UNIVERSITY OF SAINT LOUIS

Tuguegarao City

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, ARTS and SCIENCES

Second Semester
A.Y. 2020-2021

CORRESPONDENCE LEARNING MODULE

CFED 1043- CICM MISSIONARY IDENTITY

Prepared by:
HAYDEN GONZALES
MICA TALAY
SEVERO WASHINGTON
ESPERANZA ZABLAN
PRINCE WILSON MACARUBBO

Reviewed by:

WILSON J, TEMPORAL, MST

DPRI Department Head

Recommended by:

VENUS I. GUYOS, Ph.D.

Academic Dean

Approved by:

EMMANUEL JAMES PATTAGUAN, Ph.D.

Vice President for Academics
 This Week’s Time Table: (February 14 – February 18, 2022)

For this week, the following shall be your guide for the different lessons and tasks that you need
to accomplish. Oops! Be patient, read them carefully before proceeding to the tasks expected of
you.

HAVE A FRUITFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCE 😊

Date Topics Activities or Tasks

February 14-15 The Trunk with the Virgin and Child Read and Internalize Lessons

February 16 The Heart Surrounded by Twelve Stars Read and Internalize Lessons
February 17 Cor Urnum et Anima Una Read and Internalize Lessons
February 18 Submission of learning tasks Submission of learning tasks

School of Education, Arts and Sciences

Department of Philosophy and Religious Instructions
Curriculum 2021-2022

CORRESPONDENCE LEARNING MODULE

Christian Faith Education 1043: CICM Missionary Identity

Chapter 1: CICM Spirituality

Lesson 1. The Name (in Latin): Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae or the
Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (in Tagalog: Kongregasyon [Kapatiran] ng
Kalinislinisang Puso ni Maria)

Topics: The Current CICM Emblem

Learning Outcomes: At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. Explain the symbolism of the segmented parts of the CICM emblem;

2. Identify the different inspirations that led to the final illustration of the emblem; and
3. Give some implications of the CICM’s motto, “Cor Urnum et Anima Una” in relation to USL’s
56th founding anniversary.

LEARNING CONTENT

Introduction:

Logos are special. They are not just a combination of shapes, text, and graphics.
They tell stories.
 There is also another component that goes into a remarkable logo: meaning.
With the right mark, you convey everything your organization stands for, your values as
a brand, and your heritage too. Logos are distilled insights into your brand essence.

For some congregations, showcasing the heart of their organization means going
back to traditions. An emblem is one of the most original forms of brand mark. In a world
that’s continually evolving, there’s something to be said for this sense of heritage. After
all, even as new ideas emerge every day, many consumers are still more interested in
what’s trustworthy and well-established than what’s “new.”

As symbols of tradition, strength, and security, the emblem style logo can
spark unique relationships with your target audience. In today’s topic, we are going
to dive into the history and definition of the CICM emblem and unravel the different
symbolism and its long-standing implications in the life of the missionaries.

Lesson Proper:

The Current CICM Emblem (1955)

 The current CICM emblem includes in its upper portion the Virgin with a Child
inside a trunk, who is Our Lady of Grace of Scheut, which was venerated in the village
where Fr. Verbist established the first headquarters of the Congregation.

Karel Denys, CICM published an article on the CICM emblem with precious
indications on the miraculous trunk in Scheut and on the statue of Our Lady of Grace.

The Trunk with the Virgin and Child

This is the oldest element that can be found in all the CICM coats of arms, except
for that of China, Mongolia and Congo. It is thus good to give some historical
explanations on this subject.

In the series of articles by J. Calbrecht mentioned above, we read that since the
year 1445 a statuette attached to a linden tree by a pious shepherd and dedicated to
Our Lady of Grace had been venerated at Scheut. Scheut was then a village outside the
town of Brussels, in the midst of the countryside. The story goes that pilgrims went to
this sanctuary where miracles had been duly noted. In 1455, a chapel was erected
there. A little later, seven Carthusian monks settled next to the chapel. In the course of
the centuries, the chapel was destroyed three times-by the Protestants in 1580, by the
emperor-sacristan Joseph II in 1783, and during the French Revolution. For about sixty
years, the chapel remained in ruins and abandoned, until in 1855 a well-to-do inhabitant
of Brussels, J. C. Brabandt, who could no longer stand the profanation of this sanctuary,
bought the land and the chapel and had it restored at his own expense.

J. Rutten wrote that our Founder Theophile Verbist "had a great devotion to Mary
that brought him to Scheut, and it was the devotion of several servants of Mary who
gave him the sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace." In October 1861, Msgr. J. M. Mouly,
Lazarist, Apostolic Vicar of Peking, while visiting Brussels, confirmed the possibility of
ceding to the "Belgian priests" a large part of the vicariate of Mongolia. Immediately
after this visit, Theophile Verbist and his first companions-Alois Van Segvelt, Frans
Vranckx, and Remi Verlinden-resolved to meet regularly to occupy themselves with the
organization of the Mission and to draw the Statutes of the new Congregation." During
the first conference, they unanimously agreed to consecrate the Mission to the Holy
Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Immaculate Heart of the Very Blessed
Virgin Mary, to whom they committed themselves to recommend daily the interests of
the Congregation.

