When the Diocese of Kalibo was established in 1976, ordained ministers were scarce and religious congregations were absent in the rural interior. In the far-flung capelyas of Balete, the Anawim faced a silent spiritual famine. The Eucharist was rare, and the Word risked becoming distant from daily life. The response was the rise of the Panimbahon leaders: ordinary men and women from the community trained and conscientized during the time of Fr. JoePar to facilitate the quasi-liturgical Liturgy of the Word, locally known as panimbahon.
The deepest biblical impetus driving this missionary thrust
was the prophetic mandate of Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.” Just as Jesus
began his public ministry by declaring this liberation, the Panimbahon leaders
lived out this baptismal anointing, making it the very engine of their presence
in the margins.
In their ministry, the "Theology of Life"
articulated by Fr. Tito Gelito found flesh. Drawing from Fr. Abesamis’
insistence on historical salvation, Fr. Gutiérrez’s integral liberation, and
Jürgen Moltmann’s theology of hope, Fr. Tito taught that grace is embodied in
the struggles and resilience of the poor. Traveling on foot across rivers and
muddy mountain trails and equipped with a trusty Panimbahon booklet developed
and produced by Fr. Niall O’Brien (methinks, with Fr. Gore and Fr. Frankie),
these leaders carried the Word into hungry communities. In their voices, the
silence of priestly absence was broken; in their presence, the baptized
discovered that liturgy belongs to the whole People of God.
The ministry of the Panimbahon leaders extended far beyond
presiding over the Word. They served also as Community Organizers in the
tradition of Basic Christian Communities, mobilizing neighbors for collective
action and responding to issues and concerns directly affecting the community.
Their organizing was pastoral and prophetic, rooted in the conviction that the
Church must journey with the poor in their struggle for dignity.
More to that, they also find time clarifying the foundations
of the Christian faith alongside the volunteer catechists, prepared families
for sacraments, and explained Scripture in ways that spoke to daily struggles.
Catechesis was lived wisdom contextualized in the realities of rural life. They
facilitated small group reflections, guiding communities to read Scripture as a
mirror of their own lives. In these circles, the Word empowered the poor to see
themselves as protagonists of salvation history.
Among them, Ng. Edeng stood out as a guiding presence. Her
dedication and leadership earned her a place in the parish’s Core Group under
Fr. Tito, where she helped shape the pastoral vision of St. Rafael the
Archangel Parish. Her witness exemplifies how lay leadership, rooted in
grassroots formation, can sustain the Church in times of scarcity.
The panimbahon was a school of faith and liberation
in miniature—poor communities refusing to be passive recipients of scarcity,
instead becoming active custodians of the Word. Here, Augustine’s theology of
grace found a local expression: grace mediated through the humble proclamation
of neighbors.
Theologically, this ministry embodies three strands:
- Abesamis’
historical salvation: The Word proclaimed in capelyas is salvation
unfolding in the concrete struggles of the Anawim.
- Gutiérrez’s
liberation: The panimbahon is a praxis of freedom, breaking
dependence on clerical scarcity and empowering the laity to lead.
- Moltmann’s
hope: Each gathering is a sign of the future Kingdom, where the poor
themselves become prophets of God’s presence.
The Panimbahon leaders were keepers of continuity, guardians
of memory, and heralds of hope. They reminded us that the Church survives by
the Spirit alive in its people.
As the Diocese of Kalibo celebrates its Golden Jubilee, the
legacy of the Panimbahon leaders calls us to heed Bishop Villareal’s invitation
to continue the journey toward the New Heaven and New Earth together. Anchored
on the Jubilee theme—Kita ro Simbahan, Kita Kaibahan—the little ones of
Balete are summoned to walk as one body, proclaiming the Word, living the
faith, and embodying hope in every humble gathering of the Anawim.
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