Thus Comm 101: The Communication Skills Get-Together Series was created.

In the next few Saturdays this month and the next, Kapuluan Study Center will feature prominent speakers in the field of communication. The various topics will help university students get a holistic view of effective communication.

Can’t wait for the next peak!

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Dr. Dumol is an associate professor at the University of Asia and the Pacific and chairman of the Philippine Center for Civic Education and Democracy. He teaches philosophy, aesthetics of film, and scriptwriting.

Among his critically acclaimed plays is Ang Paglilitis Kay Mang Serapio, which is considered among the best Filipino plays of the 20th century. He also authored A History of the Filipino People for High Schools.

Dr. Dumol graduated summa cum laude and valedictorian from the Ateneo de Manila University, with a degree in communication arts. He earned his PhD in Medieval Studies from the University of Toronto in Canada.

Got what it takes to solve business cases?

UNIV Asia’s business case competition has already distributed the contest case to the various participant centers. Presentation day is on Saturday, January 28, at UA&P.

Contact Karlo Tablizo at karlo.a.tablizo @gmail.com if you want to be among Kapuluan’s participants.

The theme is “Pulchrum: The Power of Beauty.”

Paet is a mini-documentary on the artistic traditions and history of Paete town in Laguna. Domes explores the mysteries behind majestic domes found in several churches in Luzon.

Paet

Domes

Choose and mark the date of your retreat now, and inform us about it.

Jan 21-23 — Samar Study Center

Feb 2-5 — Laguna Hills Study Camp

April 5-7 (Easter Triduum) — Samar Study Center and Laguna Hills Study Camp

June 7-10 — Laguna Hills Study Camp

July 19-22 — Laguna Hills Study Camp

Aug 17-20 — Samar Study Center

Sep 20-23 — Laguna Hills Study Camp

Oct 25-28 — Samar Study Center

Nov 1-4 — Laguna Hills Study Camp

Nov 29- Dec 2 — Laguna Hills Study Camp

Dec 19-22 — Samar Study Center

EDUCATING YOUNG PEOPLE IN JUSTICE AND PEACE

1. The beginning of a new year, God’s gift to humanity, prompts me to extend to all, with great confidence and affection, my heartfelt good wishes that this time now before us may be marked concretely by justice and peace.

With what attitude should we look to the New Year? We find a very beautiful image in Psalm 130. The Psalmist says that people of faith wait for the Lord “more than those who watch for the morning” (v. 6); they wait for him with firm hope because they know that he will bring light, mercy, salvation. This waiting was born of the experience of the Chosen People, who realized that God taught them to look at the world in its truth and not to be overwhelmed by tribulation. I invite you to look to 2012 with this attitude of confident trust. It is true that the year now ending has been marked by a rising sense of frustration at the crisis looming over society, the world of labour and the economy, a crisis whose roots are primarily cultural and anthropological. It seems as if a shadow has fallen over our time, preventing us from clearly seeing the light of day.

In this shadow, however, human hearts continue to wait for the dawn of which the Psalmist speaks. Because this expectation is particularly powerful and evident in young people, my thoughts turn to them and to the contribution which they can and must make to society. I would like therefore to devote this message for the XLV World Day of Peace to the theme of education: “Educating Young People in Justice and Peace”, in the conviction that the young, with their enthusiasm and idealism, can offer new hope to the world.

My Message is also addressed to parents, families and all those involved in the area of education and formation, as well as to leaders in the various spheres of religious, social, political, economic and cultural life and in the media. Attentiveness to young people and their concerns, the ability to listen to them and appreciate them, is not merely something expedient; it represents a primary duty for society as a whole, for the sake of building a future of justice and peace.

It is a matter of communicating to young people an appreciation for the positive value of life and of awakening in them a desire to spend their lives in the service of the Good. This is a task which engages each of us personally.

The concerns expressed in recent times by many young people around the world demonstrate that they desire to look to the future with solid hope. At the present time, they are experiencing apprehension about many things: they want to receive an education which prepares them more fully to deal with the real world, they see how difficult it is to form a family and to find stable employment; they wonder if they can really contribute to political, cultural and economic life in order to build a society with a more human and fraternal face.

It is important that this unease and its underlying idealism receive due attention at every level of society. The Church looks to young people with hope and confidence; she encourages them to seek truth, to defend the common good, to be open to the world around them and willing to see “new things” (Is 42:9; 48:6).

Dear Young People,

In this celebration of the Eucharist we have reached the high point of this World Youth Day. Seeing you here, gathered in such great numbers from all parts of the world, fills my heart with joy. I think of the special love with which Jesus is looking upon you. Yes, the Lord loves you and calls you his friends (cf. Jn 15:15). He goes out to meet you and he wants to accompany you on your journey, to open the door to a life of fulfilment and to give you a share in his own closeness to the Father. For our part, we have come to know the immensity of his love and we want to respond generously to his love by sharing with others the joy we have received. Certainly, there are many people today who feel attracted by the figure of Christ and want to know him better. They realize that he is the answer to so many of our deepest concerns. But who is he really? How can someone who lived on this earth so long ago have anything in common with me today?

The Gospel we have just heard (cf. Mt 16:13-20) suggests two different ways of knowing Christ. The first is an impersonal knowledge, one based on current opinion. When Jesus asks: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”, the disciples answer: “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets”. In other words, Christ is seen as yet another religious figure, like those who came before him. Then Jesus turns to the disciples and asks them: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter responds with what is the first confession of faith: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”. Faith is more than just empirical or historical facts; it is an ability to grasp the mystery of Christ’s person in all its depth.

