Posted on Friday, 11 December 2015
The
“Seed” of the Eastern Orthodoxy in Southern Philippines
By Apolinario Villalobos
The “seed” of the Eastern Orthodoxy in
southern Philippines is planted in South Cotabato, particularly, Surallah. The
Roman Catholic faith went through the same difficult process when the firs
chapels were built in Cotabato by the Oblates of Mary Immaculates (OMI), in the
midst of Muslims and migrants from Visayas and Luzon in the early 50’s. While
the Oblates came in hordes, the effort on the part of the Orthodoxy was done
single-handedly by Fr. Joseph Borreros that began in 2009.
His base, Theotokos Orthodox Mission Center
is appropriately located in the midst of initial missions such as: St. Isidore
of Chios Orthodox Community in San Guillermo, Hagonoy in Bansalan, Davao del
Sur; the Holy Resurrection Orthodox Community in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato; and
Apostles St. Andrews and James Orthodox Community in Kisulan, Kiblawan in
Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat. He literally started from scratch, relying only
donations that most of the time are not received on time as needed. To remedy
the situation, he went back into teaching, as he had several years of
experience in such field. The last time we had an exchange of messages, he confided
that for two months now (December), no donation has been received.
The Orthodox Church at Bansalan, Davao del
Sur
The photo above shows the residence of Fr.
Joseph, and which also serves as the base of the Theotokos Mission Center in
Surallah, South Cotabato.
Unmindful of the surmounting financial
difficulties, Fr. Joseph continues to work hard for his flock. He has no wish
for impressive structures to accommodate the influx of the faithful during services.
All he wants is for his strength to be sustained for the glory of God.
Fr. Joseph Borreros welcome donations that
could be sent to:
Theotokos Orthodox Mission Center
120 Dagohoy St., Zone 5
Surallah, South Cotabato
Email: theotokos_mission@yahoo.com
Cellphone: 09165433001
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