A little later, the first Statutes of the Congregation were approved by Cardinal E.
Sterckx of Mechlin (November 28, 1862). Some words of the "first conference" report
are recognizable: "The Congregation is dedicated to the Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, under the invocation of the Immaculate Heart of the Very Blessed Virgin Mary"
(Art. 2). By the will of our Founder Theophile Verbist and his companions, the new
Congregation would carry the title "Immaculate Heart of Mary" who will be its Patroness.
Our Founder and his companions did not choose the name "Congregation of Our Lady
of Grace."

Why did our Founder and his companions choose the name CICM? In an article
on the devotion to the Heart of Mary, L. Barbé has given us without a doubt a good
answer: "The proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception [in 1854], in
reviving the Marian devotion, contributed to the rapid development of the devotion to the
Heart of Mary and the spread of the name of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.' It was then
that its liturgical feast was adopted about everywhere in the world." Given such current
of devotion at that time to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, it is understandable why our
Founder and his companions chose the name CICM.

And why did they, and others after them, nevertheless keep the miraculous tree
trunk of Our Lady of Grace as the CICM coat of arms? Here are some indications. It
was at Scheut, near the sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace, where the CICM was born.
Our Founder and his companions lived there; they met there many times; they
immersed themselves in the history of the sanctuary; and they prayed to Our Lady of
Grace. It was there, too, where they prayed one last time before departing for mission.
After the 1974 Chapter, a century after the death of our Founder, the old sanctuary of
Our Lady of Grace was replaced by another chapel. The statue, which J. C. Brabandt
had placed in his chapel and restored in the years 1855-1860, is now found in the new
chapel at Scheut. A beautiful CICM emblem executed in ceramic had been mounted
against the outer wall of the new provincial house.
 The Heart Surrounded by Twelve Stars

The Heart surrounded by twelve stars: What does this mean? A difficult question!
It is generally said that the Heart with the twelve stars comes from a text of the
Revelation (12:1).

Let us look at the text: "And a great sign appeared in heaven, a Woman adorned
with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."

In a note about this text in the La Sainte Bible, the commentator concludes his
reflection thus: "With the image of the woman, did John also wish to symbolize the
Virgin, the new Eve? (Rv 12:1). This seems questionable." With regard to Revelation
12:1, The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1993) notes that the identity of the woman
has been debated. According to a traditional Catholic interpretation, this woman is Mary,
the Mother of Jesus, who is also the new Eve. Others say that this woman is the
heavenly Jerusalem, wisdom personified or even the Church. Our Predecessors opted
with no problem for the traditional Catholic interpretation: Mary is the woman with the
twelve stars.

Regarding the second emblem composed at the end of the 19th century, we
have seen that the miraculous tree trunk of Scheut with the Virgin and Child was
replaced by our Predecessors with the Heart surrounded by twelve stars. The Heart is
the Virgin, the Woman surrounded by twelve stars. In opting for the traditional Catholic
interpretation, our Predecessors did nothing exceptional. In fact, there already existed at
a Carmelite convent in Brussels a beautiful statue of the Virgin crowned with twelve
stars. "This statue of the Immaculate is gothic, in wood, without doubt from the 15th
century. It represents the 'Woman crowned with twelve stars' (Rv 12:1)."

But did our Predecessors know of this statue at a Carmelite convent in Brussels?
We know that Karel Van Sante, CICM, assistant to the Superior General from 1887 to
1920 and rector of the Scheut-Brussels house from 1890 to 1900, was in contact with
most of the Carmelite convents in Belgium during his rectorate. His correspondence,
preserved in our Archives, attests to the fact. But we cannot elaborate on this matter.

Cor Urnum et Anima Una

‘One heart, One soul” — this is the translated Latin term of the inspired motto of
CICM. This will be further discussed in the succeeding topics, but to give you the whole
depiction of the emblem, let us have a glimpse of the meaningful implication embedded
behind this motto.

The expression is taken from the Acts of the Apostles (4,32). It means “one heart
and one soul.” It was used to describe the way the early Christian believers lived. The
full text is as follows: “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and
soul, and no one said that any of the things that belongs to him was his own, but they
had everything in common.”

This is the spirit of unity we should develop and have in any grouping we may
belong to, be it a family, a class, an office, a community, etc. Our sense of unity should
not just be in the level of the physical, professional, social, political, etc. It should involve
our heart and soul. In other words, it should involve our whole being.

