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Couples
for Christ
Canada
had its beginnings in 1993 when three CFC couples from
Manila
met (under circumstances only God could have arranged for them), in
the city of
Richmond
,
British Columbia
where they and their families had settled as immigrants, and came
together to pray, share and fellowship in weekly household meetings.
The three pairs were Jojie and Marilen Catibog, Tito and Raffy
Macapinlac, and Louie and Angie Untalan.
Within
a short span of time, a series of efforts ensued in order to secure
official blessing and permission from the Archbishop, Most Rev. Adam
Exner, for Couples for Christ to be established in the
Vancouver
archdiocese.
Andy
Lising served as first Country Coordinator for
Canada
. Ricky Cuenca would take over this responsibility in 1996.
International Missions Director Frank Padilla, who visited
Vancouver
regularly during the community’s early years, set pastoral and
leadership directions for the community and encouraged everyone to
persevere in prayers and good deeds in anticipation of the eventual
granting of the official recognition from the archdiocese. At this
time, federal incorporation papers were filed with the Ministry of
Industry,
Canada
and CFC was duly incorporated as a non-profit Canadian corporation on
March 31, 1994
.
The
Vancouver Archbishop finally gave the archdiocese’s official
recognition and permission for CFC to conduct its activities,
particularly its CLPs and youth camps, on February 14, 1995 –
through an official letter in which he also named the community’s
Spiritual Director, Fr. Peter Chiang, now pastor of
St. Paul
’s parish in
Richmond
. The community erupted in jubilation.
The
work proceeded at a rapid pace from then on. Over the years, mission
teams were sent out to many Canadian cities. At present, CFC is in
eight of the 10 Canadian provinces: Alberta, British Columbia,
Manitoba, Newfoundland (currently inactive), Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan,
and is poised to open new areas in the 3 Canadian territories –
Northwest Territories, The Yukon, and Nunavut.
CFC
Canada has been indefatigable in its efforts to truly win the whole
country for Christ. CFC even gave real meaning to the word
“ecumenism” when it conducted the first CLP in a Church outside of
a Roman Catholic one – in a
Lutheran
Church
in
Scarborough
– with Lutherans as participants. The CLP may well go down also in
the record books of
Emmanuel
Lutheran
Church
as the first joint cooperative effort with a lay community in
Canada
.
CFC
Canada is also the mission center for several
Africa
mission areas:
Nigeria
,
Ghana
,
Togo
and
Benin
. CFC Canada is also the mission center for
Bermuda
in the
Caribbean.
The
community’s family ministries are well in place. The social
ministries are also doing well in
Canada
and already established in all the Canadian CFC areas. Our work with
the poor through Gawad Kalinga is receiving strong support from CFC
Canada.
As
of the end of 2002, CFC Canada has grown to 8,907 persons in total
membership, including 1,858 couples, 993 handmaids, 171 servants, 894
singles, 2,031 youth, and 1,102 kids.
National leadership in CFC
Canada is provided by the CFC Canada National Council, chaired by
Ricky Cuenca, with Nick Borja, Ed Hilario,
Frank
Nuguid, Jun Reyes, Lanny
Zacarias and Dante Serion
as Council members. CFC Canada
also has its National HOLD Council chaired by Norma Borja, with Irma
Cuenca, Marisa Nuguid, Malou Reyes, Chett Serion and Luce Wong as members.
The CFC-Canada National Council
The
National HOLD Council
|
Norma Borja
|
Chairman,
Vancouver
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Irma
Cuenca
|
Member,
Toronto
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Marisa Nuguid
|
Member,
Toronto
|
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Malou
Reyes
|
Member,
Toronto
|
|
Chett Serion
|
Member,
Vancouver
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Luce Wong
|
Member,
Toronto
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