The MJ's Ministry to the Tagakaulo

​The first Catholic missionaries who had worked among the Tagakolu in the late 1970s were the PMÉ (Société des Missions-Etrangères du Quebec) from Canada. They would trek for hours to the mountains from the town of Malita to visit the Tagakolu communities. They would later organize basic Christian communities as well as literacy schools. They established the Malita Tagakaulo Mission (MATAMIS) on 10 October 1988 in the mountains among the Tagakolu. The Yarumal missionaries of Colombia came to the aid of the PMÉ from 2000 to 2005. Upon the invitation of the Bishop of Digos, Most Reverend Guillermo D. Afable, DD, the Missionaries of Jesus (MJ) came to the Malita Tagakaulo Mission to help in the ministry among the Tagakolu; they arrived on 15 June 2006. The PMÉ eventually left the mission in June 2011.

MJ's work of evangelization among the Tagakolu springs from and is inspired by the Incarnation of Jesus Christ (Jn 1:1,14), the Word becoming human like us; his kenosis (Ph 2:6-8), his emptying of self and accepting even death on the cross; and by God's call to Moses on Horeb to show respect for the land on which he was treading (Ex 3:5). We make every effort to learn the Tagakolu language. It is also of prime importance that we learn and appreciate their customs and traditions. We do this not to acquire tools for evangelization but out of respect and reverence for the Tagakolu people and their culture in the spirit of Christ's Incarnation and kenosis. Like the many peoples and cultures of the global community, we see the Tagakolu and their culture as a gift from God, the God of Jesus. Thus, the very act of learning and appreciating their culture is in itself a sacred act that should not be taken lightly. It is with this awareness that we visit Christian communities to live with them and celebrate God's Word and the Sacraments together with them.

It is not always easy to reach many of these communities in this mountainous region due to poor infrastructure or the absence thereof. Our regular formation programs for our lay leaders, youth, and catechists are infused with this awareness as well. In this way, Jesus’ message of the kingdom of God becomes especially meaningful for it is shared with them from a context and reality they know. In our own simple way, we continuously strive to minister to and with them in a manner that is respectful and appreciative of who they are.

Flowing from the same faith and inspiration, we help Tagakolu communities establish their own schools that are genuinely respectful of their culture. We continue to support two communities with their elementary schools that use Tagakolu as the medium of instruction and use a curriculum that not only teaches what is required by the state but also helps the children learn about and to appreciate their Tagakolu culture. The Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples (ECIP) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines regularly assists us in the training of the teachers. Donations provide for the salaries of the Tagakolu teachers, while the community provides for their sustenance. The classrooms are built and maintained by the community using indigenous materials.

Our youth formation is designed to be sensitive to and appreciative of Tagakolu culture. With the help of iEmergence, a nongovernmental organization that helps indigenous peoples, we had conducted consultations with Tagakolu youth and elders of our many Christian communities. Based on these consultations, we were able to create a program that could provide a venue for the elders of communities to share their indigenous knowledge, skills, practices, and spirituality with the youth, and for the latter to share their reflections on the intergenerational sharing of knowledge with their elders and the community. We had started this program in two communities, and it has borne wonderful results! The same program is now being implemented in two more communities. It is hoped that new leaders will come from these communities in the future who could help organize the program in other communities.

The MJ team has also established a network with a number of universities in the city of Davao and NGOs to help us raise awareness of the Tagakolu vis-à-vis their ancestral domain. We believe that the land of the Tagakolu is sacred and entrusted by God to them to be cared for in order that the current and future generations of Tagakolu be able to enjoy and appreciate God's gift of life. The current reality of land grabbing of Tagakolu land and the abuse of their rights by politicians runs counter to Jesus’ preaching on the kingdom of God. Through this network, MJ hopes that abuses against the Tagakolu will slowly come to an end by helping them find their voice to speak out and eventually be listened to.

After many years of ministry among the Tagakolu, the Missionaries of Jesus remain committed to this work to which the God of Jesus Christ has called us. Like the Tagakolu, we have learned to live in the now, firm in the belief that God would always be with us as long as our intentions and actions are for the good of the community. In this way, we hope to be able to share Jesus Christ who had come that we may all have life and have it to the full (Jn 10:10).