On March 29-30, 2019, at the La Jardin Home of the Divine Mercy & Retreat House, Inc., thirty-three (33) Parish Renewal Experience (PREx) Volunteers from Malolos, Bulacan, underwent the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Leadership Journey (NCALJ). It was two (2) days of reflection, rest, and prayer, modeled after Ninoy and Cory’s own leadership style – spiritual-leadership.
During the two-day seminar, participants were given opportunities to look back at their lives, especially key moments in their journeys as church volunteers and leaders, as well as chances to share their individual stories to others in the Group Sharing Activity. These activities were also supplemented with modules on Reflection, where NCAF Program Director and Journey Facilitator, Jampao Reyes, discussed with them the importance of “connecting the dots” of their lives. Mr. Reyes also guided the participants through modules on the Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman and the different calls of Service.
The participants were also able to reflect on their journeys as church servant-leaders through the lens of Saint Oscar Romero, in the movie “Romero”, which delved into his life as Archbishop of El Salvador. This was further deepened by the module, Transcendent Values, where the participants learned of the values geared more towards the fulfillment of the needs of others, as opposed to the focus of self-gratification.
The Journey concluded with the Panata Activity, where the participants wrote down their personal commitments of service for their Church and communities. Each one was able to read aloud his or her promise and place it on the Panata Tree, which they were able to take home with them afterwards as a reminder. Some participants expressed their desire for a follow-up program for the Journey, while others thanked NCAF for the rare opportunity to take a step back and savor their experiences as PREx Volunteers.