual initiatives to promote solidarity and harmony and seminars and programme for education to dialogue.
The Silsilah spirituality has spread to other countries. In Saigon, Vietnam, a Catholic nun prays with her community which cares for unmarried mothers. Professors at Saint Vincent University in Dipolog, in the Philippines are making the initiative known to their students. Franciscan Sister Lilian from the Philippines, a missionary in South Africa, hopes to spread Silsilah spirituality in that country. The initiative is also spreading in Italy.
It is easy to join the Harmony Chain: give a little time to prayer for peace, open one's heart to God's will and reach out to other people to form a chain of peoples of different culture and religion united in prayer and dialogue.
Harmony Prayer, the heart of the experience of the Silsilah Movement for dialogue, translated in 13 languages is as follows: “O Lord, I pray for peace. Purify my eyes that I may see peace, purify my mind that I may understand peace, purify my heart that I may love peace …. You reveal your presence in many ways, but your style is always the same: in dialogue with everyone, caring for everyone”: (PA) (Agenzia Fides 10/9/2007 righe 22 parole 31)


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