In the span of only one month, the Philippines has been hit by four severe storms, including Typhoon Ketsana, which news sources report dropped the largest rainfall on record in 40 years.
CFCA staff and sponsored families in the Philippines have been affected by the flooding, causing loss of homes, possessions and lives.
CFCA loss includes the death of subproject coordinator Ronaldo “Bong” Alcordo after he contracted leptospirosis from typhoon floodwater.
Please find the following stories from the CFCA blog and Web site:
First-person accounts from CFCA staff in the Philippines
Remembering Ronaldo “Bong” Alcordo
My experience with Typhoon Ondoy
News stories
Typhoon aftermath claims life of CFCA staff member
Fourth typhoon in a month strikes Philippines
Please keep all people affected by the storms in your thoughts and prayers.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: aging, catholic, CFCA, children, christian, Concert, instruments, kulingtangan, music, philippines, rehearsal, scholar, student
The CFCA scholar students were diligent musicians, learning how to play traditional Filipino instruments, which they performed on in front of the audience of about 10,000!
Want to join the kids for a minute of one of their rehearsals? They start by counting out the beat (the main voice you hear in this clip is Xarina). Then they launch into the last segment of the piece they learned.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: aging, aid, California, catholic, CFCA, children, christian, cmc09, Convention, Hentzen. Kansas, journalism, Kansas City, magazine, Media, mission, news, nonprofit, O'Meara, philanthropy, philippines, religion, St. Anthony Messenger, Wintz, world, zamboanga
Father Jack Wintz of St. Anthony Messenger magazine received an Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Award, honorable mention, for his article “Zamboanga: Land of Hope for Christian-Muslim Dialogue.” The story appeared in the magazine’s August 2008 issue. The award was presented during the 2009 Catholic Media Convention in Anaheim, Calif.
The article competed in the category, “Catholic Magazines, For Single Article with Worldwide Missionary Theme.” The O’Meara Awards recognize excellence in world mission news coverage.
Father Jack traveled to the Philippines in January 2008 to attend the concert, document the making of our film and report on Christian-Muslim dialogue in the Philippines. His article gives a vivid look at his trip, including interviews with Fatima, a 15-year-old Muslim girl in the CFCA-Zamboanga program; Maribel, a CFCA-Zamboanga staff member; and CFCA President and Co-founder Bob Hentzen.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: aging, bbc, catholic, CFCA, children, christian, families, government, insurgent, Mindanao, one world, oneworld.net, philippines, philstar.com, prayers, technorati, terrorism, zamboanga
It’s been a disturbing and escalating news story all year – danger has flared up in Mindanao, including Zamboanga City. In the last week, there have been more reports of conflict, primarily between government forces and a regional group that often uses violence to deliver its message.
News this week includes the following stories: Philstar.com reported on a clash between insurgents and government troops. OneWorld.com wrote about “Displaced Filipinos Return Home Amid Violence.” The BBC posted a slideshow, “In Pictures: Mindanao conflict.”
Please keep the teens from the documentary, their families, Zamboanga CFCA staff and all of the citizens of Mindanao in your prayers.


