On March 31, 1521, Easter, the first Mass in the Philippines was celebrated on the island of Limasawa. Today, more than 500 years after evangelization began, the country is still called "missionary." Why? Well, it is a country located on 7640 islands, and missionaries reached some of them only 70 years ago!

The first Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus arrived in the Philippines in 1989 and chose the island of Mindanao as the site of their new mission. The visible fruit of the 35-year presence of the Dehonian priests is the growing number of local vocations to the congregation. This would not have been possible were it not for the hard work of the missionaries, who place great emphasis on forming the laity and building a community beyond the walls of the church.

In Zamboanga del Sur in the Diocese of Pagadian 2 years ago, Dehonians began building a Center of Spirituality – a formation house for the laity, designed to hold retreats or workshops.

Retreats and seminars, especially during the time of Advent and Lent, as well as retreats for all graduating students, are held here every year. The Dehonians had become a gift to the Catholic Church in the Philippines, and this place will be another expression of that. We want to create a space of spiritual refuge for all members of the Dehonian Family to spiritually 'refuel' here and grow in their faith

- says Fr. Niño B. Etulle SCJ, regional superior of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in the Philippines.

The importance of the place is also vividly evidenced by the words of the Chairman of the Parish Council from the Dehonian Parish of St. Isidore in Dumalinao, Romeo Reyes:

There is no formation house in the Diocese of Pagadian! When a parish group holds a retreat, they are forced to rent hotels or schools. It will be a place of healing, renewal of marriage vows, and deep living of faith. It will also be a 'sanctuary of peace and tranquility' because the house is located on a hill overlooking Pagadian Bay and the green fields of Dumalinao.

The newly established Center of Spirituality is also expected to help stem the departure of Catholics to other religions. After all, the island of Mindanao has a large Muslim community, and in addition to Catholics, many Protestant churches are present there. Great havoc is also being wreaked on the spiritual life of Filipinos by numerous cults.

The Center of Spirituality is still 110,000 euros short of completion and commissioning. We encourage you to support this project so that all these beautiful dreams and spiritual intentions can begin to come true!

Bank account numbers for money transfers are:

For $: PL 52 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0009; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK
For €: PL 41 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0013; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK
For others: IBAN: PL 79 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0008; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK