values that guide us
Shared values are what determine the quality of friendships, and therefore, a community. We choose to stay together, to love one another, and to serve together because we are guided by the same values in the way we live out our faith.
As the Splendour Project, we are intentional about who we choose to be and what we choose to do. There are several values that guide us in our way of life.
As the Splendour Project, we are intentional about who we choose to be and what we choose to do. There are several values that guide us in our way of life.
Our primary emphasis is not about what we do, but rather, about who we are to one another. The Splendour Project arose as a result of deep spiritual friendships that developed over the years.
Our sense of community developed from our common commitment to prayer and love for the Church. While it is true that we have a deliberate intention to be missionaries and evangelists, we believe fundamentally that our witness of the Gospel is strongest when we transcend biological ties and allow the Gospel to transform our understanding of "family" (Matthew 12:50). We preach by loving one another and others within our reach, for our Lord said, "It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognise you as my disciples." (John 13:35)
Everything that we do flows from who we are as a community, a family. We intend to keep it that way. We are not an organisation, an association, or an institution. The institution of the Church already exists, and we are members existing within this Holy Catholic Church which we love with all our hearts. We are a community of friends who have become family to one another and live with a common and radical commitment to the Gospel preached by the Holy Apostles.
Our community also celebrates all states of life and all sorts of vocations, whether they be single, married, clergy, religious, or laity. We affirm that there is a vocation for every life by virtue of our baptism, and whatever our state of life is, there is a Gospel call for each individual to contribute to the mission of the Church.
Our sense of community developed from our common commitment to prayer and love for the Church. While it is true that we have a deliberate intention to be missionaries and evangelists, we believe fundamentally that our witness of the Gospel is strongest when we transcend biological ties and allow the Gospel to transform our understanding of "family" (Matthew 12:50). We preach by loving one another and others within our reach, for our Lord said, "It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognise you as my disciples." (John 13:35)
Everything that we do flows from who we are as a community, a family. We intend to keep it that way. We are not an organisation, an association, or an institution. The institution of the Church already exists, and we are members existing within this Holy Catholic Church which we love with all our hearts. We are a community of friends who have become family to one another and live with a common and radical commitment to the Gospel preached by the Holy Apostles.
Our community also celebrates all states of life and all sorts of vocations, whether they be single, married, clergy, religious, or laity. We affirm that there is a vocation for every life by virtue of our baptism, and whatever our state of life is, there is a Gospel call for each individual to contribute to the mission of the Church.
The Splendour Project is unapologetically Catholic. Our faith is inseparably tied to and dependent upon the barque of Saint Peter. We are in full communion with the One Holy Catholic Church, with the Holy Father (the Pope), and with all the Catholic bishops together with all peoples who acknowledge the fullness of truth in the Catholic Church.
The dictates of the Sacred Magisterium found within the deposit of the Catholic faith are exactly what we seek to live on a daily basis, and they are also what we seek to communicate in the course of our mission as a community. To be precise, we are committed to orthodoxy (correct belief), orthopraxy (correct practice), and orthopathy (correct attitude) in our expression of the Christian faith as is proclaimed by the Holy Catholic Church.
This is why we will never separate ourselves from the faith of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Our being a community and sharing in a common mission does not contradict the fact that we are members of the Church who belong to specific parishes and dioceses and participate actively within the Catholic life of these jurisdictions.
The dictates of the Sacred Magisterium found within the deposit of the Catholic faith are exactly what we seek to live on a daily basis, and they are also what we seek to communicate in the course of our mission as a community. To be precise, we are committed to orthodoxy (correct belief), orthopraxy (correct practice), and orthopathy (correct attitude) in our expression of the Christian faith as is proclaimed by the Holy Catholic Church.
This is why we will never separate ourselves from the faith of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Our being a community and sharing in a common mission does not contradict the fact that we are members of the Church who belong to specific parishes and dioceses and participate actively within the Catholic life of these jurisdictions.
The Splendour Project loves the interconnectedness of the People of God who exist in various forms of local communities all around the region. We make it a point to never work alone, but rather, to be always in collaboration with local communities in the organising and running of events.
