PAGE 1

O nce again Almighty God has blessed our Archdiocese of Agana

by giving us a another priest! On Saturday, November 7 deacon Pedro Luis Durango Agudelo was ordained a presbyter by the Most Rev. Anthony Sablan Apuron, OFM Cap., D.D., Archbishop of Agana at the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Agana, Guam. The Cathedral was filled to capacity; everyone praised God for the gift of vocations to the priesthood.

The newly ordained Fr. Pedro was born on August 23, 1985 in Medellin, Colombia. He is the only child of Luis Alfonso Durango† and Maria Doris Agudelo. He attended his elementary and high school in his hometown. He lost his father very early in life. Although his family was Catholic he did not grow close to the church. It was only when he was 14 years old that he came back to the Church through the experience of the Neocatechumenal Way in his home parish. A priestly vocation however never crossed his mind; he was actually focusing on his high school graduation and the possibility of studying graphic

design. Nevertheless, he always felt a deep gratitude for the love of God within the Church and in his late teens he answered to the call to the priesthood. After two years of discernment in a vocational group in Colombia, he joined the Redemptoris Mater Seminary of Medellin. Having finished his philosophical studies he was sent to Guam where he arrived on January 22, 2005. As part of his formation he spent one year in the Holy Land, and then three and half years as an itinerant catechist evangelizing in the island of Saipan and in the Northwest of the United States (Oregon, Washington and Montana). He returned to Guam to finish his studies where he received a Bachelor's degree in Sacred Theology from the Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores Catholic Theological Institute for Oceania - an affiliated institute of the Pontifical Lateran University of Rome. On February 14, 2015, he was ordained a deacon and was assigned first to the Parish of Nino Perdido, Asan, and then to the Parish of San Dimas, Malesso.

New priest for

Guam!

130 Chalan Seminariu, Yona, Guam 96915-4815, USA Tel: 1 (671)789-2400 • Fax: (671)789-2800 • E-mail: srmguam@gmail.com

Archbishop Anthony imposes his hands on newly ordained Fr. Pedro

Some of Fr. Pedro’s family members came to Guam from Colombia to witness this momentous celebration of his ordination to the priesthood

Archbishop Anthony, formators of the seminary, and seminarians pose with newly ordained Fr. Pedro right after the Ordination mass

PAGE 2

In the process of their seminary formation, seminarians are instituted, in due time, to the ministries of lector and acolyte. These ministries –known previously as “minor orders”– precede the call to Holy Orders.

Lectors are instituted to proclaim God’s word, -except the Gospel- in the liturgies; they also recite the psalms and lead the universal prayer in the absence of a psalmist and deacon respectively. Lectors also lead the congregation in the liturgies including singing and in catechizing the faithful. Acolytes are mandated to assist priests and deacons at the altar, and serve as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion both at Holy Mass and as they visit the sick. After being instituted as lectors and then acolytes, seminarians find themselves just few steps away from being admitted to Holy Orders.

May 7, 2015: 5 new acolytes: Frenel Phanord (Haiti/ Archdiocese of Agana), Tavete Maugaotega (American Samoa), Andy Wilson (American Samoa), Keone Hurdle (Hawaii/Archdiocese of Agana), Leaega Faletolu (Samoa-Apia)

Oct. 1, 2015: 4 new lectors: Tawaia Natibu (Kiribati), Jose Angel Salinas Garcia (Mexico/ Archdiocese of Agana), Karoro Temate (Kiribati), Eduardo Andres Guerrero Torres (Chile/ Archdiocese of Agana)

NEW SEMINARIANSSince its establishment, 16 years ago, our Seminary has been preparing men to become missionary priests for the New Evangelization. Almighty God continues to guide and bless our mission. Seventeen seminarians formed in our seminary have already been ordained presbyters for the Archdiocese of Agana. Also the number of seminarians continues to grow. Currently we have 39 seminarians. This year the Lord has sent us four new seminarians: three from Kiribati and one from New Mexico. Five more will be arriving soon in our island.

Name: Ianana TaranteueaFrom: KiribatiArrived on: August 29, 2015

Name: Teekeke AntereaFrom: KiribatiArrived on: August 29, 2015

Name: Tenanai TebaotiFrom: KiribatiArrived on: August 29, 2015

Name: Jose Miguel Serafini CareagaFrom: ParaguaySoon to arrive

Name: Severiano Andres Calderon Avila From: Peru Soon to arrive

Name: Clayton Daniel Milla ArbuluFrom: Albuquerque, New MexicoArrived on: November 5, 2015

Name: Kirisimasi Iosefa AlafaapaeFrom: Samoa-ApiaSoon to arrive

Name: Paulo Tuli AfamasagaFrom: Samoa-ApiaSoon to arrive

Name: Justin PauloFrom: Samoa-ApiaSoon to arrive

Seminarians move forward!

