We have recently expanded our chaplaincy work at Baguio General Hospital (BGH), in partnership with KABSAT, and are just starting regular chaplaincy duties at Saint Louis University Sacred Heart Medical Center (SLU Hospital). Supervisor Vo is overseeing this work in conjunction with our three Supervisors-in-Training..

Supervisor Celia and Doc Bob just got back from Palawan celebrating commissioning of Supervisor Lyn’s CPE group. Yesterday, they did their first webinar on Servant Leadership with their CPO training group. These will continue monthly for the next few months.

Moving into June, here are a few things to look forward to:

JUNE 15. Commissioning of our trainees for Summer Intensive CPE. It is planned to be at 10am with Ptr. Mike Dizon (a CPE alumnus) to provide the inspirational address.

LATE JUNE. Tentatively, we hope to have a Half Unit Intensive CPE held supervised by Supervisor Vo.

MID-AUGUST. We plan to have our next CPE batch starting at that time. It is not certain yet if it will be Intensive or Extended. This will be run by our CPE SITs, with oversight of Supervisor Vo or Supervisor Celia (or both).

MID-AUGUST. We are planning to hold Clinical Pastoral Orientation (CPO) in partnership with Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary (PBTS) and led by Supervisor Celia.

As always, we are flexible and open to new opportunities and change. Feel free to contact us at bukallife@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Reviewing our website, we realized that a couple of pages had not been updated IN YEARS!!

So they have been updated and you are welcome to check them out.

#1. Staff and Board of Trustees: https://bukallifecare.org/about/staffteam/

#2. CPE Cost and Schedule: https://bukallifecare.org/cpe/cpe-cost-and-schedule/

Realized suddenly that we have not updated our brochure in about five years. We did not make major changes— just replaced the things that are no longer true, with things that are.

Spiritual Wellness Training

April 15, 2023 the Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA) Cordillera Chapter held its seventh Family Support Group (FSG) session. In the spirit of the season of Lent, the theme of the FSG session focused on “spiritual wellness”. Mr. Fritz Gerald M. Melodi attended the session as resource speaker and spoke on “Shame, Vulnerability, and the Psalms”. The presentation centered on how vulnerability, as taught by the Psalmists, contains potential to mend the controlling power of shame. After the presentation, attendees shared their experiences and reflection on the presentation. The theme of spiritual wellness is part of PMHA’s thrust of holistic care for mental health. The session was attended by educators, mental health practitioners, and family members of individuals with mental health concerns. PMHA holds monthly FSG sessions mainly for psychosocial support of individuals who provide care for family members with mental health challenges.

Crisis Care Training

The Para sa Bata/Kabataan Project is a partner of ours in Baguio and is holding a training in Crisis Care Training April 28-29. This is being organized by one of our CPE trainees and pray it will be a valuable activity for all participants. The Venue is still to be determined (at the time of this posting).

CPE Training

Our Summer Intensive CPE, with 9 trainees, and 3 supervisors-in-training is in full swing. It will finish in early June. Late June we hope to start a half unit intensive unit of CPE in Baguio. If you have any questions, contact us at bukallife@gmail.com.

Other News

— In late April, Bob and Celia Munson will be back in Baguio after several months in the United States. They were able to attend the CPSP Plenary in Virginia Beach, VA March 12-14. Supervisor Vo was also in the US for a shorter trip but is back to work in Baguio now.

— Dr. Lyn Montecastro, formerly of Bukal, but now forming her own CPE training center in Cebu City, is holding a commissioning service in mid-May.

— Chaplain Renato Eustaquio, another graduate of Bukal, just held a CPE graduation in Bocaue on April 15.

Bob Munson, the administrator of Bukal Life Care, recently met Robert Charles Powell and based on their conversations decided to read and review some of Powell’s writings.

He started with a classic. This is the book that Powell originally wrote almost 50 years ago regarding the history of the Clinical Pastoral Movement. The review can be read by clicking below:

1. March 21 will be the first day of CPE Summer Intensive. We have a large group of trainees, along with two Supervisors and three Supervisors-in-Training.
2. Doc Bob and Supervisor Celia were able to attend the CPSP 33rd Plenary in the US on March 12-14. It was a great time to learn and to meet so many other clinical chaplains, supervisors, and pastoral counselors.
3. Congratulations to Crista Napay, Bhab Dicang, and Maricel Tindungan for passing their boards for Clinical Chaplain and Pastoral Counselor. All three of them also have been accepted into the SIT program of Bukal Life Care. Well Done!!
4. Congratulations to Christine Fodra, one of our trainees, for her graduation from PBTS with a Master of Divinity (PC) degree this month. She also won the Pastoral Care Award as well.