H.O.P.E: House of Prayer and Evangelization

by Clyde Ericson Nolasco, Fr. Richard Lagos

The House of Prayer and Evangelization (HOPE) is the fulfillment of the desire of His Excellency Most Rev. Roberto C. Mallari, D.D. of the Diocese of San Jose, Nueva Ecija to establish a rehabilitation program. On his Pastoral Letter on Extra-Judicial Killings dated October 4, 2016, the bishop recalled the life and works of the newly canonized saint, Mother Teresa of Calcutta – a champion on social transformation through her charitable works. Challenged by her life which was full of vision to change the world by casting a stone that creates many ripples, the bishop cannot but reflect on the prevailing killings in the country which were all drug related. What was most alarming for the bishop was the silence and indifference of so many people about the prevailing issue.

Alongside with his outcry to stop these killings he summoned the people to make concrete and proactive programs as a response to this alarming situation. He invited the people to devote strength and resources for rehabilitation of those addicted to drugs who already wanted to change. He called the different diocesan commissions to create effective programs to respond to this pressing need: Commissions on Social Action, Commission on Youth, Commission on Justice and Peace and Integrity of Creation and the Commission on Family and Life.

The concept of establishing HOPE or House of Prayer and Evangelization was made by the then director of the Commission on Youth, Rev. Fr. Richard Lagos when he was in Aschau, Germany. He was summoned to help preparing the One Million for the Pope Campaign for the World Youth Day in Poland from May 9 to August 6, 2016 by the YOUCAT Foundation. Upon his return and with the approval of Bishop Mallari, Fr. Lagos started to conduct meetings with some evangelical pastors to present and offer the program for collaboration. Though HOPE was originally conceptualized as a discipleship school for the youth, because of the pressing issue, a paradigm shift was made by prioritizing the youth with substance use disorder (drug addicts and alcoholic) be the immediate recipient of the program.

A year after, the House of Prayer and Evangelization or HOPE was inaugurated in Nampicuan, Nueva Ecija on October 13, 2017 during the 100th Anniversary of the last apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.

The House of Prayer and Evangelization (HOPE) is dedicated in building “a community of faith where hope is planted, where love reigns and where everyone upholds the dignity and rights proper to a human person” HOPE commits to its mission “to sow the seeds of hope and teach the art of living” among those who struggle with mild to moderate degree of substance abuses.

These thrust entails that HOPE commits to:

1. sustain the recovery of the residents by providing continuum of care,

2. mainstream recovering residents back in society with a renewed positive outlook in life, and

3. reduce the stigma towards renewing individuals.

The center through its holistic healing community, utilizes psycho-spiritual value formation guided and characterized by the four pillars namely: community life (koinonia), prayer life (leitourgia), community service (diakonia and martyria) and educational formation (kerygma). These pillars foster an environment for the residents to rediscover and reintegrate the value of living a moral life which is rooted in the faith. This distinct lived experience of the pillars becomes a communal pathway to recovery where the residents commit to moral regulations and norms that will continue to influence positive change to behavior that brings renewal in life.

The House of Prayer and Evangelization (HOPE) is dedicated in building “a community of faith where hope is planted, where love reigns and where everyone upholds the dignity and rights proper to a human person” HOPE commits to its mission “to sow the seeds of hope and teach the art of living” among those who struggle with mild to moderate degree of substance abuses.

Know more about H.O.P.E project by visiting their website: https://www.hopefoundation.center/ and their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HOPEcommunityphilippines/.