Participants to the “OLA (Our Lady of Assumption Parish) Family Reunification Retreat” held at Regina Mundi Renewal and Retreat Centre in Queensville, Ontario on May 25 and 26, 2019 said that the two-day live-in activity afforded them to open communication within the family on issues affecting them.
During an interview, Cita Bautista told Front Page Philippines TV Host Gie Alvarez that the two-day retreat gave her precious moments with her son, RJ, and paved the way for an open communication with him. The older Bautista said communication between her and her son has been absent for a number of years after she migrated to Canada to work as a caregiver, leaving her family behind in the Philippines.
RJ, on the other hand, told Front Page Philippines that the time with his mom gave them the chance to address issues of indifference on his mom and established anew a restarting point for a harmonious relationship with God. Both mom and son said the retreat has strengthened their faith in God.
The retreat was a an event for live-in caregivers who were recently reunited in Toronto with members of their families from the Philippines. The event was aimed at opening communication among members of participating families beset by issues resulting from long years of separation between a parent and his, or her, spouse and/or children.
The first of its kind among Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Toronto predominantly attended by Filipinos, the project was conceived and given realization by Fr. Ben Ebcas — Pastor of the OLA Parish and the Director of the Archdiocesan Filipino Catholic Mission in Toronto (AFCM). Tasked into bringing the project to fruition was the AFCM Social and Family Apostolate Ministry, led by Jeanette Rosales.
Facilitators at the OLA Family Reunification Retreat were Settlement Workers Rommel Asuncion, Ariel Lopez and Liezel Chavez. Asuncion and Lopez are both with the North York Community House in Toronto. Chavez comes from the Catholic Social Services-York Region.
This story will be featured in a future episode of Front Page Philippines.
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