GAD FPS - DepEd Cotabato Division

Happy Women's Month to All!

GAD ADVOCATES PRAYER

Lord, as GAD advocates,
Please make us effective
Channels for transformation

Where there is discrimination
Let us all assert for equity;

Where there is subordination,
Let us all appeal for equality;

Where there is marginalization,
Let us all move for empowerment;

Where there is violence,
Let us all work for peace;

O Lord, grant us that we may never fail
To practice gender fairness in our homes,

In the workplace and in the community.
Let respect, participation, recognition and appreciation
be dominant values of all men and women.

Through your guidance Lord,
Equality and empowerment of
Both men and women will not be far behind.

Amen.

CTTO: www.pcw.pgv.ph
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1n_whUJlDWNVpe9l9eG3FotOn7OvqUsba

Statement of Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David posted on Facebook Friday night (April 25, 2025), reminding Catholics that the process of choosing Pope Francis’ successor “is guided not by popularity or strategy, but by prayer, humility, and the collective listening of the Church’s shepherds to God’s will.”

His full post:

DEAR FELLOW CATHOLICS,

Let us remember that the election of a pope is not a political contest but a spiritual discernment. While it is natural to have hopes or preferences for certain personalities, we are ultimately invited to trust in the work of the Holy Spirit and the solemn responsibility entrusted to the College of Cardinals. The conclave is a sacred moment, guided not by popularity or strategy, but by prayer, humility, and the collective listening of the Church’s shepherds to God’s will.

Creating or sharing campaign videos, even with good intentions, risks turning a sacred discernment into a worldly spectacle. It may inadvertently pressure or politicize the conscience of the electors, and distract from the silence and prayer needed to truly hear the voice of the Spirit. Films and series about the conclave may be interesting, but let us not forget: they are fictional, deliberately sensationalized to be dramatic, entertaining, and profitable. They are far removed from the reverent and prayerful reality of the actual event.

Instead, let us accompany the electors with our prayers, not our preferences. Let us fast from speculation and feast on hope. Let us encourage one another to deepen our faith, trusting that the Lord—who has not abandoned His Church—will once again raise up a shepherd after His own heart.

Like Christ who is fully divine and fully human, so too is his Body, the Church. We must constantly ensure that its divinity is never eclipsed by the crassness of human powerplay, or obscured by traditional pomp and regalia that, though part of our history, are not always aligned with the essence and mission of the Church. These, too, require ongoing grounding and renewal, in response to the new pastoral challenges and emerging “signs of the times.”

If we must speak, let us strive to speak words of encouragement, not endorsement. If we must share something online, let it be Scripture, reflections that edify, prayers that nurture faith, strengthen hope, and foster love—love that alone can bring about justice and peace, mercy and compassion, healing and reconciliation in our wounded world.

We found a role model for this in Pope Francis himself. To walk in his memory is to keep alive his spirit.

Above all, let us keep our gaze on Christ, the true Head of the Church, who alone can give us the Pope we need—not the one we think we want.

(PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)