Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Zamboanga (Agenzia Fides) - Learning about oneself, learning about others’ religious beliefs, studying, finding common ground, acting in a certain way in favor of dialogue, reconciliation, peace...these are the objectives for the summer courses organized each year by the Sisilah Institute for Dialogue, in the city of Zamboanga, located at the southern tip of the island of Mindanao. In 2008, it will open its doors to crowds of Christian and Muslim university and high school students, as well as religious, teachers, and interested participants from all around the world.
The summer courses in the Philippines run from April to May and take place in Harmony Village, the central headquarters of Sisilah. The varied complex includes auditoriums for formation meetings and recreational activity, laboratories, library, a mosque for Muslims, and a chapel for Christians.
The main course lasts 4 weeks, during which participants study Arabic, the history of Islam and Christianity, the Koran, and the Bible. There is also a presentation scheduled to take place on the culture of dialogue as the path to peace, including a presentation on interreligious dialogue from both a Christian and Muslim point of view. The participants must carry out “life dialogue” experiences in a family: Christians go to the homes of Muslim families, while Muslims are taken in by the Christian families. Both Muslims and Christians are encouraged, throughout the course, to continue their respective times of prayer.
There is also a special one-week course on continuously changing themes, although all interrelated by the themes of dialogue and peace. It is an intense course that offers a synthesized version of the main course, except for Arabic and the experience of living among the families.
Sisilah is a movement for dialogue that began in 1984 in Zamboanga, founded by Fr. Sebastian d’Ambra, PIME and a group of Christian and Muslim friends. The movement encourages a culture of dialogue as the way towards peace, inviting all to rediscover the spiritual roots of dialogue and peace. The word “sisilah” comes from Arabic and means “link,” “chain,” “meeting.” The word was adopted by the movement in order to recall the spiritual experience of the sufi (Muslim mystics) that spoke of the “sisilah” as the link that existed between their own spiritual journey and the Creator of the Universe. The same concept can be applied to the spiritual journey of each person and group that, guided by his spiritual experience and religion, makes his journey towards towards God. “Sisilah” is also the root of the word for “family tree” and in resonance with this etymology, reminds us that all humanity is part of the great human family. The movement proposes the rediscovery of the ties that exist among all peoples, in the variety of culture and religions.
In 2009, the movement will celebrate its 25th anniversary. Its base is in the city of Zamboanga, however they organize study seminars and programs in other parts of Mindanao, such as Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Jolo, one of the Sulu Islands. The Christian and Muslim families, as well as the religious and laity that live in Harmony Village dedicate all their time and activity to cultivating and furthering Muslim-Christian dialogue and to spreading the message of peace and tolerance through the testimony of their lives. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 3/4/2008; righe 43, parole 542)