PAGE 3

So much joy, laughter and excitement filled the evening as our shepherd, Most Rev. Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron, OFM, Cap., D.D. celebrated his 70th

birthday at the Gala Dinner 2015 held on Sunday, November 1, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Guam in Tumon.

Archbishop Anthony was honored for his tireless dedication to our people, his constant sacrificial service to the Church, and his Christ-like zeal for evangelization. All proceeds of the Gala Dinner 2015 went towards the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Yoña, St. John Paul the Great Archdiocesan Seminary of Guam in Malojloj and our mother church, the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Hagåtña.

The Gala Dinner was indeed a display of beauty and joy from the people present, including the Archbishop’s family, friends and benefactors. The Gala event started off with a social hour during which the guests were able to mingle and enjoyed a nice cocktail and delicious canapés in an atmosphere of friendship and fraternity. A silent auction also took place in conjunction to the Gala throughout the night.

The entertainment during the night was remarkable. Archbishop Anthony surprised the crowd many times singing his favorite songs with accompaniment from Mrs. Melannie San Agustin and actually walking around the whole ballroom and foyer, as he serenaded with the crowd. Local musician Mrs. Bernadette Camacho shared her melodies at the piano. Young and remarkable musician Mr. Michael Min, who has performed many times in the previous Gala Dinners, sang and played the cello to everyone’s delight. Together, seminarians from the Redemptoris Mater and St. John Paul the Great wowed the guests with their harmonious and uplifting musical pieces in various languages from all over the world. A special number was done by the “Singing Priests” of our Archdiocese.

The highlight of the evening was when Archbishop Anthony received the “Maria Porta Cæli” (Mary Gate of Heaven) award in appreciation for all his extensive and selfless contribution to our Church and society. Archbishop Anthony humbly accepted the honor and everyone present continuously applauded nonstop for a long time with admiration.

Both seminaries and the Cathedral community thank all the numerous sponsors, collaborators, benefactors and friends, who participated in one way or another to make the Gala Dinner 2015 an incredible success. May our Almighty Father reward you a hundredfold!

Gala Dinner 2015:Celebrating Archbishop Anthony’s 70th Birthday!

Archbishop Anthony receives the “Maria Porta Cæli” (Mary Gate of Heaven) award and certificate from Mr. Peter ‘Sonny’ Ada (Chairman, Gala Dinner 2015), Fr. Pius Sammut (Rector, Redemptoris Mater Seminary), Msgr. David C. Quitugua (Rector, Agana Cathedral-Basilica), and Fr. Romeo Convocar (Rector, John Paul the Great Seminary)

Having reached the milestone of his 70th birthday, Archbishop Anthony joyfully cuts his birthday cake

Archbishop Anthony delights everyone present at the Gala Dinner 2015 with his melodious voice.

Archbishop, priests, and seminarians close the evening by singing ‘Pues adios esta ki’ a Chamorro traditional song wishing and encouraging everyone to ‘love one another until we meet again’!

PAGE 4

September 2015: After eight years as our rector, Fr. Pablo Ponce Rodriguez, from the Diocese of Rome, returned to his diocese to continue his mission in the Eternal City. We are most grateful to God for Fr. Pablo’s zeal in leading our seminary. To take his place in guiding our seminary formation God has given us a new rector, Fr. Pius Sammut, a Discalced Carmelite priest from Malta and the responsible for the Neocatechumenal Way in the Pacific.

FAREWELL TO FR. PABLO

AND WELCOME TO FR. PIUS

The Seminary opens its doors periodically for everyone to come and celebrate moments of importance in its life and the life of the Church through which the seminary expresses also its gratitude to everyone for assisting in the mission to the seminary. The Blessed Diego Luis the San Vitores Catholic Theological Institute for Oceania, in conjunction with our Seminary, holds regularly events of philosophical-theological nature and general Church topics of interest open to the public during the year.

EVENTS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

December 19, 2014: Christmas Concert.

March 17, 2015: St. Patrick’s Day – Patron Saint of the Seminary

May 26, 2015: Public Seminar on the Decree Ad Gentes of the Second Vatican Council on the Mission Activity of the Church

January 4 and January 6, 2015: Archbishop Savio HON Tai-Fai, SDB, Secretary of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, together with Rev. Fr. Tadeusz Nowak, OMI and Archbishop Martin Krebs, Apostolic Delegate to Pacific Islands, in the context of a visit to the Archdiocese of Agana, came to visit our Seminary and the Blessed Diego Institute accompanied by Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron, OFM Cap. They prayed and shared meals with us, and conveyed to us a special greeting from Pope Francis. They also encouraged us in our mission.

VISIT OF BISHOP HON