St. Hannibal Empowerment Centre: March 2015

St. Hannibal Empowerment Centre

St. Hannibal Empowerment Center (SHEC) is a religious organization of the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus. It is a community of Spirit-led persons which aims to follow Jesus Christ in his union with his Father and in his proclamation of the kingdom of God. It is an inserted community among the squatters. The goal of SHEC is to empower the poor people of Metro Manila, Philippines, through housing, livelihood, education, health, waste management, youth and values formation.

About Me

Name: Saint Hannibal Empowerment Centre

Location: Pasay City, Metro Manila

Mission: Its mission is to empower the poorest of the poor and catalyze an integral Christian transformation of urban poor communities in collaboration with the local Church by a holistic process that addresses concerns on housing, livelihood, education, health, environment and sanitation, justice and peace, youth formation and values formation. The goals of SHEC consist of assisting in alleviating poverty among urban poor communities in Pasay and other cities in Metro Manila; and building the foundation of community transformation through intensive values formation. Its objectives are, specifically, to facilitate the organization and formation of people’s organization that are self-sufficient and empowered, facilitate the values and spiritual formation and capability building of urban poor leaders, to assist the urban poor / informal settlers of Pasay and other cities in Metro Manila in realizing their dreams of achieving security of tenure through in-city relocation, to facilitate the implementation of economic programs and basic social services in urban poor communities, and to facilitate access to formal education in favor of the poor and deserving students.

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

NOVEMBER 2014 HIGHLIGHTS

Rogate: Living the Compassion of Christ, the King! November is the month where the liturgical year ends with the feast of Christ the King. The Kingship of Jesus is not about the display of power and majesty, but about compassion to the least (see Mt. 25: 31-46). St. Hannibal’s spirituality, now known as the Rogate, has always been attuned to said Kingship, which is why in this month of Christ, the King, SHEC continues to animate the Church by vigorously serving and empowering the poor.

Weekly Health Seminar. Jesus was a prophet-healer. Health, in other words, was one of his important mission activities. Accordingly, SHEC promotes health in its communities. One of its health projects is the weekly health seminar conducted at the St. Hannbal Training Center, Pasay City. Last November 5, 2014, the participants, Tess Espino, Nelia Cayas, Rose Bahia and seven leaders continued to enhance their knowledge in health care.

Happy 4th Anniversary, Phase 17! Fr. Orville Cajigal and 28 leaders and members of Phase 17 gathered for a celebration at the St. Hannibal Training Center last November 9, 2014 to thank the Lord for blessings, especially the gift of four years of being a healthy community. They also took the occasion to strengthen their bond. On the same day, the weekly Formation Session on Mathematics was conducted for leaders and members of the RYSMC. The program is meant to augment and improve the participants’ knowledge and skills in solving basic mathematical problems.

Welcome, JJ Carroll Institute! November 10 was a very opportune day because representatives of the John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues visited Phase 2. They came to know more about the life of SHaCC. Noemi Henon facilitated said visit. The visitors were delighted to see the dynamic growth of the Kingdom of God in communities like Phase 2.

Happy Priestly Anniversary, Father Arlene! In a church atmosphere where the faithful are so excited in the visit of Pope Francis who is well known to be a great lover of the poor, and who witnesses to a life of authentic simplicity and poverty, it is very significant to celebrate a priesthood which has been essentially inspired and formed by the flesh-and-blood realities of urban poverty. Such indeed is the priesthood of Fr. Arlene Gumangan, RCJ who celebrated his sacerdotal anniversary at the Baseco Evacuation Center, Manila last November 21, 2014.

Phase 4 Building Design Presented. Shelter is one of major needs for a decent, humane living, and SHEC continues to promote the sheltering of the urban poor as shown in the presentation of the building design of Phase 4 last November 8 and 29, 2014. Also, on the 29th, certain families were blessed with the Release of Pedicab Units which forms part of the livelihood program of SHEC. Both activities were done at the St. Hannibal Training Center, Pasay City. More Pictures