Divine Word College of Laoag DWCL
Such is the theme of the holy mass held at the college gymnasium at 9:00 AM on April 6, 2021, that marked the celebration of 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines.
Fr. Bernard L. Teneza, SVD was the main celebrant, with Fr. Gaudencio G. Pugat, SVD, Fr. Edwin D. Fernandez, SVD, Fr. Denny D. Lucas, SVD, and Fr. Damianus Abun, SVD, con-celebrating. The faculty and personnel were in attendance, following strictly health and safety protocols amid the Covid 19 pandemic.
Fr. Teneza, in his homily, stressed the significance of the theme of the centennial celebration that is “Gifted to Give”. He further related this theme in this year’s (2021) theme of the Philippine Church as Year of Mission. Notably, he stressed the important role of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) as a mission congregation with over 500 Filipino SVDs working as missionaries all over the world.
Moreover, Fr. Teneza said that the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines will be marked with great thanksgiving to God for the great gift of Christian faith. He added that the celebration is not just looking back at the past but is also looking forward to the future. He concluded that we remain in constant prayer that the Risen Lord will always abundantly bless our church in the Philippines and that we all become gifted givers.