Hello, my name is David Lupo, and I am a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. I thought I would say a few words by way of supporting the work Fr. Richard Lifrak, ss.cc., does as vocation director. I was vocation director from December 1997 to August 2002, so I can identify with him in many ways. At present I am in residence with Fr. Richard, ss.cc and Fr. Pat Killilea, ss.cc. (pastor) at St. Mary’s Church in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.
 
I want to tell you about a recent trip I took, a long flight to Manila, in the Philippines. I went to see two of our brothers take their perpetual vows for the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts. Each of them spent a pastoral year at St. Joseph’s Church, our other parish here in Fairhaven. Br. Ross Dela Cruz did it with Fr. Tom McElroy, ss.cc., as the pastor, from 2006 to 2007 and Br. Joseph Pasala did it with me as the pastor, from 2007 to 2008. I was supposed to take the trip to Manila last year, to offer retreats to our postulants, and novices, but the trip fell through. And later on, the ticket-issuing agency said 1) they would not offer a monetary refund, but would re-issue it, and 2) since my name was on it, I had to take the flight. I had a year to re-arrange the flight.
 
So I left Providence, RI on June 10^th, bound for Manila. The first connection in Detroit was late to arrive, and I had run like a fool to get to the flight bound for Tokyo. Whew! The flight to Narita Airport in Tokyo seemed endless, though it was only 12 hours. The final flight to Manila was only four hours. After the landing, I quickly cleared all the “obstacles”, and Br. Joseph, along with Br. Ross picked me up in the midst of a noisy, hot night. Despite the jet lag—12 hours ahead of Massachusetts—I slept quite well. And in the days ahead, thanks to the siestas they have there,  caught up quickly.
 
I remember the trip I took to India during the summer of 2001, to see our ministries there, and to see if volunteer ministry was possible. When I awoke that first morning in Calcutta, it was like a whole new world—very different from daily life in the USA. When I awoke on the first morning in Manila, it seemed not so far removed from a tropical morning in the Caribbean, closer to home than was that first morning in Calcutta (now called Kolkata).
 
I was taking in all that heat, and all that humidity, and basked in the sunshine because the summer they were having in Manila was better than the overcast, rainy and cool days that were occurring back in Massachusetts. During the summer months in Manila, as in India, it is monsoon season, meaning that sometimes it is sunny, and sometimes it is raining, but it is always humid. When it rains, the rain comes hard, and loud, and soon it is gone. The humidity returns, and the sun might come out.
 
I arrived on the night of the 12^th (losing a day when landing in Tokyo). There was a week until the Final Profession ceremony on June 19^th, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I had the opportunity to see our places and other places in Manila. I am grateful to all who took time to bring me to one place or another. While there, I stayed at the Damien Formation Center, where the students taking theology live and study. Fr. Pearse Mullin, ss.cc. directs the DFC.
 
One thing about the traffic in Manila: you have to get used to it. If you have one iota of road rage, you won’t make it as a driver there. Drivers make no distinction between lanes and lines. The entire road is fair game. Whereas here the traffic jam is the exception, there it is the norm, and free-flowing traffic is seldom seen. Where it does flow free, it is more like a free-for-all! Taxis cut ahead of you, bob and weave through the lanes, and carry on their rear bumpers a sticker reading “How’s my driving? Call (telephone number)”. It is so funny! The chief means of public transportation is the jeepney. Take an army-style jeep, and extend the back and cover it, so that it can seat 10 people on two benches, facing each other. There are hundreds of jeepneys throughout Manila, all colorful, and aging, and tagged all over with Catholic images and words. You haven’t been to Manila until you have had a ride in a jeepney! Once the jeepney takes you to the general vicinity of your destination, you can take a tricycle, or “trike”, to the exact place. This vehicle is a motorcycle with a sidecar. I did that as well. However, being bigger in size than the general Filippino made for difficulties. I’m glad that I wasn’t so big and heavy, that the tricycle just went around in circles!
 
