The Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference (CRBC) during its spring plenary session last April has approved the 3-point agenda of the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI). The approved Agenda for implementations are the following:
- Migrants’ Sunday Contributions are divided into 70% / 30% sharing. 70% of the Diocesan total collection will go to the Migrants’ Commission of the Diocese for its migrants’ pastoral fund and 30% should be remitted to the CRBC/ECMI account.
- Starting 2011, a National Day of prayer for the Migrants and Itinerant people will be held every 1st Sunday of Lent. This is in solidarity with the Universal Church as she celebrates the annual World Migrants’ Sunday every first Sunday of Lent.
Migrants’ Coordinator in every diocese should initiate prayer activities and instruct pastors of the Churches with migrants’ parishioners to organize prayer activities, like: lenten recollections/retreats, adoration to the Blessed Sacrament, Visita Iglesias, Novena prayers, High Mass, prayer vigils, etc. and encourage the local parishioners to join the prayer activities of the migrants.
Migrants Annual Celebrations in Taiwan:
- First Sunday of Lent - National day of Prayer for the Migrants and Itinerant People. Catholic Church’s designation for the World Migrant’s Sunday. (Exclusively for Catholic migrants’ Communities)
- Last Sunday of September - National Migrants’ Sunday. The Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference designated the last Sunday of September for the celebration of a National Migrants’ Sunday for all the Migrants and immigrants regardless of race, color and creed. An expression of migrants’ cultural affiliation and ecumenical celebration of faith.
- December 8 (usually being held every first Sunday of December) - A Migrants Non-Governmental Organization’s (NGO) initiative to hold a Migrants’ day of Advocacy in solidarity with the United Nations’ International day of Migration.
- The Local Ordinary should officially assign a Port Chaplain in the port under his Ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
The following Port Chaplains/Coordinators are:
- Keelung Port - Fr. Mario Bonfaini, CMF
- Taichung Port - Fr. Loloy Napiere, MSP: Port Coordinator
- Mai-liao Port - Fr. Greg Sabastian, SVD: Port Coordinator
- Kaohsiung Port - Fr. Roger Manalo, CS
- Hualien Port - Fr. Jean-Pierre Richard, MEP
Port Chaplains are those who are directly involved in the seafarers’ ministry. The Port Coordinators are those who are coordinating the apostolate due to lack of priests to handle a direct port ministry.
All Port Chaplains/Coordinators are enjoined to coordinate with the AOS National Bishop Promoter, Bp. Bosco Lin Chin-Nan, and the AOS National Director, Fr. Loloy Napiere, MSP, for a concerted effort to establish a pastoral care program for the seafarers in every major port of Taiwan.