By ED MACALANDAG
Couples for Christ Foundation Inc. (CFC-FI) turns 17 on August 22, 2009 with the theme: "Trust In Jesus" taken from the book of prophet Isaiah 12:2. The celebration will be held in Jagna, Bohol on Saturday. There is Anniversary Mass in the morning and various activities in the afternoon. Bros. Lachie Agana and Stephen Ramos are coming to grace the occasion.
It may be recalled that CFC-Bohol officially started on August 22, 1992 after a Christian Life Program at the St. Joseph Cathedral facilitated by CFC members from Cebu. The seminar harvested 36 couples and has grown to more than 13,000 couples in 2000 plus members from singles, youths, handmaids and servants. It went through many trials including the biggest one in 2008 when it was affected by the split in CFC Manila in 2007 with the remnants organizing CFC Foundation for Family and Life under the CFC Founder and now Servant General, Frank Padilla.
At the start of the new millennium, as CFC entered into the fullness of the gospel with its spiritual and social dimensions, the enemy shifted to higher gear in attacking the leaders. What resulted was a veering away that rapidly developed through the years.
The very wonderful work of building integrated communities among the poor became the cause of increasing tension in the hierarchy. There also developed increasing infidelity to the covenant to no longer living out a lifestyle of evangelization, to unfaithfulness to life together, to many conflicts among elders. The results were disastrous poor harvest of souls, many lying low, loss of vibrancy in community life.
And now in restoring the authentic charism of CFC and in looking for the lost sheep, CFC-FFL in Bohol has established a District in the Diocese of Tagbilaran with Bishop Leonardo Y. Medroso, D.D. as the Spiritual Director. It will soon establish a District in the Diocese of Talibon. Thank and praise God, the active members now are 2,132 as of June this year in 22 parishes in the province. As Bro. Pepe Ong advises, "let us just be faithful rather than successful".