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One of the concrete expressions of the charism of the Congregation:

praying for vocations;
assisting the poorest of the poor

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Latest update:
Feb. 08, 2006.

• GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This endeavor is called St. Hannibal Empowerment Center (SHEC). It is an inserted community composed of Rogationists. This center believes in the innate goodness and potentials of people. Thus, its main goal is to empower the people in Pasay City, Philippines, particularly in Maricaban, Malibay and Apello-Riverside. To realize such goal, the center has: a) to assist them in their housing program, b) to facilitate them in their livelihood projects, c) to facilitate the scholarship program in favor of the poor and deserving students, d) to help them in their values formation. At a specified time, with due regard to the pace of the people, the following are the expected outputs. They shall have: a) owned their houses and lots, b) engaged productively in their livelihood programs, c) scholars shall have finished successfully their courses, d) progressed in their values formation.

• Name: St. Hannibal Empowerment Center (SHEC)

• Goal : To empower the people

• Objectives

• to assist them in their housing program

• to facilitate them in their livelihood projects

• to help them in their scholarship program

• to support them in their values formation

• Expected Outputs

• Lots and houses shall have been owned by the people

• People shall have engaged successfully in their livelihood projects

• Scholars shall have graduated

• People shall have progressed in their values formation

• FRAMEWORK

• THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK

• To revitalize and update our service of charity we have to go back, in faith and love, to the sources of charity flowing from the Rogate: the mercy and compassion of the Father.” This apostolate draws its inspiration from the way God dealt with our ancestors in faith: the Israelites. He literally journeyed with them and pitched his tent among them . And in the fullness of time, the Word of God became flesh and set his dwelling among us. In Christ, God is Emmanuel . And with him in our midst, we are always assured that God loves us and takes us seriously.

• But this inserted community also draws its inspiration from our very own Father Founder who left a promising ecclesiastical career and a convenient life in order to live with the very poor and marginalized people of Avignone Quarter in Italy.

• As Rogationists, we are challenged by our IX General Chapter to “Come and Stay with Him”. But “ To stay with Him for us Rogationists means also to stay with the poor . Our Blessed Founder encountered Jesus in Zancone and in the Poor of Avignone, and taught us that the Poor are a sacrament of Christ. ‘ Let us love the Poor because it is our Lord himself who is hidden under their appearance '. In line with our charism we resolve to ‘ live with the Poor and as the Poor, not only out of human solidarity or out of mere social commitment, but in the perspective of faith [underscoring supplied] by recognizing in them the Lord of the Harvest to whom we address not only with our prayer but also with the service of our charity; and by acknowledging in their tears and in their cross the effective cry which obtains the laborers, and by placing ourselves at their service .”

• ANTHROPOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK : “Lord, what is man that you care for him; mortal man that you keep him in mind?” asks the Psalmist. The people of these four areas ask us also questions along this line. They ask us why do we care for them and visit them frequently? They ask us why do we prefer them and their place than the safe and convenient confines of our seminary? Looked at from the point of view of the world, to live and suffer with the poor and the marginalized is a folly. But from the point of view of the Father, this is wisdom. Looked at in the eyes self-centeredness, this is only difficult. But looked at through the eyes of love, this is possible. What could have driven the Lord to always tend towards man, despite his sins and weaknesses, is because he sees in him his own image. Man, after all, is created in the image and likeness of God . For this, Blessed Hannibal always saw Jesus in the poor; and literally saw---and even kissed--- him in that poor and mentally-deranged boy. God loved him not because he is loveable. Instead, he is loveable because God loves him. It is the reason why man is truly worth dying and living for!

• CHARISMATIC FRAMEWORK: It is because of our recognition of man's dignity as a son of God that we are willing to invest all our resources and energy---in fact, all our life--- in order to live and journey with him. But as Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus, our option is for the poor and the marginalized; the tired and exhausted crowd who are like sheep without a shepherd . A good shepherd knows his sheep and his sheep know him. He lives with and sleeps in the sheepfold. We want to be good shepherd to these people and not just simply a hired hand, who at the sight of the wolf, runs away leaving the sheep to be snatched and scattered by the wolf. But in spite of this, we still recognize that there are many more poor and abandoned crowds who need good shepherd. And so, we sigh, with Blessed Hannibal, “what is the meaning of the few orphans who are saved, the few poor who are evangelized, compared with the millions of people who get lost and are abandoned like sheep without a shepherd?” Hence as we live with and stay with them, we also think of and seriously consider the other people who are in need of good shepherds thereby making our daily prayer to the Lord to send many and holy laborers into his Harvest all the more relevant .

• RATIONALE:

This work is a very clear and timely expression of the Philippine-Indian Delegation's preferential option for the poor as clearly pointed out by Jesus in his proclamation of the Kingdom, as called for by the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines and as has been handed on to us, Rogationists, by no less than our very own Father Founder, Blessed Hannibal Mary Di Francia, as our charism and mission . “This choice is the fruit of the desire of discovering Christ the poor in the marginalized brothers so as to serve Him and be conformed to Him; it is an expression of the evangelical commitment to accompany individuals in the process of integral liberation [underscoring supplied].”

• NATURE

To achieve this integral liberation, the confreres inserted in these areas deemed it necessary to accompany the people as they empower people to help themselves. This demands therefore that they the confreres have to be with them wherever the people are. But before going further, the nature of the center has to be defined.

• St. Hannibal Empowerment Center . It is a center considered as a convent where a group composed of two or three Religious reside and practice regular observance. It is named after Blessed Hannibal who is the Patron of the apostolate. Its main goal is to empower people while it strives to be in communion with God in all its activities.

