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Liwaliw sa Liliw
A few days ago, on the birthday of St. Arnold Janssen, founder of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD-Societas Verbi Divini), I got talked into taking a trip with a motley group of lay SVDs on a mission to check out the SVD Mission Center in Liliw, Laguna.
In case you were not aware, a trip to the lesser known towns of Laguna can be an adventure unto itself. The province itself could very well be or become an integral part of the greater Manila area, being less than an hour’s drive from Makati (without the traffic). Bounded by the great Laguna Lake on one side and the foothills of Mts. Banahaw, Makiling and the Sierra Madre Mountain ranges, the terrain in some of these isolated towns are a haven for any religious freak out looking for an idyllic monastic setting, or some would-be urban guerillas loathed to join their NPA comrades deep in the jungles of Bicol. Unlike the uninteresting flatlands of Central Luzon, Laguna has not only the scenic Laguna de Bay or the “Bai” but the internationally famous Pagsanjan Falls, Lake Caliraya, the hot springs of Los Banos, rolling hills and mountainsides, and quite a few other natural tourist attractions.
Is it any wonder then that our National Hero, Jose Rizal, who led such an adventurous and colorful life would be born in the capital town of Calamba, Laguna.
But I digress. The trip was the idea of Sister Evelyn Flordelis, a former member of the contemplative nuns known as the “Pink Sisters,” and now an active member of the recently-formed Lay Society of St. Arnold Janssen (or LSSAJ). The expedition included Bro. Eli Segundo (President of LSSAJ), Dante Magdangal, Fabs Pagaduan, Epi Saso, and Sam Corral; and Sister Lily, a younger sister of Sister Evelyn and the Executive Director of “BAHAY TULUYAN,” a most successful counseling shelter for street children.
With such a lively and dynamic group of do-gooders, by the end of the day, most of the problems of the world, including such little mundane matters as “what ails the XVD?” had been thoroughly addressed and solved…in theory.
As it turned out, the SVD MISSION CENTER is located not in Liliw but inMagdalena (my favorite town), in Barangay Burlungan to be exact, and known locally as “Via Crucis de Santo Cristo” for the life-size statues of the Stations of the Cross built in the area by the Brozas family who own virtually the entire town. The group was welcomed by the Director/Chaplain, Fr. Eli Mata, SVD, who in typical Filipino hospitality gave us a grand tour of the facility.
The SVD Mission Center in Brgy. Burlungan (pls click xvdph.multiply.com -the First XVD website for fotos) is an impressive and imposing two-storey concrete mansion with roof deck and built right smack in the middle of a wilderness and bounded by two good-sized streams which somehow remind you of the parting of the Euphrates River in the Garden of Eden. The best justification for the building project must lie in the arguable architectural principle that “IF YOU BUILD IT, AND BUILD IT WELL, PEOPLE WILL COME…eventually.” Otherwise, for now, the place is surreal, a veritable white elephant, offensive and oblivious to the idyllic if simple beauty of its natural surroundings.
Now, here comes Sister Evelyn who for the past twenty years had been contemplating on a “PEACE AND HEALING CENTER” and discovering the “Liliw” Center ideally suited for what she had always envisioned.
In the vision of Sister Evelyn, the SVD Mission Center would be ideal as a Camp Site for such services as: camping-style retreats and recollections for students, rehabilitation of abused and exploited children, re-bonding of families and communities. It would offer lay formation courses in Mariology, Peace Education, Translational Research, Christian Leadership Formation, etc. To be managed either by LSSAJ or the Mary Mother of Peace Center Foundation, the proposal will include comprehensive camp landscape maintenance, management and development.
One merely has to meet Sister Evelyn to be convinced that you are face to face with a prophet, a living Mother Teresa, a holy woman with a passion and, more importantly, a lifetime mission/vision. I have no doubt that the gates of hell shall not prevail against her. Bro. James D. Lansang
Kuya, thanks for expressing in your classic inimitable way our recent journey. Would that you would share some more wisdoms and funny anecdotes which transpired during said pilgrimage. Above all we were privileged to have your company, you never fail to liven up and pep up events.
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