National Assn.

of Parish PREX Secretariats (NAPPS)

c/o Good Shepherd Parish
Fairview Park, 1118 Quezon City

Overview of PREX

WHAT IS PREX?

PREX, short for PARISH RENEWAL EXPERIENCE, is a conversion experience, a rediscovery of

our faith, a strong recall into belonging to the Church. PREX is not a new organization nor a new
society, neither does it dismantle existing groups and societies. It is about the parishes renewing
themselves. A step to the awareness that the parish is not a “we” and “they” arrangement, but a
family living with and loving one another.

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF PREX?

PREX attempts

1. To respond to the search for the direction and approaches for strengthening and deepening the
life of the parish.
2. To give parishioners a true taste of our dignity as members of the Body of Christ.
3. To begin a commitment to belong to one another as a Church
4. To develop down-to-earth spirituality in response to the search for meaningful ways to
experience God’s presence in our lives.
5. To call people to evangelization – to bring the teachings of Vatican II to the grass roots, to
prepare our people for bringing the Good News into all levels of humanity and through its
influence, transforms humanity from within and makes it new;
6. To unify the parish and all movements therein.

In line with these objectives, this weekend seminar will focus on the rediscovery of
1. Our relationships with those who gave us the faith,
2. The reasons why we wish to keep the faith, and
3. The directions we jointly support to pass on the faith to others.

WHEN AND HOW DID PREX START?

The Parish Renewal Experience seminar started in the early 1970’s when Rev. Fr. Charles
Gallagher, SJ, convened a group of priests and lay people for a reflection on Pope Paul VI’s
“Evangelii Nuntiandi:” “The Church is an evangelizer, but she begins by being evangelized herself by
constant conversion and renewal, in order to evangelize the world with credibility.

In that small gathering, it became clear that, for evangelization to become a reality, it required
a people focus, it should begin with a conversion experience the is oriented to parish, the basic
structure of Catholic Church, and that it must start with the family, the basic unit of society. With
this in mind, the group develop general guidelines and directions for a weekend parish program.

The pilot PREX seminar was given in the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey, USA and from
this, the weekend experience has spread to thousands of parishes in the USA, Ireland, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Fiji, Singapore and the Philippines. Thousands of Parish
Priests have trained in order that they could give the weekend experience to people in their own.

The training of Parish Priest in the Philippines took place in Baguio City in 1983 under Fr.
Gallagher himself, in invitation of His Eminence Jaime Cardinal Sin, who was overwhelmed and
inspired by the visible results of PREX that he saw in Sanctuario de San Antonio parishioners of
Forbes Park.

The most active parish in the country today in giving PREX seminars in and out of its own
parish is the Good Shepherd Parish of Fairview Park, Quezon City, under the spiritual leadership of
its Parish Priest, Msgr. Fidelis Limcaco. In Fairview alone, the Good Shepherd Parish had already
more than 150 PREX classes. It has outreached many parishes in the Archdiocese of Manila as well
as in Visayas, Mindanao, Nrothern Luzon and the Bicol province.

In July, 1990 an Association of Parish PREX Secretariats (now National Association of Parish
PREX Secretariats) was organized with its head office at the Good Shepherd Parish. Charter
members came from 15 parishes in the Metro Manila s well as from the Visayas and Mindanao.

Its purposes are:

For mutual help and coordination in the conduct of PREX seminars;

For unity and strength in the service of Holy Mother the Catholic Church;
For the spiritual growth and sanctification of its members; and
Formation of a School Leaders

The Association had already published a PREX Manual according to Philippine culture and
conditions duly approved by the Archdiocese of Manila. During the 3rd National Convention of the
Association, more than 500 delegates from 13 Archdioceses and Dioceses including Manila that
attended, resolved to bring PREX to the 2000 parishes of the country by the year 2000.

In a letter to Msgr. Limcaco dated August 4, 1993, the aouther of the PREX Seminar himself,
Fr. Gallagher, expressed his delight and was all praises over the success of the propagation of the
seminar in the Philippines, more importantly, Fr. Gallagher placed his stamp of approval on the
existing PREX Manual published by the Association by stating “I was very impressed by the Manual,
How can we quarrel with such great triumphs as has been brought about by the changes that have
been made. Congratulations on what you’ve done with the original outline. Needless to say, I’m
standing right beside you and cheering you on your plans to expand.”

“2,000 Parishes with PREX by the Year 2000”

National Association of Parish PREX Secretariats

c/o Good Shepherd Parish
Fairview Park, 1118 Quezon City
Tel. No. 939-4720
 PARISH RENEWAL EXPERIENCE (PREX) SEMINAR

GENERAL GUIDELINES

I. QUESTION

1. Stick to the question

2. Answer personally not philosophically.
3. Don’t be closed to or inhibited by the question.
4. Look at self in a mirror
5. Not positions (not what is right), but your experience
6. The purpose of the question is to help you discover yourself in relationship to he Church.

II. SMALL GROUP SHARING

1. Four or five people

2. Begin small group sharing with a brief prayer to be led by one member of the group. (focus
on prayer intentions)
3. Talk with one another about what you are experiencing right now
4. Give everyone an equal chance to speak
5. No statements of positions – no trying to correct. Merely self-revelation, feelings, behavior,
decisions and judgments about self. Nobody right, nobody wrong
6. Listen to others to discover more about self
7. Write new insight during small group sharing

III. LARGE GROUP SHARING

l. All participants join together

2. General sharing is vey important – the real reflection on the Scripture. Should be even more
meaningful, since you’ve been writing. Continue writing for same reasons.
3. Speak louder – the group is now bigger.
4. No case histories, be brief.

IMPORTANT!!!

When sharing, either in small or large group, read only what you wrote. Stick you your writing.
NO AD-LIBBING
HOW OLD IS YOUR CHURCH?

If you are Your Church

An Iglesia Felix Manalo founded it in 1914 in the Philippines

A Pentecostal It was formally organized in Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA in 1914

e.g. Assembles of God

Aglipayan Ex-Catholic Priest, Gregorio Aglipay founded ti in 1902 in the Phil.

A Jehovah’s Witness Charles Taze Russel founded it in 1879 in Pennslvania, USA

A Seventh Day Adventist It was formally organized in the United States in 1863

A Mormon Joseph Smith founded it in Palmyra, New Yourk in 1829

(Latter Day Saints)

A Methodist John and Charles Wesley founded it in England in 1744

An Episcopalian Samuel Seabury broke from the church of England and founded it in
th
America in the 17 century

A Baptist John Smith launched it in Holland in 1606

A Congregationist Robert Brown started it in Holland in 1582

A Presbyterian John Knox founded it in Scotland in 1560

An Anglican King Henry VIII founded the Church of England in 1534 because the
Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to remarry

A Lutheran Ex-Catholic monk Luther founded it in the year 33 and the Church has
not changed since that time

Do you belong to the Church?

Is your Church founded by God or by Man?
The above facts are undeniable and speak for themselves.

Reprinted by: The National Association of Parish PREX Secretariats

c/o The Good Shepherd Parish, Fairview Park 1118 Quezon City
ST. JOHN NEPOMUCENE PARISH
CABIAO, NUEVA ECIJA

JUNE 3-5, 2016

Name of Participant

ST. JOHN NEPOMUCENE PARISH

CABIAO, NUEVA ECIJA

JUNE 3-5, 2016

Name of Participant