June 12^th is Independence Day in the Philippines. On the day after, we had a special Mass, with postulant director Fr. Noel Flaviano, ss.cc., as celebrant. Afterwards, all those in formation, brothers and sisters, came together at the DFC for food and entertainment. A few days later, Fr. Michiaki Chihara, ss.cc., from Japan, took me down to Fort Santiago in the Intramuros section of Manila, the historical section, containing places and images denoting the centuries of Spanish rule over the country. While each of us was from a country with a history of oppression there as well, the centuries of Spanish control brought on the man who would become the nation’s hero—Jose Rizal. He wrote two works which attacked the domineering powers, the State and (unfortunately) the Church. This led to his captivity, and his assassination. But that was enough to awaken inspiration in the people, and revolutionaries to take action to drive out the Spanish. We visited the Rizal Shrine, and Rizal Park. We also visited the Manila cathedral, and then St. Augustine’s Church, which was originally built in 1599, the oldest stone church in the Philippines. For lunch, Fr. Michiaki took me to a nice Japanese restaurant, where the all employees greet entering customers loudly with “welcome!” in Japanese. 
 
I went to some stores as well. I visited a mall with Joseph and Ross, the SM Center City North. Wow! The place was big! And it was filled with people! This was mid-June, but it looked like mid-December! So many stores! One unique thing to note was the electronics stores hire young people to sing on the videoke machine (similar to karaoke), so as we journeyed around the huge mall we heard some talented young people performing in a way to attract buyers. More on videoke later. We also went to National Bookstore, the bookstore of the Philippines, but since school was starting the next day, June 15^th, there were many young people there buying school supplies. We also visited the Daughters of St. Paul Bookstore, where I found a few nice picks.
 
I visited our novices in Cainta, part of Metro Manila, invited by Fr. Pankras Kareng, ss.cc.  And now comes the real reason I write this article on behalf of Fr. Richard. I was amazed at the number of novices we have—young men from India, Indonesia and the Philippines. Nine novices! If you count the sisters’ novices in Kamuning, that makes twelve! And this in addition to the eight or so young men who are studying and living at Damien Formation Center! And we have a few postulants working towards their novitiate as well. Religious life is alive, well and thriving in Asia. The cynics will say that these are just opportunists trying to climb out of the poverty in those countries. I disagree. The ten (or so) men who have been ordained to the priesthood, just from India alone, work hard among their people in the most difficult interpersonal situations, that many Western priests would not dare to take on. God’s call to a consecrated life that follows in the footsteps of Jesus is heard there. Is it the case that God is calling in Asia but not in the USA? I doubt it. But there are many reasons why the call is not heard here. To speak about all the reasons is outside the scope of this article (but it is still a good idea!). I will simply say that young people here are far too distracted to hear the call of God.

I also visited our postulants (stage before novices) not far from the DFC, on New Jersey Street. I got a chuckle out of that street name, a street in Manila sounding like it came from the board game, "Monopoly". Fr. Noel is postulant-master, with Fr. Marisi Palepale, ss.cc., from the Hawaiian Province, visiting him. Fr. Noel assembled for us all the most incredible seafood dinner, and we dived in, using our hands. Marisi, ever the joker, played tricks on all the visitors by telling them he saw a rat in the house. He then would shriek, "There it is!" and scoot a grey furry ball under his legs, and everyone in the room would jump at what looked like to them a rat running through the room! He never tired of laughing at us all.

 Then came the big day—the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus—June 19^th. The day began with a conference I was asked to give the brother and sister novices, gathered at Kamuning. I spoke about the beginning of my journey with the Sacred Hearts Community, my limited experience as a missionary, and my theological/spiritual reflections on all that. They received me warmly, and had questions at the end. After that we had adoration in the chapel, led by Maria Goreti, ss.cc. She had taken pictures from missionary situations, and coupled them with action words. We were called to focus on these two and relate them to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I was blessed to hear the reflections from the young brothers and sisters. It was a very good spiritual exercise. Then we shared a meal together.
 
