National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Shrine of Devotion, Shrine of Mission
Redemptorist
Baclaran, Philippines
St. Joh Neumann Migrants' Center | Social Mission | Mission
St. John Neumann Migrants' Center
The St. John Neumann Migrants Center serves as venue to gather, welcome and serve Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families. The center addresses the immediate needs and concerns of migrants who are most vulnerable to abuse and exploitation like OFWs in distress, victims of illegal recruitment and human trafficking.
In 2010, a group composed of professed Redemptorists, staff and volunteers of St. Gerard Family Life Center discerned and conceptualized an initial program that resulted in the institutionalization of the Mass for Migrants and OFWs every last Friday of the month. The mass was usually attended by OFWs and their families who gather in fellowship and awareness building activities. In the following months, not only the attendance during the various activities grew but also the number of volunteers who would serve the migrants. An MPS Sister was recruited to train volunteers and coordinate the activities.
To develop the staff and volunteers, they began attending seminars and forums on migration and development, and building networks with Church and government agencies. This paved the way for the formation of a Core Group that planned and implemented the initial programs and services.
In November 2011, the St. John Neumann Migrants Center was formally opened. As a Center of refuge for migrants, it seeks to build a culture of hospitality and volunteerism that will lead to solidarity and community building across borders.
The following are the regular beneficiaries of the program:
The growing number of petitions and thanksgiving letters received from migrants, OFWs and their families throughout the years, and the pastoral concerns brought about by the social costs of overseas work to family life became the strong impetus for establishing a center in the shrine that will cater to migrants and their families. This center will address not only the spiritual but also the various needs of the migrant families.
In 2010, a group composed of professed Redemptorists, staff and volunteers of St. Gerard Family Life Center discerned and conceptualized an initial program that resulted in the institutionalization of the Mass for Migrants and OFWs every last Friday of the month. The mass was usually attended by OFWs and their families who gather in fellowship and awareness building activities. In the following months, not only the attendance during the various activities grew but also the number of volunteers who would serve the migrants. An MPS Sister was recruited to train volunteers and coordinate the activities.
To develop the staff and volunteers, they began attending seminars and forums on migration and development, and building networks with Church and government agencies. This paved the way for the formation of a Core Group that planned and implemented the initial programs and services.
In November 2011, the St. John Neumann Migrants Center was formally opened. As a Center of refuge for migrants, it seeks to build a culture of hospitality and volunteerism that will lead to solidarity and community building across borders.
The following are the regular beneficiaries of the program:
National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Redemptorist
Baclaran, Philippines
C
National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Redemptorist Road,
Baclaran, ParaƱaque City 1700
Tel: +63 2 8321150
Fax: +63 2 551175
Email: baclaranrector@yahoo.com