The privilege we have of meeting and working together with various communities of Catholics brings much joy to us, especially when there is opportunity for mutual encouragement and exhortation. Throughout our years of travelling around the region and beyond in the course of our mission, many beautiful and meaningful friendships have emerged. These friendships between communities have been a constant assurance to us that we are not alone in our mission to bring the Gospel to people from all walks of life.
The privilege we have of meeting and working together with various communities of Catholics brings much joy to us, especially when there is opportunity for mutual encouragement and exhortation. Throughout our years of travelling around the region and beyond in the course of our mission, many beautiful and meaningful friendships have emerged. These friendships between communities have been a constant assurance to us that we are not alone in our mission to bring the Gospel to people from all walks of life.
We never allow our service to the People of God to be seen as a purely voluntary work that warrants incompetence on our part. We constantly strive to be good at what we do, be it in speaking, media productions, event organising, or other aspects of our service. In the course of our apostolate work, we have met many people from secular industries who have expressed admiration for the industry-compliant standards of our work despite our doing it without financial profits as our utmost motivation.
Our efforts to be at our constant best is motivated by our love for the Holy Church. This is what drives us to get the best training possible for each member of our community based on each person's specific calling. As far as we are concerned, continuous improvement is a process that never ends. The discipline of being excellent in what we do means we must never allow ourselves any occasion to slip into complacency. If the secular industries strive for excellence because of competition in the open market, we strive for excellence because our Lord deserves no less.
Our efforts to be at our constant best is motivated by our love for the Holy Church. This is what drives us to get the best training possible for each member of our community based on each person's specific calling. As far as we are concerned, continuous improvement is a process that never ends. The discipline of being excellent in what we do means we must never allow ourselves any occasion to slip into complacency. If the secular industries strive for excellence because of competition in the open market, we strive for excellence because our Lord deserves no less.
As a community that communicates the Church's deposit of faith, we are clear not just about what we are communicating but also how we are communicating to others. Based on the exhortations of the most recent three popes -- John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis -- it is important that both the essence and the methods of communication point to the transcendentals of truth, beauty, and goodness.
These three elements of truth, beauty, and goodness are our benchmark for excellence in communication. We believe that people need to be inspired to embrace truth, beauty, and goodness, rather than be compelled to embrace that which is communicated in ways that are brash, threatening, or devoid of beauty upon which to contemplate. All the words and images produced by the Splendour Project are guided by this principle of the transcendentals. We are not engaged in a warfare of ideologies but in a dialogue of salvation.
These three elements of truth, beauty, and goodness are our benchmark for excellence in communication. We believe that people need to be inspired to embrace truth, beauty, and goodness, rather than be compelled to embrace that which is communicated in ways that are brash, threatening, or devoid of beauty upon which to contemplate. All the words and images produced by the Splendour Project are guided by this principle of the transcendentals. We are not engaged in a warfare of ideologies but in a dialogue of salvation.
We are committed to sustained missionary action. This means that we strive for our efforts to be long-term commitments rather than isolated one-off efforts. But this attitude also calls for a recognition that sustained efforts require a lot of resources in terms of time, energy, and finances.
For this reason, we make it a point to never be financially dependent on the Church. We strive always to be life-giving to the Church by working to garner our own financial resources to be used for our mission. With all that God has blessed our community with, we offer of ourselves gladly and sacrificially to do the work which we feel called to do. And we are committed to keep doing it, always depending on the strength and providence of the Lord, without being weary.
For this reason, we make it a point to never be financially dependent on the Church. We strive always to be life-giving to the Church by working to garner our own financial resources to be used for our mission. With all that God has blessed our community with, we offer of ourselves gladly and sacrificially to do the work which we feel called to do. And we are committed to keep doing it, always depending on the strength and providence of the Lord, without being weary.
Creativity here refers to the specific concept of the "creative minority" expounded by the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI) in 2004 when speaking of the survival of the European civilisation in the face of moral decay and the seeming death of God. In referring to a theory expounded by historian Arnold Toynbee, Ratzinger expressed hope that the European civilisation would be able to survive and be renewed through the persistent choices of a minority of people who sustain their identity, culture, way of life, and religious and value system in a civilisation that contradicts their choices. Surviving in such a climate is possible, but it involves long-suffering, deep conviction, and much creativity.
