Puerto Princesa (Philippines). On 24 July 2025, marks three years since the arrival of the first three Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of Saint Mary Domenica Mazzarello Province (FIL) in 2022, in the poorest areas and remote islands of North Palawan, archipelago of the Philippines.
Bringing the light of faith to the peripheries of the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay-Northern Palawan, through the formation of catechists throughout the Vicariate and a solid Youth Ministry was their mandate, supported by the Most Reverend Bishop Broderick Pabillo, DD.
Nurturing the faith: the Catechetical Ministry
The impact of their work in Catechetical Ministry, under the guidance of Sister Maria Teresa Lorenzo, FMA, with a team that includes a volunteer from the CFAM organization and eight new graduates in Religious Education at Holy Trinity University in Puerto Princesa, has been profound. With the second and third batches of these dedicated graduates now serving, the Ministry has seen a remarkable growth.
In just three years, the Vicariate has gathered 502 catechists from 32 parishes and 11 Mission Stations. These catechists have undergone an intensive, three-year formation program rooted in the core tenets of faith: doctrine, worship, and moral.
As the Jubilee Year unfolds, the call of catechists to be Ambassadors of Hope is blossoming into reality. The scope of this commitment is very great. Each parish potentially have 10-15 schools, including those on remote islands, across the 43 parishes and mission stations of the Vicariate.
The year 2025 marks a grace-filled beginning for the Vicariate, as it ushers in the first year of a three-year preparation for its 25th anniversary celebration. A key highlight of this preparation is the strategic decision of the Catechetical Ministry to give priority to catechesis in the schools. To further this goal, Lay District Coordinators have been appointed for a three-year term, and the identity and roles of Head Servants as Coordinators at the parish level are being strengthened.
Beyond the formation of catechists, on the initiative of Mons. Pabillo, the ministry is tasked with Catechesis for Adults, to reach every baptized adult in the Vicariate. In the first two years, the focus was on the Creed, while in the next two years, it will explore the Seven Sacraments.
Empowering Youth: the Youth Ministry
The Youth Ministry of the Vicariate is competently led by Father Marvin Allili, who also serves as the Parish Priest of St. Joseph the Worker Parish-Cathedral. His direct collaborator, Sister Nancy Esmero, FMA, has been instrumental in developing the Vicariate’s Youth Ministry Program, which is now steadily being implemented. From the outset, the formation of a core group has been a top priority. Today, this core group comprises eight youth leaders representing various districts.
Sister Nancy and this group of young people regularly visit different districts to provide formation to parish youth leaders. This year they plan to offer Youth Encounters as a powerful means for young people to deeply experience God’s love, recognizing its presence in every phase of their life stories.
In addition, the Youth Ministry is also responsible for establishing Youth Centers. The first was established at the Curia, under the parish of St. Joseph the Worker. Now, in its second year, is actively forming servant-leaders for the Church and society, with 70-80 young people eagerly embracing its offerings, brimming with hope and enthusiasm for living meaningful lives. Last year, a second youth center was opened in the parish of Sto. Niño in Abongan, a mere 25-minute land journey away. Early this year, the third center was inaugurated in the nearby parish of St. Monica, the original seat of the Vicariate.
The Mission in the peripheries
The FMA are grateful for the trust and opportunity to live a unique and intense mission experience among the poorest, in line with the call of the universal Church to strengthen the commitment for the New Evangelization in the peripheries and to work zealously for young people at risk of all forms of violence and abuse.
Being on a mission with and for people often forgotten by society, risking one’s life to cross turbulent seas and reach islands sometimes not even identifiable on the maps of the Philippines, and witnessing the seed of faith naturally grow in people’s hearts through the grace of God, are experiences for which the Sisters feel profoundly grateful.
In view of the 150th anniversary of the first FMA missionary expedition, the Province of the Philippines embraced the challenge to extend its mission to the peripheries. In 2024, in Taytay, Palawan, the community was officially established bearing the name of Blessed Maria Troncatti, who will soon be canonized.
