With the continuing effort to work on the Outreach Apostolate, as part of the Mater Dei Marriage Encounter Community Program, Class 242  fulfilled its mission and visited the Galilee Home (GH) in Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan last Sunday, October 21, 2007. 

The project was  coordinated by Class 242 Shepherd Leo Meddy Bugarin together with Joal Santos, a member of  Class 242 and former Galilean. During the survey and ocular inspection staged last October 7, 2007, the class, comprising of couples from the ME Community was able to discuss with the GH administration, its objective and expectations for the outreach visit.  The Galilee Home Management in return gave a briefing on the organizational set up, mission, vision and funding sources.  Both parties then agreed for a purposeful return visit. 
           
The members of Class 242 who joined the activity were Buboy Eva Damian, Manuel Diego, Vicky Elago, Bats Susan Embate, Pedring Loreth Evangelio, Myr Gallego, Joer Benny Guadalupe, Lucy Landicho, Noni Baby Pascual, Alex Elvie Sagum, Joal Melody Santos and Shepherds Leo Meddy Bugarin.
 
Thence, on October 21, 2007, some members of the class helped in the kitchen for the preparation and cooking of lunch.  Then, the class went to a nearby Parish Church to attend the 10 am Sunday Mass. By 12 noon, the resounding bell was rang to signal lunch hour. As the homemates passed by our pavilion to proceed to the mess hall, we noticed a very  heterogenous age group which ranges from 12 to 57.  According to the Rene De la Paz, Formator in Galilee, there are 50 homemates presently housed in Galilee Home.  Six of the elderly (ages 65 to 87) can not walk to the mess hall anymore so their foods are served in their quarter and are fed ahead of the rest. 

At the mess hall Class 242 also spread out their seating plan for lunch and to engage in casual dialogues with the homemates. A rather long but penetrating prayer before meal was led by Tatay Manolo, a 42 year old drug  dependent professional who opted to stay and just offered to “serve” as over-all coordinator inside the house.

After lunch, 3 homemates shared their life stories and their current state of reformation within the mission house.  

Joshua Co, age 14 from Angat.  He has not known his father but his mother works in Manila and is the one who supports his education and daily subsistence.  He studies in good reputable private school yet despite his financially comfortable standing, he stowed away from the “care” or lack of it, from his mother, roamed around and finally landed in the mission house. 

Francis Cui, age 24 from Cagayan de Oro, also had the privilege to study in good private schools but was hooked on drugs; 

Michael Diaz, 27, a BS Math graduate and was already practicing his profession when his career broke down due to lascivious behavior as homosexual. 

It may be the first time for most members of Class 242 to participate in an Outreach Activity such as this.  The agenda to mingle, feel at ease  and listen to the stories of the homemates was implemented.  This coordinated effort made us realize that an Outreach Program does not always mean doling out material things.  Outreach Program is spending time to see, feel and understand the plight of others.  In this particular activity, it is knowing the problems the homemates experienced and suffered from a deficient family support system, disunity in the home, the emptiness of love and understanding from the members of the family and the consequence of not having or losing a family.    

Many of us were touched by the life stories and we saw a parallelism in our  situations.  They entered the mission house wounded by a shattered family.  As couples, we entered the ME Program wounded by the drift in marital expectations.  While the homemates longed for a family, some of us are still hurting and torn to keeping the family.  The Outreach Program provided a reciprocal advantage.  The Galilee Home through their life stories sent a message to couples to preserve the marital relationship, to understand and value the significance of keeping a FAMILY.  Because in Galilee Home, they echoed the ill-effects… the consequences, if couples let go.  They showed how the human soul gets devastated without a strong family foundation.

The long trip to Galilee Home was a mutually worthwhile outreach endeavor.  It led us, ME Couples to find the avenues to reconstruct a tarnished relationship and to solidify the intention to cling to the marital covenant and to work together in keeping SPIRITUALITY as a family fortress.