Stepping into the unknown marked the beginning of my Franciscan year with the Province of San Antonio de Padua in the Philippines. Tasked with broadening my understanding of mission, evangelisation, and the call to justice, peace, and integrity of creation (JPIC), I discovered that true mission means walking into uncertainty with faith and finding God’s grace in the lives of the people we serve.
At the Sinulog Festival, one of the biggest feasts in southern Philippines, I was introduced to the Santo Niño. At first, I wondered why people were so devoted to this little child figure but, as time passed, I found myself returning often to the Basilica of Santo Niño for confession, Mass, and prayer. This cultural immersion revealed to me the deep faith of the people, and how devotion shapes their lives.
Visiting different friaries taught me much about mission, evangelisation, and justice. The friars serve where others hesitate to go – poor, remote, even risky areas – immersing themselves in the impossible, living with little, and building dialogue between Muslims and Christians without demanding anything in return. As Friar Arturo Daquilanea OFM told me, daghang gracia (full of grace) – God repays what people cannot.
I came as a stranger, but was treated as family, welcomed with warmth and fraternity. My fraternal bond expanded beyond the Custody of St Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei) to the wider Franciscan world, and this is what I treasure most.
Friar Jorgerson bin Japar OFM
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