ASIA/PHILIPPINES - A Bible in every family

Thursday, 22 June 2017 evangelization   family   local churches   formation   bible   missionary animation   youth  

Manila (Agenzia Fides) – To distribute a copy of the Bible to every family in the Philippines: The project started in 2008 is becoming a reality thanks to the project "May They Be One Bible Campaign": says the Auxiliary Bishop of Manila, Broderick Pabillo, President of the Advisory Committee for the project to Agenzia Fides. "The great project of evangelization - he explains to Fides – had begun in order to give a Bible to five million poor households in the country. Then it expanded, thanks to the involvement of all 86 Catholic dioceses in the country". The project provides for formation programs and Bible study for all those who have received a Bible. A total of 1,897 parishes participated in the Bible distribution and formation activities, in collaboration with the Association of the Major Superiors in the Philippines, the Laity Council of the Philippines, the Catholic Bible Society, the Sacramentan Fathers and the Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate in the Episcopal Conference of the Philippines.
As Fides learns, since 2008, over two million copies of the Bible have been distributed: in 2015, about 450,000 copies and in 2016, 500,000, as the number of partner organizations, interested in contributing to the project increases.
"In many families, the daily and common reading of the Word of God has begun, with abundant fruits in the life of the family", the Bishop says.
Among the stories collected from the campaign there are many which are very uplifting: a physician from Zambales Province (north of Manila) regularly shares the Word of God with detainees; a young man from Atimonan (South Philippines) shares his passion for the Bible with younger children; a missionary nun from Mexico leads young Filipinos to announce the Word of God in several communities in Manila and Batangas (south of Manila); and many other experiences of evangelization.
"The Bible is the Word of God. It leads people to a blessed and serene life, because put in God's hands", explains Bishop Pabillo, inviting all the faithful to sponsor the Bible's distribution and reading campaign.
The next phase of the campaign provides for ecumenical initiatives to make the Bible a meeting point and of sharing of Christians of different confessions. (SD-PA) (Agenzia Fides, 22/6/2017)


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