In the afternoon, the excitement began to build. All of us made preparations for the evening. Gradually, all gathered in the chapel at Immaculate Conception Church, not far away from Damien Formation Center, still within New Manila. We greeted each other as we prepared for this great liturgy of celebration. Despite the heat outside, the stone chapel was cool, thanks to air conditioning. Fr. Bill Petrie, our East Coast USA Provincial was given a cope to wear, to his surprise. I guess it signified the designated preacher. He was there to receive Joseph’s vows. Fr. John Yamada, Provincial from the Japanese/Philippine Province, was the celebrant, present to receive the vows of Ross.
 
The ceremony was a little long, but wonderfully done. This is amazing since at the rehearsal it was evident that there were many wrinkles to iron out, especially in the text of the ritual book used for the ceremony. We listened to the Word of God with them before they offered themselves to the Congregation when called forth, and affirmed their desire in the examination. We called on the Saints to help them, and they professed their vows through the hands of their respective superiors. We blessed them, praying over them, and we prayed with them as they received their signs of commitment, we sang aloud, we welcomed them, and gave praise and thanks to God and broke bread and shared the cup with them. We heard their words of gratitude in the end, before they were called forth to mission. It was a joy and a privilege to be present for this ceremony, and among my brothers and sisters in Asia.   
 
Afterwards, we feasted on delicious Philippine food, across the street from the church, at a nice reception, and we shared laughs and shouts of joy with each other. A loud, festive community spirit continued into the evening, but all left for their houses at an early hour, thanks to the summer sun setting around 7:30 pm. It was a great day, and even though I needed to get to sleep soon (I promised Fr. Pierce that I would take the Liturgy early the next morning) I recalled the events of the evening while lying on my bed, waiting for a cool breeze.
 
After the Liturgy celebrating the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I was off to our parish in Bagong Silang, an area of Manila with steep poverty. Fr. Pearse kindly drove the long distance, and Br. Ross and two of our Sisters, Nalina and Bimla came along, as did Fr. Marisi, who is working at the parish. Working with him are Fr. Kris Kaitapu, ss.cc., from the Hawaiian Province, and the pastor, Fr. Austinus Agus Suwondo, ss.cc., from Indonesia. Our Sisters have a small place not far from the parish, and they do weekend ministry there, like educating the children. There are so many young people in Manila. The country has a young face. Youth ministry is an important undertaking there. I was invited to the youth group meeting. On the way there I saw much that was disheartening, but this is also part of our own country. As young people, whether here or there, “outgrow” being part of a parish community, after they choose to no longer attend Sunday Liturgy, there is nothing for them. I was taunted a few times by young men, asked why I had come there. They are more interested in drugs, or acting out sexually, or even perhaps in what can be gained by crime (I was told that a number of jeepneys have been held up there, and passengers robbed). The still-interested adolescents exist side-by-side with the no-longer interested young men. No doubt, youth ministry is necessary, but quite stressful.
 
Still, I experienced at the youth group meeting something astounding! Despite the young culture of disbelief that exists outside the door, the small room where the young people gathered was packed with teens and pre-teens. The topic of the day was planning for the year ahead, writing ministerial goals, and condensing them into some form of mission statement. Despite the abstract nature of the task—something I thought would bore them—they sat there for more than three hours, and through small group discussions, as well as cross-talk in the large group came up with a plan. I had to quit after three hours, feeling lost in the Tagalog being spoken.
 
That evening as I went to bed, there was going to be a challenge getting to sleep. Across the street, someone was playing his videoke machine quite loud. It was a social gathering, and a few guests had arrived for food and fun. However, the owner (or the one who sang the most) did not have the sweet, melodic voice of the young people in the electronics stores selling the machines. This man seemed to be in pain, by contrast. Most of his tunes were sung in Tagalog. However, he did his rendition of the Tom Jones classic, “Delilah”, and certainly he conveyed the pain of the balladeer more acutely than Tom Jones ever could. The party ended around 2 a.m., and I drifted off to sleep.
 
