Diocese of Kabankalan on Year of the Poor (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Diocese-of-Kabankalan)
KABANKALAN City, Negros, Feb. 27, 2015–In keeping with the spirit of the Year of the Poor and its commitment to making a Church of the Poor, the Diocese of Kabankalan, led by Bishop Patricio A. Buzon has come out with the “Paglaum para sa Pigado Stewardship Program,” a holistic education program for underprivileged but deserving youth of the episcopal see.
Through its program, the Kabankalan diocese strives to give young people the opportunity to imbibe the “Spirituality of Stewardship—of “knowing, loving, and serving God”—to create a culture of sharing among community stakeholders and to grant college scholarships to poor but deserving beneficiaries.
In a press release, the diocese explains its Paglaum para sa Pigado Stewardship Program makes it possible for the youth of Kabankalan to achieve their full potential, for their families, as well as to be a testament to what the Church refers to as “preferential option for the poor.”
While 85 percent of the people of the Kabankalan diocese is Catholic, it laments that at least 80 percent of whom consider themselves poor.
The statement notes most young people do not get past secondary level, with only one of five siblings able to acquire a high school diploma, and the very few who do graduate high school rarely progress to college.
The trend nationwide is as follows: out of every 100 Filipino school children enrolled each year, only 66 will complete elementary education, 42 will finish high school, but only 14 will earn a college degree.
“Paglaum para sa Pigado” roughly translates to “hope for the poor.”
Prospective donors may coordinate with Fr. Jude Mirasol Garceniego through 0949-9366-432/0917-4671-000 or paglaumparasapigado@yahoo.com.ph and hopeforthepoor29@gmail.com. (Raymond A. Sebastián/CBCP News)
