Philippines – In May, a group of eleven young adult volunteers from the Philippines will travel to Indonesia to serve as Canossian VOICA Foundation volunteers in the communities of Kupang and Kasongan. Maria Cecilia Icaro, a long-serving volunteer, shares her thoughts as she prepares for this journey.
“As our two-week Canossian mission to Indonesia draws near, I carry a quiet but steady joy—one that grows each time we meet, pray, and prepare together. There is something deeply life-giving about preparing not just for a trip, but for a shared journey of faith, service, and companionship. Our formation sessions have been a beautiful space to reconnect with the heart of Canossian spirituality—simple, warm, and centred on Jesus. In each gathering, I sense the Spirit shaping us into a community able to listen, learn, and ‘walk with’ young people with humility and respect. We are not going as experts with ready-made answers; we go as friends and companions, ready to let ourselves be loved and to allow God to work through ordinary gestures of presence.
At the same time, the practical preparations fuel our excitement: reviewing planned activities, reflecting on how to engage Indonesian youth and young professionals, considering how to be attentive to culture, language, and local realities. Behind every schedule, meeting, and checklist lies a deeper desire—that each encounter becomes a moment of encouragement, each activity a doorway to hope, and each day a chance to serve with joy.
This mission also touches something personal in me. I have served as a volunteer since 1991, and while those years brought many graces, a shift happened in 2006: I found myself more in the background, supporting volunteers in quieter ways. That work mattered—and I remain grateful for it—but this time, I am returning to the mission field. To be physically present, to share life on the ground, and to be part of the day-to-day mission once more feels like a gift I do not take for granted. I am truly excited to be, once again, an active part of the Canossian mission.
Please keep our team in your prayers as we continue our formation and finalise preparations. May we arrive in Indonesia with open hearts, ready to learn, ready to serve, and ready to witness—through our presence—that God’s love is real, gentle, and near.”
Cecilia Icaro