Bishop Ramon C. Arguelles

To all beloved chaplains and pastoral workers of Filipinos overseas.

Praised be Jesus and Mary!

It is probably one of the signs of our times that many in the lay sector sense a special calling from God to be in the service of the Gospel. Mrs Vassula Ryden, I believe, is one of them. The Church will take long before officially recognizing the authenticity of so-called private revelations. It normally makes no definite judgement while the 'privileged' ones still live. Even after declaration of the orthodoxy and effectiveness of so-called divine insight it obliges no one to adhere to them. But the Church acknowledges the contribution people like Vassula does to its evangelization work.

Vassula is not even a Catholic. She was not even a devout member of the Greek Orthodox Church. But sometime in her life, sensing heavenly intervention, she became an intimate believer in Christ and, without being aware of it, started working for Christian Unity. Her movement, 'True Life in God', is doing a lot of good to all, most especially, for the renewal of many Christians and the evangelization of those who have never heard of Jesus before.

I do not hesitate to recommend her to you. Please allow her to speak to Filipino migrants about her faith experience. I want our ordinary Filipino folks to be edified by her and become more convinced about their potentialities as Third Millenium evangelizers. Please know that the move to propagate 'True Life in God' among migrant Filipinos has my approval and encouragement.

Thanking you for your continued cooperation, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and grace-filled New Year 2004

Sincerely yours in Jesus and Mary

Bishop Ramon C. Arguelles
December 20, 2003