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About Us
Our Community
Context
Challenges
- Materialism and secularism have impacted negatively on Christianity in Europe particularly in more economically advanced countries;
- Demographic changes in Europe in the coming decades;
- Passive and inactive participation by Christians in their faith life due to lack of understanding of their faith and their role in the Church.
Opportunities
- Christian migrant groups from developing countries are providing new life into the struggling faith life in Europe.
- In 2013, about 750,000 Filipino registered migrants are residing and working in Europe with about 48,000 Filipinos living in Germany. Filipinos with deep Christian faith are spread out all over Europe and are in a position to touch the lives of Europeans being in the service sectors, such as in the medical profession and caring for the sick and elderly.
- The laity plays an important role in the life of the Church as enunciated in the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity (Apostolicam Actuositatem). is very supportive of lay initiatives and its role in evangelization. Pope Francis, in his letter addressed on the occasion of the 50thanniversary of the Decree “Apostolicam Actuositatem,” stated that “the Council did not see the laity as if they were members of a “second order”, at the service of the hierarchy and simple executors of higher orders, but as disciples of Christ who, by virtue of their Baptism and of their natural insertion “in the world”, are called to enliven every environment, every activity, every human relationship according to the spirit of the Gospel (cf. Lumen Gentium, 31), bringing light, hope, and the charity received from Christ to those places that otherwise would remain foreign to God’s action and abandoned to the misery of the human condition (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 37).”
History
Lay Community for Renewed Evangelization e.V. (LayCoRE) was conceived in response to the call of the Roman Catholic Church to have informed and formed lay people to take forward the task of renewed evangelization. It was established as a formal organization in May 2016, after the first two batches of 19 students completed the Meaningful Appreciation of Faith towards Ministerial Collaboration (MAFAMCO) Programme, a lay theology certificate programme being administered by the Graduate School of Theology of the Immaculate Conception Major Seminary (ICMAS) of Bulacan, Philippines. Fr. Tranquilino “Jun” de Ocampo, SVD, then the chaplain of the Filipinos in the Archdiocese of Cologne, launched the MAFAMCO Programme at Schönstatt (Vallendar) in July 2011 with about 33 students aimed at deepening their understanding of the catholic faith. Fr. Emmanuel Cruz, then Dean of the ICMAS Graduate School of Theology, served as theological consultant of the MAFAMCO programme. When Fr. Rudolf Holzgartner, SVD, took over the chaplaincy, he continued the programme up to the arrival of Fr. Rodel Liguid, SVD.
LayCore is an autonomous lay organization that supports the Chaplaincies of different Filipino communities in Europe. As a lay organization, it is registered as a non-profit organization under the German laws to allow the organization to raise resources to support its activities. While the founding organization is based Bonn, Germany, it is envisioned that LayCore will be established in different countries in Europe.
Our Vision
A revitalized faith life of Catholics in Europe with the hope of strengthening the community of Christians in the region and of spreading the Good News of Christ.
Our Mission
To deepen the knowledge of Catholics of their Christian faith by:
· Developing and implementing modules and programmes to promote the teachings of the Catholic Church,
· Building strong and articulate Catholic Faith leaders them with the knowledge of their faith and skills in managing and strengthening Christian communities.
· Training community Catholic educators such as adult catechists and bible study facilitators.