A Catholic lay leader from Cebu, Philippines, is appointed as a member of the Vatican body—the International Service of Communion of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal International Service (CHARIS).
Fe Mantuhac-Barino, president of the Commission on the Laity of the Archdiocese of Cebu, is one of the Asian representatives for CHARIS.
The appointment spans from 2023 to 2027.
The other two Asians include Cyril John from India and James Yu (Kkottongnae in Korea), representing communities with Canonical recognition.
On February 29, the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life announced the 20 newly constituted members.
“It is a grace to be of service. I felt blessed and honored to be a part of the international body of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, representing a voice from Cebu, the cradle of Christianity in Asia, and the Philippines, the third largest Catholic country in the world,” Barino told RVA News.
She, like Cyril John, is a representative of Asia.
“We are responsible for reporting and monitoring what is happening in Asia insofar as the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the Church is concerned,” she said.
She must attend meetings in Rome and Asia-Oceania annually.
“We organize events that connect relationships among nations,” she added. “Also, as the CHARIS National Coordinator in the Philippines, we have several events lined up for 2024.”
Barino is the president of the Commission on the Laity of the Archdiocese of Cebu and the national coordinator of CHARIS Philippines.
She is not only the head of Duros Land Properties Incorporated, one of the largest real estate developers in Cebu, but also a well-known entrepreneur in the city.
Pope Francis founded CHARIS, a Vatican organization, in 2018 to support charismatic communities, which are Catholic communities that emphasize the gifts, or "charisms," of the Holy Spirit through prayers and various church-based programs.
Born out of church reforms in the late 1960s, the Vatican refers to this period as the "Catholic Charismatic Renewal," which has drawn more than 120 million Catholics worldwide.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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