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DWCL Marks SVD 150th Jubilee with Lenten Pilgrimage and Tree Planting in Adams, Ilocos Norte
This sacred gathering, organized by the Campus Ministry Office, united faith, ecological action, and community encounter—echoing the SVD’s legacy of mission and integral evangelization. More than a time of reflection, the day became a living testimony to DWCL’s commitment to integral evangelization—uniting care for the soul, the community, and creation.
To mark the 150th founding anniversary of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), the pilgrimage opened with a symbolic act of ecological responsibility: the planting of 150 fruit-bearing trees across different sites in the municipality. This initiative, carried out in collaboration with the local parish and the Municipal Government of Adams, highlighted the SVD’s call to care for our common home.
Each DWCL participant was grouped with a foster family from the local community—a gesture that fostered connection, dialogue, and shared purpose. It also reflected the SVD spirit of incarnational mission: being with, and walking alongside, the people.
The morning culminated in a spiritual sharing session where participants reflected on the deeper meaning of trees—as metaphors for life, growth, and vocation. Many educators spoke of how their mission mirrors the slow but steady work of planting: nurturing the seeds of knowledge, faith, and compassion in the hearts of students.
In the afternoon, participants were invited to enter more deeply into the Lenten journey through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, held at the St. Arnold Janssen Catholic Mission Church—one of the Jubilee Churches of the SVD-Philippine Northern Province.
The pilgrimage reached its spiritual summit with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, presided over by Fr. Jhun Joel L. Templa, SVD, Vice President for Administration of DWCL. He was joined by Fr. Louie Cris Gregorio, SVD, Rector of the Mission Station, and Fr. Denny Lucas, SVD, School Confessor.
In his homily, Fr. Templa offered a moving reflection on the act of planting as a symbol of the missionary vocation. “St. Arnold Janssen once planted the seed of the Divine Word,” he said. “Today, we are the fruits of that vision. As educators, we continue that sacred duty—planting seeds of faith, love, and integrity in the hearts of the young.”
The pilgrimage concluded with a communal prayer, invoking the intercession of St. Arnold Janssen, that Christ may continue to live in the hearts of all and that the mission of the Divine Word may grow ever stronger, bearing fruit that endures.
Fr. Jhun Joel L. Templa, SVD-PHN
Communication Coordinator