• Location. As it accompanies the people, it must be situated in the area of apostolate itself. As of now, the most probable place is the house of Mang Jhune in Rodrigues. It is located between Maricaban and Apello. This serves as the main office. But other houses can still be used as stations of each area.

• Tenure. This is will depend upon the capacity of the people to stand on their own.

• Work . Basically, the work to be done has to be determined by the Religious together with the people. But after having been in the areas for a couple of years, the common concern as of the moment is the imminent demolition of the people since they are residing in places that are considered as dangerous zones. Thus, anytime they can be demolished. For this, the work will be focused on how to help them have their permanent and decent houses. At the same time, since the scholarship program among the poor students has already begun, follow up will be continued. As regards other concerns, they will be given attention to in due time.

• Methodology .

• Awareness of the role of the Religious . Before the work starts, the role of religious must be borne in mind. Their role is to empower and not to overpower the people. This means that they have to help people recognize their giftedness and assist them to actualize their potentials. In like manner, the respective parish priests have to be met in order to define the boundaries of work. In this way, the religious can maximize their efforts within certain bounds.

• Immersion. Knowing oneself is not enough. The religious have to be familiar with the people to a certain extent so that they can journey with them in the process. Although the religious have already been in the areas for some time, there is a need to intensify their presence. This affords them added information about the lives of the people. In turn, the people will also be familiar with the religious. In the process, potential leaders are already spotted so that they can be tapped to lead the group later on.

• Community Organization . In order to maximize the resources of the communities, the people have to be organized and reorganized. This will make them work together in pursuit of their goal. Furthermore, in order that they can have a louder voice before agencies, they have to be officially recognized by registering themselves in the Securities Exchange Commission.

• Capability/leadership Trainings . For the people to be properly equipped as to how they have to move by themselves, they will be given capability and leadership trainings. This is particularly true to the elected leaders. Additional information will also be given to the communities about their rights and the laws of the government on housing. In this way, they would know how and what to do.

• Networking. One of the strengths of empowerment is the recognition of the essential contributions of other people and agencies. They are also tapped so as to complement the work done in the areas for the benefit of the people.

• Personnel. This will be composed of at least two or three Rogationist Religious who are interested and are willing to work in the center. In order to safeguard the religious life, they have to live in one designated house as a small community, praying and working together. They are expected to live simply like the people in the areas. Nevertheless, in their witnessing, they uplift people from the mire of degrading poverty.

• Scope and Limitation

* Areas Covered: Six barangays in Pasay City – 156, 157, 162, 165, 180, 184

• SUSTAINABILITY AND CONTINUITY

5.1 Personnel

* Incumbent – “The apostolate of the Religious consists first of all in the testimony of their consecrated life, nourished by prayer and penance.

Apostolic action belongs to the very nature of our Congregation. Therefore the whole life of the religious must be permeated of apostolic spirit and on the other hand the whole apostolic action must be animated by religious spirit. Besides, apostolic action has always to spring forth from the intimate union with God and since it is done in the name of the Church and by her mandate, it must be accomplished in communion with the Church.”

The religious are expected to be constantly renewed in the enthusiasm to work among the poor by their intimate union with the Christ of the Rogate. This would give them the energy to continue the inspired work for the people. To complement it, attention to spiritual exercises, common life and fraternal charity is needed. Further, they have to “ combine their interior renewal with a continuous updating of methods and structures, according to the situations of times and places."

* Incoming – Let the work in the center be a part of the formation of the religious. For this, let there be a specified time in which they can experience the life in the center. In this way, they can have a concrete touch of the reality of the apostolate. Furthermore, those who are intending to work in this field of apostolate are encouraged to take up social work for one year. This can be taken right after finishing their theological studies while they are preparing for their priestly ordination. This discipline avails the religious with the necessary skills in working with the poor. In this manner, the religious can be truly Rogationists who are experts not only in praying for vocations but also in working for and with the poor. Such need to further on studies that are connected with improving our capacities to help the poor is indicated in the Rogationist Norms:

The formation of the Religious is to be … specific, by focusing more directly on permeating the candidates with the spirit and finalities of the religious Rogationist life as well as with the sound traditions and patrimony of the Congregation. Candidates will be prepared also for the specific Rogationist apostolate ; …permanent, by aiming at the continuous spiritual and cultural growth of the individuals, and by promoting the constant verification for a better and more qualified service to God and to the Church in line with the proper charism and apostolate.

5.2 Work. Let every work be ascribed to the Lord. Any attempt to do something with the poor is simply a prolongation of the mission of Christ to proclaim the Kingdom to the poor in particular. Besides, such work has to be offered by the “ Rogationists in the most appropriate ways, according to the real situations of time and place so as not to offend the dignity of the poor in whom they shall see the image of Christ.” In order to see its efficacy and relevance to people, there has to be regular verifications. Likewise, to be abreast of the best ways to assist people more effectively, constant updating is also recommended.

5.3 Finance . In order that it would be easier to solicit funds from sponsors, the center can be registered later on as a foundation.

PICTURES ABOUT THE PLACE

Top view of Apelo (left side of the creek), Rodriguez (right side of the creek)

Apelo-Riverside

Rodriguez, Malibay, Pasay City

PAL Gate 1, Maricaban

PICTURES OF OUR SCHOLARS from the three covered areas of Pasay City (Rodriguez, Apelo, Maricaban). Right now, we have 67 scholars. Most of them are high school students.