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EPISCOPAL

EPISCOPAL COMMISSION FOR THE BIBLICAL APOSTOLATE CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE COMMISSION

FOR THE

BIBLICAL

APOSTOLATE

EPISCOPAL COMMISSION FOR THE BIBLICAL APOSTOLATE CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE

CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF THE PHILIPPINES

Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate

470 Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila 1002, Philippines

Tel. # (+63 2) 527-4157 * Email: [email protected]

VISION

“A Community of Disciples nourished by the Word, witnessing to the Gospel and striving to be a Church of the Poor with Mary as model”.

MISSION

“We commit ourselves to a renewed integral evangelization through the implementation of Vatican II’s Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum) and the Plenary Council of the Philippines’ (PCP II) vision of a Church of the Poor in our reading, studying, praying, living, sharing and celebrating the Word of God, and in our promotion and animation of the Biblical Apostolate in the Philippines”.

BRIEF HISTORY

Pope Paul VI approved Vatican II’s Conciliar Document “Dei Verbum” (DV) or Constitution on Divine Revelation on November 18,1965. And in 1968, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) under the Episcopal Commission for the Promotion of Christian Unity organized an Episcopal Committee on the Bible with Msgr. Mario Baltazar, O.P. as Chairman. In 1969, Fr. Efren Rivera, OP represented the CBCP at the formal establishment of the World Catholic Federation for the Biblical Apostolate (WCFBA) in Rome. In 1972, the Catholic Bible Center was established with the blessings of the Administrative Council of CBCP. It was also the international Book Year by the United Nations. In line with the celebration, the Holy See exhorted Catholics to participate by the promotion of the Book of the Bible. Thus the first Sunday of Advent was declared as the time for the annual celebration of Bible Week in the Philippines. In July 1978, the CBCP acted to have DV implemented formally organized the Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate (ECBA) with Fr. Efren Rivera, OP, STD as the first Executive Secretary. Bp. Cirilo Almario, DD the second ECBA Chairman was succeeded by the third Chairman, Bp. Crisostomo Yalung, DD. The incumbent Chairman is Bp. Arturo M. Bastes, SVD,DD (4rth Chairman) and Fr. Oscar Alunday,SVD is so far the second ECBA Executive Secretary. The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, “Dei Verbum” provided the basis for a true and genuine biblical renewal in the Church. This Conciliar Document became the Magna Carta of the Biblical Apostolate.

On September 29,1979, John Paul I Biblical Center (JPIBC), the first and the pioneer regional Biblical Center in the Philippines was blessed in Vigan City at the Immaculate Conception School of Theology, co-founded by Fr. Ludger Feldkemper, SVD (Father and Founder), Sr. Henrietta Sebastian, OSB (Mother co-foundress) and Ms. Felicitas Peroetua Gines (lady co-foundress). The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Northern Luzon (CBCNL) recognized JPIBC as the regional biblical center for Northern Luzon and the Cordillera. To date there are now ten regional biblical centers spread all over the country, namely: John Paul I Biblical Center for Northern Luzon and Cordillera; Pius X Biblical Center for Central Luzon; St. Peter Biblical Center for the National Capital Region; Mary, Star of Evangelization for Manila Suffragans; Southern Luzon Biblical Center;; Bicol Regional Biblical Center; Living Word Biblical Center for Eastern Visayas; Dei Verbum Biblical Center for Western Visayas; St. Jerome Biblical Center for Central Visayas; Pope Paul VI Biblical Center for Mindanao.

NATURE

The Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate (ECBA) is a pastoral commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) whose area of competence and service is the biblical-pastoral ministry in its five-fold ministries of : Animating Biblical-Pastoral Formation(ABPF); Organizing Bible Celebration(OBC); Promoting Bible Translation(PBT); Assisting Bible Production (ABP); Coordinating Bible Distribution (CBD).

PURPOSE

ECBA supports and fosters the work of the Catholic Biblical Federation (CBF) for biblical-pastoral ministry, “which throughout the world, collaborate with the bishops to make the Word of God available to all (DV c. VI)”, as expressed in:

In the promotion of translations and widespread sponsored distribution of Sacred Scriptures, since “easy access to sacred Scripture should be provided for all the Christian faithful” (DV 22).
In the study, understanding and use of the Bible among Catholic clergy and Christian faithful who are active in the ministry of the Word, are to learn “through diligent sacred reading and careful study of the divine Scriptures the excelling knowledge of Jesus Christ” (DV 25).
Biblically based pastoral care since “like the Christian religion itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and ruled by sacred Scripture” (DV 21).
Lay Ministers of the Word “will be able effectively to provide the nourishment of the Scriptures for the People of God” (DV 23).

All of these activities are geared toward the pastoral thrust of the Church in the Philippines as decreed by the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II), the formation of Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs). For the “BEC is the new way of being Church, a Church renewed and constantly renewing itself (Bp. Bastes)”, inspired by the reforms of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council.

ADMINISTRATION

ECBA is supervised and governed by a Board of Trustees consisting of Bishop commission members, the Executive Secretary, and the Regional Directors. It communicates with the Catholic Bible Federation (CBF) and the Office of Evangelization of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference (FABC) and maintains relations with the Philippine Bible Society (PBS), the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) and other interconfessional entities involved in the Biblical Apostolate. ECBA is a full member of the Catholic Biblical Federation (CBF) which is “a Catholic world fellowship, of administratively distinct international local organizations committed to biblical-pastoral ministry”. The Federation is a public association of Christ’s faithful. It relates to the Holy See through the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Its office is situated in Stuttgart, Germany registered as number VR 3054 in the Register of Associations.

