Sumisip, Philippines. Some former Parish Priests and Claretian Missionaries formerly assigned at San Vicente Ferrer Parish in the village of Tumahubong, Sumisip, Basilan Province for the past fifty years as well as other Claretian Missionaries in the south of the Philippines, the Provincial Council of the Philippine Province, parishioners, former residents of the area, and friends gathered together on April 29, 2019 in Tumahubong to celebrate the 50 Years of Tumahubong parish and the feast of the patron.
The place may be insignificant to others but in the Congregation, particularly to the Philippine Province, Tumahubong is tantamount to Fr. Rhoel Gallardo, CMF, the Claretian Martyr of the Philippines and home to many others, related or not related to the Claretians, who also shed their blood for their faith and for their principles. It is the promise land, the testing ground of arduous hearts for the mission, the love of those who see Jesus amidst religious and political conflicts. In the Forge term, it is the hammer that pounds the iron to reach its desired form.
The Claretian Missionaries caters to the educational, social, spiritual needs of the people of Tumahubong and the nearby villages of the town of Sumisip. We have the Claret School of Tumahubong which also celebrated its 50 years of foundation a year ago, and the Parish of San Vicente Ferrer.
On its fiftieth year, the General Government erected Tumahubong as a new juridical House along with the erection of the House of Maluso, adding two more houses to the Province of the Philippines. Fr. Arvin Bellen, CMF is its first Local Superior.