Can this spirit of unity be doable, given the tremendous amount of differences we
have with each other, let alone, our unavoidable conflicts? The quick answer may be
No, or at least, that it is doubtful. But if we go by our Christian faith and realize that our
spirit of unity has to be founded on God, then it is possible. Precisely the early
Christians managed to live it. They lived “cor unum et anima una.”

We need to realize that the spirit of unity we are talking about here is not
uniformity which can only take place when things are taken only in their physical
aspects. It is a spirit of unity that allows for plurality and variety, where differences are
acknowledged and even promoted but used for a common end.
 It is a spirit of unity that is spiritual and moral in character. It is a very dynamic
spirit, ever active and reactive to any situation, since it is animated by Christian love that
can take on anything. It is always in the process of composing and recomposing itself
as it responds to the changing demands of the times.

This spirit of unity can only be made possible when it is rooted on the unity of
God who are three persons in one God. Let’s remember that we are God’s image and
likeness, made children of his through his grace. We are meant to reflect in our life that
unity of the Trinitarian God who is full of goodness, love, truth, justice, etc. This spirit of
unity which we should try to live in any grouping we may belong to is never one that
leads to elitism. This spirit, if truly inspired by unity of the Trinitarian God, will always
have a universal scope, eager to understand and love everyone, including those who
may consider themselves as our enemies.

In fact, we don’t restrict ourselves in any grouping only. Our spirit of unity should
cover more and more areas and levels, until we reach the universal family of God, the
complete communion of saints. We need to develop the appropriate attitudes and skills
to develop this kind of spirit of unity. We have to learn to listen to everyone, including
those whose views may different from ours. We have to sharpen our social skills,
always thoughtful of the others, knowing how to empathize and sympathize, how to be
understanding and compassionate. From merely sharing things, let’s move toward
giving ourselves to others more and more. Let’s not be afraid of the sacrifices involved.
Let our differences and conflicts stir the dynamic of complementation. Let’s trust more in
Christ’s words that the more we give, the more we will receive from him. It would be
good if we pause from time to time to consider our duties of building up and
strengthening this spirit of unity, giving more teeth to our desires for it. We can always
come up daily with one concrete detail, no matter how small, to further this duty of ours.
EVALUATION

True or False
Instruction: Identify whether each of the following statements is true or false. Write T if
the statement is TRU and write F if otherwise.

1. By the will of our Founder Theophile Verbist and his companions, the new
Congregation would carry the title "Immaculate Heart of Mary" who will be its Patroness.

2. Karel Denys, CICM authored a book to narrate the historical emblem of CICM with
the precious indications on the miraculous trunk in Scheut and on the statue of Our
Lady of Grace.

3. The current CICM emblem includes in its upper portion the Virgin with a Child inside
a trunk, who represents Our Blessed Virgin Mary, and who was venerated during the
time of Fr. Theophile Verbist.

4. The Trunk with the Virgin and Child is the oldest element that can be found in all the
CICM coats of arms, except for that of China, Mongolia and Congo.

5. Our Founder and his companions chose the name "Congregation of Our Lady of
Grace", inspired by the proclamation of the Dogma of Immaculate Concepcion.

6. It is generally said that the Heart with the twelve stars comes from a text of the
Revelation (1:12).

7. The second design of the CICM emblem was composed at the end of the 18th
century.

8. As observe in the second design of the CICM emblem, the miraculous tree trunk of
Scheut with the Virgin and Child was replaced by our Predecessors with the Heart
surrounded by twelve stars.

9. After the 1974 Chapter, a century after the death of our Founder, the old sanctuary of
Our Lady of Grace was replaced by another chapel.

10. Cor Unum et Anima Una is an expression taken from the Acts of the Apostles
(14,32).

11. The CICM acronym is taken for the initials of the congregation in the Belgian
Language.

12. The Prefect of the Propagation of the Faith is the institution responsible in the
canonization of religious congregation.
13. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception is vital in the naming of the CICM.

14. Names in the Bible represents one’s identity like Zechariah who’s name mean God
is gracious.

15. The crushing of the serpent in the Old Testament is represented by Mary in the New
Testament is the scriptural source of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

16. The source of mission of the CICM is Fr. Theophile Verbist.

17. The Church is characterized as a Missionary Church.

18. The CICM missionaries are diocesan priests.

19. Monks are dedicated to a life which is contemplative.

20. Religious priests do not stay on their home diocese, rather they are sent where they
are greatly needed.

REFERENCES

Books:

Sadullo, J. R., Bleeker, A. D., & L., T. M. (2012). CICM: Christ is calling me: 150 years of
service in God's mission, 1862-2012. Makati City, Philippines: St. Pauls.

CICM-membership. (1999). Rome: Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM).

Arquiza, Y. D. (2007). Carrying on the mission: 100 years of CICM in the Philippines.
Philippines: Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae.

Online:

-, S., By, -, & Soloist. (2018, November 16). Soloist. Retrieved February 01, 2021, from
https://archive.dailyguardian.com.ph/cor-unum-et-anima-una/