Foster Family for students, interns and staff of IFFAsia

INSTITUTE OF FORMATION, FONDACIO ASIA

IFFAsia Mission Project, 2011
- Keningau and Sandakan Diocese

IFFAsia based in Quezon City, Philippines offers a ten-month intensive formation for young adults from Asian countries with its purpose to form young leaders for a renewed Asian Church and Society. The first semester focuses on the human and spiritual development while the second semester builds on this and develops social pastoral knowledge and skills. The month long exposure in Sabah is part of the social pastoral studies.

25 participants - 13 students, 4 interns and 8 staff and volunteers of IFFAsia will be involved in the mission project. The participants are from the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Japan, China, Loas and Zambia. The students’ age varies from 22 to 29 years. Most of them are young profession graduates while others have had working experience and some involvement in church groups.

The general objectives of this program are to: -

·         Introduce the students and staff to the wider context and understanding of mission in Asia, within the socio-economic-political and multi-cultural-religious dimension.

·         Through the various encounters and dialogue to reflect on their faith and how they wish to live as disciples and agents of change in church and civil society.

·         Help them widen their perspectives and develop skills to respond appropriately to the signs of the time and context of their communities.

St Mary’s Cathedral Parish, as co-partner of the IFFAsia will host the participants and to assist in facilitating the program from 1^st-12^th February 2011.

A few foster families have already been identified for the students due to the generosity of many of our parishioners. The organizers are seeking more foster families to split up the fostering period to 6 days instead of the 12 days to allow as many people as possible to gain an experience in this program.

Most of the activities will be at the Diocesan Conference Room and for that the organizer will take care of morning and afternoon tea and lunch as well. Basically the foster families are responsible for the breakfast and dinner and depending on circumstances, to send and pick them up from the venues of activities. Most important of all, we provide the venue and opportunity for both parties to experience the journeying process as Christ’s faithful. The participants are expected to be quite independent and quite capable of sampling the local way of life.

We earnestly appeal to kind parishioners to generously respond to the call to act as foster family in welcoming the young people from across Asia. May these young people from Asia experience the love of Christ through our Christian hospitality and may their stay in Sandakan be a memorable one.

If you have that inner urge to respond, please contact the Diocese Office attn: Shirley Joseph Tel : 217071 / 224623 for any inquiries or details of the program.

Soccom Diocese of Sandakan.