ECBA is run by an Executive Board composed of the Bishop Chairman, Executive Secretary, Treasurer, Office Secretary, Word Web Editor, NCR Bible Director, Manila Suffragans Bible Director and a Consultor elected by the Executive Committee.

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES & BISHOP MEMBERS:

President: : Bp. Arturo M. Bastes,SVD,DD

Vice President: : Fr. Oscar Alunday, svd

Secretary : Ms. Marcelina Cacal

Treasurer : Fr. Antonio Navarette, Jr.

Auditor : Ms. Violeta del Mundo

ECBA COMMISSION MEMBERS:

Chairman :Bp. Arturo M. Bastes, SVD,DD (Sorsogon)

Vice Chairman :Bp. Broderick Pabillo, SDB, D.D.

Members

Bp. Jose Corazon Talaoc, DD (Romblon)

Bp. Pablo Virgilio David, D.D. (San Fernando, Pampanga)

Bp. Renato Mayugba, D.D. (Lingayen – Dagupan)

EXECUTIVE BOARD:

Bishop Chairman: Bp. Arturo M. Bastes, SVD

Executive Secretary: Fr. Oscar Alunday, SVD

Office Secretary: Ms. Marcelina Cacal

Word Web Editor: Fr. Gil Alinsangan, SSP

NCR Director: Fr. Gerry Tapiador, SSD

Manila Suffragans Director: Fr. Alfred Ganzon

Consultor: Dr. Natividad Pagadut

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

Members of the Board of Trustees and Executive Board

Executive Secretary : Fr. Oscar A. Alunday, SVD

ECBA CONSULTORS:

Fr. Gerry Tapiador,SSL
Ms. Nora Lucero (PBS)
Fr. Gil Alinsangan,SSP,SSL

Dr. Natividad Pagadut
Fr. Alfred Ganzon
Fr. Dominic Nolan

FINANCE COMMITTEE:

Bishop Arturo M. Bastes, SVD
Fr. Oscar Alunday, SVD
Fr. Antonio Navarrete, Jr.
Fr. Gerry Tapiador
Dr. Medarlo Rivera (PBS)
Mr. Dante Lanorio
Ms. Violy del Mundo
Ms. Marcelina C. Cacal

EVENTS – ACTIVITIES - PROJECTS

1.Daily : SALITEXT (text biblical phrase,verse)

2.Monthly : Visitation of diocesan/regional centers by

Diocesan Promoter or Executive Secretary

: contact with the Bishops / Directors/Parish

3. Quarterly/ Bi-monthly : Biblical Formation/ Recollection/ Retreat

arranged with diocese / region

: Bibliodrama Basic Course/ Facilitators

4. Annual : Bible Sunday/Week /Month/

Last Sunday / Week of January

: Hearts On Fire on Feb. 14 (before or after the 14^th)

: Original Gospel Song Festival

: National Bible Quiz (wt International

Eucharist Congress, Family and Life)

:Daily Scripture Reading Guide Distribution

joint project of SSS-PBS-ECBA-AMRSP

: Regional Bible Workshops

: Word Alive Biblical Institute (WABI)

: Summer Biblical Institutes (SBI)

5. Bi-ennial : National Bible Workshop

: National Bible Consultation

6. Every Six Years : General Assembly of Catholic Biblical Federation

7. As Needed : Regional and Sub-regional Bible Congress

for Asia and Oceania

8. On-going Programs : Basic Bible Seminars (1,2,3);

: Bible Facilitators’ Seminars; Core Team

: Formation; Bible Orientation Seminar;

: Biblical Formation-Animation;

Gospel Sharing Methods

9. Special Projects

- B.E.C. BIBLE (wt PBS) and BEC Formation with NASSA;

- Bible Youth Camp in coordination with Bukal ng Tipan

and Youth Commission;

- “Good News in Tribal Rhythms” - scriptures using indigenous

songs/music in coordination wt ECIP

10. Bible Translations: in cooperation wt Philippine Bible Society (PBS), Summer Institute of Linguistics(SIL),

Catholic Bible Association of the Philippines(CBAP)

11. Bible Distribution/Sale: with PBS at subsidized price (cf sponsors)

12. Mass Media Network : local cable stations, catholic and local radio stations –

interviews

13. Publications : WORDWEB – ECBA (modules, updates),

: DEI VERBUM from CBF Stuttgart, Germany;

: WORD ALIVE from JPIBC, Vigan City;

: SAMBUHAY (Sunday readings and reflections,

Society of St. Paul, Makati)

14. Biblical Apostolate : Hongkong Catholic Filipino Biblical

Overseas Pastoral Ministry (HCFBPM)

: Lay Missionaries of the Divine Word

(Hongkong)

15.Fund Raising Ministry : ECBA FRIENDS, Parish Bible Fund,

B.E.C. Bible Fund

16. Cooperative & Community Building: “Life Multi-vitamins”

(cf See’Em Enterprises) for different occasions – thematic biblical quotations

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