CBF-SEA Subregional Committee Meeting 2018

Southeast Asia Subregion (CBF-SEA) Subregional Committee Meeting - Bali (Indonesia), July 3-6, 2018

09 Jul 2018 . Posted in Southeast Asia

The meeting of the zonal representatives of CBF-SEA took place in Bali, Indonesia, July 3-6, 2018. Participants included Fr. Johannes Subagyo, SDB, the zonal representative for Indonesia and Malaysia, Fr. Joseph Mary Tran, SDB, the zonal representative for Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar, Fr. Arlo Yap, SVD, the zonal representative for the Philippines, along with Dr. Natividad Pagadut, the sub-regional coordinator. Sr. Marianne Gorit, OSB, recording secretary of last year’s meeting in Nha Trang, Vietnam, joined the group and was eventually chosen to be the secretary of the sub-region and to assume responsibility for the website of the CBF-SEA sub-region.

Fr. Jan Stefanów, SVD, CBF general secretary, reported on developments within the Federation. He presented the new membership/fees system and the CBF Action Plan for 2019-2021 that had been agreed upon in Nemi, Rome in 2016. He recommended the creation of a CBF-SEA Blogwith a responsible full time CBF-SEA contact person and offered suggestions for projects in the subregion, including the setting up of a Dei Verbum Course(cf. Nemi) in Southeast Asia, the holding of the 2021 CBF Plenary Assembly in the sub-region, celebration of the 50thanniversary of the founding of the CBF and the 1600thanniversary of the birth of St. Jerome, the organization of theLectioYouth.Netprogram in SEA as well as the development of a Master of Arts degree in Biblical Pastoral Ministry, a training program for Catholic translators of the Bible and an on-going course for Bible animators.

Discussions in the team yielded the following courses of action for SEA sub-region:

dissemination of information on the CBF in areas and among bishops where the CBF is little known,
recruitment of new members to the CBF,
sharing of Bible apostolate activities and programs through the CBF website,
maintenance of the SEA website by a full time administrator for regular communication and updates among members of the sub-region,
planning of activities to celebrate the 50thyear of CBF and the 1600thyear of St. Jerome on local levels and on the sub-regional level,
development of a school of Catholic translators of the Bible, and activities in favor of Biblical Publications in Catholic institutions,
coordination with the SVD School of Theology in Tagaytay to discuss possibilities of offering an MA degree in Biblical Pastoral Ministry in their school,
offering of formation courses for Bible animators,
organization of a Bible Congress in June of 2019 (Tagaytay, Philippines) to echo the April 2019 Bible Congress in Rome,
introduction of the Lectio Youth.net in SEA,with the assistance of local Bible scholars to do the reflection part for the local Church,
sharing of materials and human resources for the formation of Bible Apostolate animators,
dissemination of the above mentioned plans of action on the zonal levels (a meeting for CBF members in the Philippines by Fr. Arlo Yap, SVD, a written communication for the north zone by Fr. Joseph Mary Tran, SDB, and a face to face communication for the south zone by Fr. Johannes Subagyo, SDB).

A reminder on the annual dues will be sent to all CBF members and an update on this meeting will be sent to the bishop consultors, Most Rev. Francis Xavier Vira Arpondra, D.D. and Most Rev. Pablo Virgilio David, D.D.

The next CBF-SEA meeting will be on June 16, 2019 at the SVD House, Tagaytay, Philippines.