Munting Sambayanang Kristiyano (MSK) & Fr Sto – Lessons Learned From 43 Years Of Apostolate In Mindanao

As a Catholic, I believe the Roman Catholic Church needs to build a million more Munting Sambayanang Kristiyano (MSK) or Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) in the villages, and there is a book already published that I see can be repackaged and re-presented to highlight the lessons learned from Fr Sto’s 43-year dedicated MSK apostolate in Mindanao.

I want to repackage the book on Father Sto already edited and published by his sister Adiwlimtitled “Father Sto’s Highly Successful Setting Up Of 400+ Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) In Southern Philippines” – yes, strangely the title is in English but the content is 100% Pilipino/Tagalog. Fr Sto’s full name was “Modesto Aguillera Talumpines.” (I changed all names and title of book to protect the innocent.) The “Basic Ecclesial Community” is translated as “Munting Sambayanang Kristiyano” (MSK), the MSK being the one Father Sto pursued in those far-flung Mindanao villages.

I believe the Catholic Church must build thousands more of those BECs/MSKs, and that book has a great many lessons for missionaries. The book is in Tagalog/Pilipino – I will not change the language, but I want the new book to highlight the lessons learned in creating, composing & comforting all those BECs.

There will also be at the back of the book an exhaustive index, so that if you want a quick reference – who doesn’t? – you can go to the page source immediately without reading the whole book!

The “Padayon” image above is from Holy Apostles Senior Seminary (holyapostlesph.com). The title of the sharing is “Rural BEC Experiences” but there is only that photograph, not a word, not even a caption. I google and find that “padayon” means “continue.” So!

Understandably, thatFather Sto book highlights the happy & sad times friends and family members had with him. Me, in the new book, I want to emphasize the anecdotes from and stories about those who assisted Father Sto in those far-flung villages in Mindanao.

In the Philippines, what the Catholic world needs now is a strongly awakened concern for the people in the barrios who can hardly find time or are not much interested in hearing mass at the church in the town proper. For the priests or missionaries to “speak the language of the people” – not only Tagalog (or Ilocano in my hometown Asingan, Pangasinan), but in practical, everyday terms, so that they can relate their religion directly to their lives – they would appreciate a book on lessons learned by a priest in almost a half century of service. Fr Sto!

Here is a selection from that Father Sto book that is educative, from the Bishop of Gumaca:

Ang kanilang pagpapasiya at wagas na pag-aalay ng sarili ay salamin ng diwa ng paglilingkod na kanllang nasaksihan sa buhay ni Monsgnor.
(“Their decisions and pure self-sacrifice are mirrors of the spirit of missionary service that they witnessed in the life of Monsignor” – Father Sto.)

A book on lessons learned from a missionary’s life entirely dedicated to the barrio folks should be a blessing to all!@517