Holding on to this ideal of being a "creative minority" is not farfetched in the Church today. In a world where it is fashionable to contradict the teachings of the Church in the name of progress, where those who choose to remain faithful to the dictates of the faith are tempted to isolate themselves in reaction to criticism, mockery, and non-acceptance, we choose to do our utter best to remain faithful to the deposit of faith while also not ceasing to engage creatively with the larger culture found in both the Church and society.
We see our community and our way of life as an invitation to dialogue, to discover, and to find depth in the Catholic life. We are less interested in debates and arguments than in trying to live out what we believe and to embody the Catholic ideals we have intentionally embraced. Discipleship for us is not about creating waves of sensationalism for the masses, but about drawing people we encounter into the life of Christ, one at a time.
Holding on to this ideal of being a "creative minority" is not farfetched in the Church today. In a world where it is fashionable to contradict the teachings of the Church in the name of progress, where those who choose to remain faithful to the dictates of the faith are tempted to isolate themselves in reaction to criticism, mockery, and non-acceptance, we choose to do our utter best to remain faithful to the deposit of faith while also not ceasing to engage creatively with the larger culture found in both the Church and society.
We see our community and our way of life as an invitation to dialogue, to discover, and to find depth in the Catholic life. We are less interested in debates and arguments than in trying to live out what we believe and to embody the Catholic ideals we have intentionally embraced. Discipleship for us is not about creating waves of sensationalism for the masses, but about drawing people we encounter into the life of Christ, one at a time.
We are constantly hearing the call of the Popes and our Bishops for a new ardour and courage to explore new ways of evangelising the world. On the one hand, this call is inspiring and exciting. On the other hand, it can also be intimidating and risky. The Splendour Project seeks to embody the courage to explore new methods of evangelisation and communication with undying zest.
This courage to explore may at times not be understood by many people, but some others may actually be inspired by our endeavours. We accept that there are those who will not be able to see the risks we have taken to respond to the call of the Church for new forms of evangelisation. But we also believe that without a willingness to take such risks, we cannot expect effective results in our missionary efforts. A number of members in our community have actually left their lucrative secular jobs in order to focus fully on the work of the Splendour Project without being salaried by the Church institution. It is the commitment of the Splendour Project to consistently walk in courage while always remaining within the confines of ecclesiastical discipline.
This courage to explore may at times not be understood by many people, but some others may actually be inspired by our endeavours. We accept that there are those who will not be able to see the risks we have taken to respond to the call of the Church for new forms of evangelisation. But we also believe that without a willingness to take such risks, we cannot expect effective results in our missionary efforts. A number of members in our community have actually left their lucrative secular jobs in order to focus fully on the work of the Splendour Project without being salaried by the Church institution. It is the commitment of the Splendour Project to consistently walk in courage while always remaining within the confines of ecclesiastical discipline.
Increasingly, as we continue participating in the mission of the Church by interacting with her members as well as many people outside of the Church, we are confronted by the reality of a hurting world. Many of the people we encounter have opened up to us so much that they constantly share with us about their brokenness, their suffering, their sin.
And we have learned that it is not so much intelligence, but compassion, that saves the world. More than merely communicating the mind of the Church to the world, we have realised also a call to communicate the heart of the Church to this hurting world. Sharing in the sufferings and predicaments of people that we encounter must become a way of life for us.
And we have learned that it is not so much intelligence, but compassion, that saves the world. More than merely communicating the mind of the Church to the world, we have realised also a call to communicate the heart of the Church to this hurting world. Sharing in the sufferings and predicaments of people that we encounter must become a way of life for us.
Our way of life as a community incorporates the spirit of contemplation. This means that prayer is the very heart of our life together. While being active in parish and diocesan life, and also in our common mission together, we consistently pray together. In our active participation in the work of the Lord, we strive to never lose our attention on the Lord of the work.
Contemplation also means the constant discernment of what God is doing in our own lives and in our life as a community. This discernment requires a thoughtful corresponding response of gratitude and obedience, both being attitudes that we continuously seek to embrace. To this end, contemplation is the pulse of our community.
Contemplation also means the constant discernment of what God is doing in our own lives and in our life as a community. This discernment requires a thoughtful corresponding response of gratitude and obedience, both being attitudes that we continuously seek to embrace. To this end, contemplation is the pulse of our community.
