Why I should cooperate with Missionary

Title

Language

English

Year

1924

Subject

Igorot (Philippine people) -- Religions.

Christians -- Mountain Province (Philippines)

Missionaries -- Mountain Province (Philippines)

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

Published in the Review of the Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Scheut (Belgian Missionaries), by the Very Rev. Father A. Van Zuyt, Provincial Superior, after his annual visit to the different missions in the Mountain Province in the year 1923.

Fulltext

Whv I Should Cooperate with the Missionarv I am a ch ristian . I have been regenera,ted by the waters of Rapti;.;m . God could haw created nie a pagan a;: the Igorotes in the '.\fountnin Pro,·inc,e. In the world there are 1,000,000,0flO people who ha\"C' ne\·er been ha.ptized and neYer will be. I could haYe been one of these many. But God selecte<l me from among RO many millions to be haptizt>d. And thrn baptism I recei\·Nl sanctifying grace, I beeameachilcl of God. Toheachildof Godi,; worth infinitely more tha,n to he an offspring of the richest and noblest family in the "·orld. A child of a rieh po1Yerful fa111ily may inherit the world's goods and honors. A child of God that is faithful to its heavenly dignity shall inherit eterna,l riches and infinite happiness. The child of the well to do may lose its whole inheritance, or, in ihe miJst of wealth, lead the most unhappy life. But I, a child of God thru baptism, once in heaven, I shall never be despoiled of my inheritance and f s]nJ] alw:tyR enjoy the happineRS .if God Hi1m:t>lf 11·ithout eYe11 the slightest shadow or po;:sil1ility of S• 11TOW or pa,i n. All this T owe to the infinite good - ness of my <+or! and Creator. I dicl not rlo anything tu nwrit these pri,·ilegeR. Quite the contrary : rm a(·''onnt of my si n~, I should han' been puni::<hecl for e\'f'r. But then again God';:: lm·e step red in and spared nw fro111 ett>rnal chastisement. He)\\" Goel must love me! But as He Jo yes me, so does He wish to lol'e all people. Did not Jesus the so11 of Goel die on the cross to saxe all people, to make them all christians? Did J esus not shed His bloocl for each living soul on earth? Who then can describe the desire of God to have pagans baptized? What a pleasure it must be to Jesus to see the fruits of His passion and death applied to a pagan soul thru baptism . And I, who recei,·ed the benefit of that salutary desire and the bloody sacrifice of Jesus, what have I ·clone till now to satisfy the heart of Jesus 18 in its desire for more and more souls? If Jesus asked me to suffer and die to ..:onfer baptism upon a poor pagan, perhaps thru want of faith I would refuse to do it. But what He asks of me, whatgratitudeforall the benefits I have received from hPaven llictates to me, iA at least to help to save souls, to make a little sacrifice now and then for the com·ersion of those, who can become, like me, children of God and heirs of hea\'en. I admire the .Yfissionary who says farewell to his family and all he loves on earth , to consecrate himself to the redemption of pagans. I avow it, I have not that courage. But, can I reiuRe to help the missionary in his noble task? Can I refuse to try by the means I ha\e at hand to help the missionary to bring souls to the cross of Cah·ary, to the heart of Jesus, to hearn.ily glory? . .\ nd if I pray for the c01wersion of pag:wl' if I offer my almf', am I not a missionary too? :rnd shal l I not recei,·e the ren-ard of ¥ missionary? Caritas l lzristi urget me: the 10\·e of Christ forces me: after all Goel has given me and ;;;acrificed for my supreme happine"s, yes, I too, I shonld and nrnst beeome an apostle, a little apostle of the ~fountain Pro\'ince, by my daily prayers for the conversion of its pagans and by the little alms I < ·;;n afford to help itf' ~Iissionari e:-:. LETTER J111blished in the R eview of the .iJlissionaries of the I1n111uc11l11te H ew·t 1Jf _iJw·y of ~:k1 ~1lt ( B elyiu11 Jii.ssionaries), by the Very R e-v. F ather A. Vun Z 11yt, l'rorincial ::illJ1e1·im-, u.ftu his ruwt1ul l'fait to the rlifjJl'ent missions in the .lfoimttiin Prorinre in t/,e year 1923. The Belgian :\fo:sionaries hHe their cent ral house at Baguio, Governor Paek Road. It is the residenee of the Provi1wia.l and of Father Sl'hipman. Here the new n1ission:Lries come, when they arrive in the Isla nds, to begin their study of the dia led, a nd the older ones when they need a rest. It is an ideal place for a tropi1·al rountry. Tn the center of the town Fathers Carlu and \Vins are the happy possessors of a splendid, I may say cathedral. Part of it, not half as yet, is finished, but time and money will achie\·e it some day. tis a gem, designed hy Father \"elldelnians a11d built by our lay broth er~ and lgorotes. Stately it ril'e;; un t•.lp of a hil 1 above the many c1tlwr su rroundi11g hills of Baguio, and from its door one beholds the nieest panorama which ran be seen at Baguio . . Bu.t we may not stay to enjoy it. Let us go to the ,;orth wef't for a fli;;;tanee uf I kilometers and we shal l arrive at the rnlley of Trinidad ; where wr.