MAKATI City – It was a homecoming of sorts for the first CFC – Singles for Christ (SFC) member to be ordained a bishop, Most Rev. Samuel Naceno Agcaracar, SVD, when he exhorted the faithful to “share the life of the poor”, at the Clergy Lay Congress (CLC) on June 18, 2026.
Bishop Agcaracar, who was a member of SFC in Laoag City from 1994 to 1999, shared that the poor are looking for someone who won’t just preach to them but walk with them.
“They were not asking for a gifted preacher, they were asking for someone who could share their life. Someone who could sit comfortably at their table, receive what they could offer without embarrassment,” the prelate shared in his talk “In His Heart: The Preferential Love for the Poor.”
Bagoong, okra, talbos na gulay
He shared that this realization came when he started asking the people in his diocese, the Diocese of San Jose in Nueva Ecija, about what kind of priest they hoped to have after the planned rigodon (reshuffling) of priests.
One particular conversation with a simple farmer stood out.
He said: “Sana ang ipadala [na pari] dito ay marunong kumain ng bagoong, okra, at talbos na gulay (I wish the priest we get here is one who knows how to eat shrimp paste, okra, and vegetable shoots).”
Speaking to 6 other bishops, 188 clergy, and 844 lay people, the prelate said he has yet to share about the conversation to his clergy but admitted: “The more I reflected on the answer, the more profound it became. I was disturbed but also challenged.”
Poverty, not just a problem to be solved
Bishop Agcaracar also mentioned the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, which challenged the Church in the Philippines to be a Church of the Poor.
“Those who experience poverty are welcomed, recognized. This distinction changes everything. It moves us from seeing poverty solely as a problem to be addressed,” explained the prelate.
The bishop was quick to note how our Lord Jesus began His ministry by identifying Himself with the poor. “Again and again, the Gospel directs our attention to those whom society often overlooks,” he added.
3 attitudes in loving the poor
Concretely, Bishop Agcaracar, who joined the Society of the Divine Word in 1999, said this call to share the life of the poor can be practiced by adopting the following 3 attitudes:
- We must be willing to embrace their reality.
- We must be willing to learn. He said, “One of the subtle temptations of ministry is to assume that we are always the teachers. Authentic encounter with the poor show that those who live in material insecurity often teach us trust in Divine Providence, and gratitude.”
- We must see the poor as partners in mission.
Ending his session, the prelate made an appeal to CFC to establish its presence in his diocese, saying, “There is no CFC in our diocese. I would be very glad if you would come and help us.”
From gratitude to generosity
Bishop Agcaracar also noted that the call to love the poor more deeply is a fitting way to celebrate CFC’s many God-given graces.
He said, “As CFC celebrates 45 years of grace, the call is clear: to move from gratitude to greater generosity; from receiving the gift to giving the gift; to draw closer to those who occupy a privileged place in the Lord’s heart.”
CLC 2026 was spearheaded by CFC’s Heart for the Poor programs: CFC ANCOP, Missio Amare, and Give Care Foundation.
