The Church as communion

   Amidst bustling Las Piñas City, there is a church, or better, a “nature” church, as architects call it. Now often visited by tourists, it’s the center of life for Mary Immaculate Parish. It’s an open structure, with trees all around. Hanging from the ceiling are birds made of “kapis” which offer light to the church interior.
   Probably its designer architect Magnosa, and Fr. Pierino Rogliardi, its builder, didn’t think of it at the time, but isn’t this what a parish should be—open to all, and illuminating with its Christian life everyone around? In this parish, entrusted by Card. Sin to the Focolare, many people try to live what John Paul II called the “Spirituality of Communion” in an atmosphere of mutual love, where the parishioners, parish organizations, and movements feel at home.
   Since Fr. Collin and Fr. Victor, two priests from Malta were assigned there, Mary Immaculate Parish has drawn hundreds of people to the life of unity. Young and old, as well as entire families, are all committed to living that communion which is a true sign of the Christian community.
   However, a church structure alone, beautiful as it may be, cannot build up such a community. The main requirement here is love for the neighbor. And so along the years an incredible number of projects have come to life. As the people around the parish were living in shanties, a village was built for them, with 500 homes. “Actually, we didn’t want to only build a house,” say Joel Abellanosa, the architect who helped Fr. Rogliardi in the project, “but a community. So much so that other developers came to ask how we did it…” Of course such a community is not spared from problems, but “we try always to resolve them with love and respect,” says Fr. Fidel Fabile, its actual parish priest.
   This is also what pushed the parish to build a school which now numbers over 1,000 students, as well as a maternity clinic, and different livelihood projects. Still what thrives all these activities are the numerous meetings where people share their experiences on how they were able to live the Gospel in their everyday life.

   Mary Immaculate Parish is not an isolated example. Many other parishes in the Philippines have started to live in-depth this new style of evangelization based on mutual love among its parishioners which attracts many to the love of God and to a rediscovery of their faith.
   From Pangasinan to Mindanao, from Metro Manila to Mindoro, these parishes offer a communi-tarian life style which gradually transforms all relationships between priests and the laity, among movements and groups. At their basis is a life of full unity with the parish priests and of course, their local bishop. In this way the “Church as communion” which John Paul II envisioned in his apostolic letter Novo Millenio Ineunte becomes a reality.