· have the rni;;sio11 of Fathers De Brabandere :tntl David. Their house and chapel were built \\'ith the gift., coll ~<·ted at a feast gi\'en by prominent .\fauilans for the benefit of our missions among the Igorote~. The simple style of both house and chapel are quite in harmony \\'ith the pine-coyered mountain" which engirdle the valley of Tri11idad. Going d01rn from Baguio to the east for a distance of 16 kilometers, we come to thP mi,:sion of Itogon. Here Father Quintelier, lately helped b.Y two young missionaries, FF. Pelsers and ·Claerhoudt, has <lone wonderful \\'Ork and, finding it necessary to extend his work, notwithstanding his continual lack of funds and support, he ]~as sent Father Claerhoudt to Bokod far away north in the provi11ce of Benguet. Travelling north from Baguio for two days and a half, 'i\'e arrive at Cervantes an old spa.ni,:h mission '"here at present Father Portelange directs the \\'Ork helped by Father De Clercq. B'rom Cervantes they visit regularly the mission of Loo, which <:onneets the province of Bengnet with the province of Lepanto. Besides, they adininister the mission of Bauco, 25 kilometers north-east of Cer\antes. From Banco we go to Bontoc, visiting on our way the school, established by the missionaries of Bgntoc, at Sabangan. Bontoc is our most northern mission. FF. Billiet, Anseeu w, G hysebrech ts and brother Cools give us here a most hearty welcome, and give us the most consoling ne\\'S about their success in the mission and their plans 19 for the future. At Tucuca n, two miles farther, where the same Fathers have a school, them exists a grotto erected to Onr Lady of Lourdes. Later they \\'ill open a school at Tetepan. Let me here say something of the inauguration of the above mentioned grotto. On my last visit Father Billiet came to me and said: "Father Provineial, one of these days we will bless the new grotto of Lourdes at Tucucan. 'Ve must go there all together with the children of our schools of Bontoc. '' You must know that the Bontoc and Kalinga peoples are. not on very friendly terms with each other. Peace among them has yet to be establish2d on christian principles of real charity. How could these two tribes be linked together better than by a common devotion to the Blessed Virgin, the Queen of peace? So to Tucucan we must all go. But we cannot go on a pilgrimage without a big candle: and in Bontoc there is not a single big candle. All that it can produce is a tiny wax taper. Brother Cools however helped us out of our perplexity. He got a stick, a big stick, rounded it nicely, painted it in imitation of a richly adorned candle, put the wax taper on top under such nice flowers that many first Communicants have neYer appeared on their great festival with such a bright-looking big candle in their hand. ~ow another difficulty arose. Tucucan was in state of war with Bontoc. That means, so they say, that e\·ery child of Bontoc caught in Tu20 1·11<»1 II terri tllry is i 11 dangn nf IJpj 11g nit to pil'(:es wi t hout rnut'h (·premo11y. H e nce on the eve of the inauguration rnany pa~rnn parents llf the ehilrlren to go to Tu(·1wa 11 , l'a111e in dire ala rill to u,.;, bqrging- u;: not to take their ('.hilclren along for the exeursion , s;1yi11g that if they 1YP11t and est"a ped al i1·e (a thing they ;;eem ed to doubt st>rions!y) tlwy 1You ld 1ie1·prtheless return poi':<e;;sed by a had ":u1ito" 1rhi(·h 11-cniid drag them to the grave for ha1·i11;< pas::;ed thru an e nemy territory. To !'Pason 1rith most of the111 , ll'ould ha1·e been to lose ti111e. Therefore l'hildre11 of our Bontoc sehollls d iii 11ot a<·(·ornp:rny us. In ,.;rite of this, l10we1·er, on the lllOrni 11g of F1•l 1rn<1 ry the 11th we "aw that a l•1ng pr .. <·e,.;,;i1111 of ehildren had 1·onw :111d ll'e re fldlowi11g us on the 11:uT111r mountain road toll'ards Tu<·11(·n11. \Ve felt sure 110 eYil would liefall tlH'Jll. :\obody 1rnuld kill tl1e1n for the [gorotes re<;ped tlw rni;;siona ry A11d jnst to show how en•n our u 11k11own religion 11-.nild e xt ing11 ish Tucucan hatred and how no a11ito would i11jnre those who 1·iolaterl the su perstitious la1Ys of 11·ar betll'een tlwf!e two town:>, 1n· were indt>ed 1<lad to ha1•e 11·ith us nt ]past <;OlllP < ·hildre n in fod ire h;1cl ni:rn.r frnni B1J11tO\'. The k ind nef:"' of the Trn'. tt(':111 people towards the l'hil<lren of Bo11 t(l(: d11ring a ti111e of 1rar wou:d 111 turn indrn.:e the JH • plt> of B<mt< (' to heh a ,.e i 11 the sa Ille 1ray tmYa rd;; their Tut:uea11 neigh I.or,;. Preeederl b.v a number of flag· bearer;.:, behind the 111y=-te riou;; big or small (as you like • eandle, tlw pilgrim;; followed in two li11P" 1Yith the rosary i11 hand, f1111r llli~i'ion aries clo;;i11g the pro<·e~si on. :\ow we sang, then 1Ye prayed : sut;h was the first pilgrimage e1·er seen in the ll'ild 1110untains uf Bu11tut;. 'Die PrfJce.ssirm <m it;-; li'ay tfJ the .Stm<'luary r~( Lom·c7es at 'Tucucan

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