In the morning I was asked to concelebrate at the Sunday Liturgy. I could do so only in a limited way, since I don’t speak the language. Indeed the people speak the English language well, but the importance of speaking in Tagalog is very high. Fr. Suwondo asked me to offer the homily in English. So I did, and it was fairly well received. After dinner it was time to return to DFC.  This would require a number of trips. First, three of the sisters (Ada had joined Bimla and Nalina) and I rode a tricycle to the jeepney station to catch the first jeepney back. We needed three more since we made a detour to get some ice cream. The travel was crazy. The traffic jam was so tight, that I stuck my hand outside the jeepney window, and touched the side of a bus.
 
The next day, Monday, I went with Joseph to his learning place, Loyola School of Theology. A good number of young people were at the school, only one of the theological schools in the city. I stayed in the library while he attended his morning classes. I saw the journals and periodicals on the rack and remembered my days of theology at Washington Theological Union. I found an article from an inter-religious dialogue journal on a multi-ecclesial, multi-religious effort to bring about religious freedom. After his classes, Joseph and I went to the other side of the campus, and sat a long in the shade, drinking iced green tea. It was a glorious, sunny day and there was a refreshing breeze. We watched the students, and cars go by. Toyota is the dominant make, and there were several other kinds of Japanese cars. There were very few American makes and models.
 
The next day came, Tuesday, and I began to say my goodbyes. I visited the postulants, on New Jersey Street, and offered them, as well as Fr. Noel, my best wishes. Then we went to Kamuning, and I offered my best wishes to our Sacred Hearts Sisters. It was a rainy day, lasting into the evening. I had one more stop to make before leaving Manila. While I was on my sabbatical, I had a spiritual director who was from Manila. She is from a community called the Teresian Association. This lay community was founded in Spain before its Civil War, by a priest—Fr. Pedro Poveda—who called on them to go, live the faith, and transform the world, using their skills to evangelize. I told my spiritual director of my upcoming trip to Manila, and she asked me to visit her community while I was there. Too bad I waited until the last day! I contacted them, and was invited by them for supper, and I was thoroughly enjoying the conversation when I realized that I had to leave earlier than I wanted, because my flight the next morning was very early, and this entailed going to sleep very early. Indeed, parting was such sweet sorrow.
 
Up early the next morning, and after breakfast, and my final goodbyes and “thank yous” to Fr. Pearse, and the DFC community, I was off to the airport, along with the Provincial, Fr. Bill Petrie, whose flight was later on, but chose to get to there early. Once again, Fr. Pearse made the long drive, and Fr. Santhosh came along. At daybreak we arrived at the terminal, and after final parting words, I made my way in. It was a long journey back, especially that flight between Tokyo and Detroit. But I used the time to read, and reminisce.
 
It was an exciting trip, and I was blessed to see so many young people interested in, and living religious life, and especially in our Congregation of the Sacred Hearts.

There are many religious communities in Manila, all competing for the young people of a country that is deeply Catholic. Religious life can be quite the adventure, especially when making use of opportunities to work in places far away to bring the Good News. The Gospel call to further the Reign of God is the most exciting undertaking I know. It never fails to be cutting edge, since all one's talents are needed, and the sky is the limit. And you don't have to that far away, really. Here in the U.S., institutional Christianity has become hardened, lackluster, and has lost its call, by and large, to be other-centered. It cannot deal with the challenges flowing from our "post-Christian" world. Perhaps it chooses not to deal with them, to its own detriment. In any event, the Church has become irrelevant to the world, failing in this great opportunity to dialogue, to listen as well as to speak.
This is the task of religious life today, to me. To talk with people who have questions, having the freedom to stand outside church building walls. We can only benefit in this task. What do you think?