Yet faith is not the result of human effort, of human reasoning, but rather a gift of God: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven”. Faith starts with God, who opens his heart to us and invites us to share in his own divine life. Faith does not simply provide information about who Christ is; rather, it entails a personal relationship with Christ, a surrender of our whole person, with all our understanding, will and feelings, to God’s self-revelation. So Jesus’ question: “But who do you say that I am?”, is ultimately a challenge to the disciples to make a personal decision in his regard. Faith in Christ and discipleship are strictly interconnected.

And, since faith involves following the Master, it must become constantly stronger, deeper and more mature, to the extent that it leads to a closer and more intense relationship with Jesus. Peter and the other disciples also had to grow in this way, until their encounter with the Risen Lord opened their eyes to the fullness of faith.

Dear young people, today Christ is asking you the same question which he asked the Apostles: “Who do you say that I am?” Respond to him with generosity and courage, as befits young hearts like your own. Say to him: “Jesus, I know that you are the Son of God, who have given your life for me. I want to follow you faithfully and to be led by your word. You know me and you love me. I place my trust in you and I put my whole life into your hands. I want you to be the power that strengthens me and the joy which never leaves me”.

Jesus’ responds to Peter’s confession by speaking of the Church: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church”. What do these words mean? Jesus builds the Church on the rock of the faith of Peter, who confesses that Christ is God.

The Church, then, is not simply a human institution, like any other. Rather, she is closely joined to God. Christ himself speaks of her as “his” Church. Christ cannot be separated from the Church any more than the head can be separated from the body (cf. 1 Cor 12:12). The Church does not draw her life from herself, but from the Lord.

Dear young friends, as the Successor of Peter, let me urge you to strengthen this faith which has been handed down to us from the time of the Apostles. Make Christ, the Son of God, the centre of your life. But let me also remind you that following Jesus in faith means walking at his side in the communion of the Church. We cannot follow Jesus on our own. Anyone who would be tempted to do so “on his own”, or to approach the life of faith with kind of individualism so prevalent today, will risk never truly encountering Jesus, or will end up following a counterfeit Jesus.

Having faith means drawing support from the faith of your brothers and sisters, even as your own faith serves as a support for the faith of others. I ask you, dear friends, to love the Church which brought you to birth in the faith, which helped you to grow in the knowledge of Christ and which led you to discover the beauty of his love. Growing in friendship with Christ necessarily means recognizing the importance of joyful participation in the life of your parishes, communities and movements, as well as the celebration of Sunday Mass, frequent reception of the sacrament of Reconciliation, and the cultivation of personal prayer and meditation on God’s word.

Friendship with Jesus will also lead you to bear witness to the faith wherever you are, even when it meets with rejection or indifference. We cannot encounter Christ and not want to make him known to others. So do not keep Christ to yourselves! Share with others the joy of your faith. The world needs the witness of your faith, it surely needs God. I think that the presence here of so many young people, coming from all over the world, is a wonderful proof of the fruitfulness of Christ’s command to the Church: “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mk 16:15). You too have been given the extraordinary task of being disciples and missionaries of Christ in other lands and countries filled with young people who are looking for something greater and, because their heart tells them that more authentic values do exist, they do not let themselves be seduced by the empty promises of a lifestyle which has no room for God.

Dear young people, I pray for you with heartfelt affection. I commend all of you to the Virgin Mary and I ask her to accompany you always by her maternal intercession and to teach you how to remain faithful to God’s word. I ask you to pray for the Pope, so that, as the Successor of Peter, he may always confirm his brothers and sisters in the faith. May all of us in the Church, pastors and faithful alike, draw closer to the Lord each day. May we grow in holiness of life and be effective witnesses to the truth that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God, the Saviour of all mankind and the living source of our hope. Amen.

Two separate sessions have so far been held — August 13 and 20; another one will be conducted on August 27.

More than 100 male university students from Cebu are expected to receive the seminar as part of the contest’s leadership development component.

Organized by Global Corporate Solutions Inc. through the Sri Visayan Foundation and Sugbu Study Center, the UQC gathers Cebu’s brightest university students in a quiz competition with a personal development module (for more details about UQC, visit its website).

The Leading Leaders seminar was developed by Universitas, a group of scholars, leaders, and volunteers based at Kapuluan. The seminar is founded on the principle that good leadership and nation building are possible only when individuals acquire personal virtues.

Dr Miguel Litao and Engr Carlo Purissima engage the freshmen in an open forum regarding university life. Photo: Jigs Quizon

The July 16 session welcomed Dr. Jay Lazaro of the UP College of Science microbiology department. He talked about academic freedom and liberal education, stressing on how to choose GE subjects wisely.

Dr. Aaron Villaraza of the chemistry department shared tips on how to get a holistic college experience. He emphasized that academics is not all there is in life at the university.

Philippine General Hospital’s Dr. Ansarie Salpin also advised freshmen regarding academic excellence.

The culminating session on July 23 received Dr. Luis Tongco Jr. of the University of Asia and the Pacific School of Communication. A UP PhD graduate, he taught UNEX participants effective public speaking and creating Zen presentations.

Finally, a group of young UP alumni followed Dr. Tongco’s talk. Dr. Miguel Litao (UP-PGH), Mr. Jet Belbes (College of Engineering, cum laude), and Engr. Carlo Purissima (College of Engineering, summa cum laude) answered questions on surviving the UP life.