4TH Degree Ferdinand Magellan Prov. Second District XII Convention

52 Sir Knights exemplified in Fourth Degree


DAVAO CITY, Philippines - Sir Knight Renato Fuentes, master of the Fourth Degree here, officiated the successful exemplification of 52 candidates Saturday.
   The new patriots were fortunate to have Most Rev. Fernando Capalla, Archbishop of Davao, and Vice Supreme Master Alfredo Taruc in the ceremony.
   Archbishop Capalla, in his message about "order", called on all Knights to promote peace in Mindanao by supporting an up-coming symposium project about Mother Mary. (War-torn Mindanao is suffering from the effects of 300 years of "Muslim-Christian conflict." It caught the international headlines last year when Muslim extremists from Mindanao abducted foreigners in a Malaysian beach resort. Later, an American was also abducted.) In a local forum of Bishops and Ulamas (Muslim theologians) which his excellency chaired, bishops zeroed in on Mother Mary (Miriam in Quran) as the point of convergence for Christians, Muslims, as well as Lumads (indigenous tribes).
   Why did Our Lady choose to appear in Fatima and Lourdes, the archbishop asked? These two places bear Muslim names. He also narrated a local story about a sick Muslim boy who was cured when his parents - out of desperation -  brought the boy to a Shrine of Our Lady at Port Pilar in Zamboanga City.
   Almost 200 Knights and their spouses attended the three-day district convention held April 20-22. On Day One, an oratorical contest was held on the theme - "Patriotism: Key to Unity, Peace & Progress". A Mass at San Pedro Cathedral was held in the afternoon afterwhich the delegates paraded from the Cathedral to the convention venue with the Color Corps and band. A formal banquet followed in the evening with Most Rev. Wilfredo Manlapaz, Bishop of Tagum, as keynote speaker.
   On Day Two, plenary sessions were held simultaneous with the orientation for the candidates. In the evening, a fellowhip dinner in honor of the new Fourth Degree Sir Knights was held with Taruc, Vice Supreme Master of the Ferdinand Magellan Province, as guest of honor and speaker. The three-day affair was capped with a Color Corp drill competion.