by Cora Mateo

     The beginnings of FABC can be traced back to 1970 when Pope Paul VI went to the Philippines and asked the Bishops of Asia to meet with him there. He posed the challenge of creating a regional body to face common issues for the local churches of this big continent of Asia. The Bishops of Taiwan were there and among them was the late Archbishop Stanislaus Lo Kuang, one who many consider as among the “wise men from the East.” In 1974, the first FABC Plenary Assembly was held and Taiwan hosted it! Its final statement lined main challenges affecting Church mission in Asia. After that, Offices (Commissions) were established and among them was the Office of Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs (FABC OEIA) whose first secretariat was in Taipei. Countless BIRAs (Bishops’ Institute for Inter-religious affairs) were organized from Taiwan, spearheading theological reflections and greater challenges for inter-religious dialogue and joint efforts. It was moved to Bangkok only in the late 90s when the executive secretary was changed.

     Also very much at the start, Arch. Joseph Ti-Kang had been very involved. After the late Cardinal Van Thuan of Vietnam could not continue being head of the first team to set up the Office in Laity in 1975, Arch. Ti-Kang was designated. He set up the temporary Commission for Laity and formed the first secretariat also in Taiwan. The first BILA (Bishops’ Institute for Lay Apostolate) was held in Chang Hua, for the East Asian Region in 1984. In the 4 th FABC Plenary Assembly in Tokyo, the Commission for Laity became a full-fledged Office of Laity, the 6 th among the present 9 FABC Offices, with Arch. Ti-Kang as Chairman. The FABC Office of Laity and Family has been since then, based in Taiwan. Before he ended his term in 1993, three Desks were formed from the Office of Laity: Youth, Women, AsIPA (Asian Integral Pastoral Approach).

     On 2009 November 30th, when the FABC OLF office was closed in the temporary locale of CRBC, 11 BILAs, 3 AYD / AYMM –the 2 nd was hosted by Taiwan, 2 Asian Laity Meetings and 5 Regional ones, 5 AsIPA General Assemblies and numerous training workshops have been organized and coordinated from this Taipei office. It would not be possible to count the many other different occasions that the FABC OLF had contributed to raise awareness on the vocation and role of the laity for the mission of the Church in Asia and for raising awareness on the vision of “Church as communion,” with the modules and concrete pastoral approaches to move towards that vision as promoted by the AsIPA Desk. In all of these events and the on-going process of what the FABC Office of Laity is now, the Church in Taiwan, and in particular the Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference has given much support.

     I wish to mention a particular decision made by CRBC to let the FABC OLF have its office within the CRBC secretariat in September of 1993, rent free! That was a very significant move to assure that the efforts could continue. In July of that year, I was named the first lay and woman Executive Secretary of an FABC Office and like most lay persons, I did not have resources to maintain an office of this category. Arch. Ti-Kang was instrumental for this decision and Cardinal Paul Shan continued his support as President of the Conference. CRBC assumed this through the years and even included FABC OLF as part of its plan in the new building. Among the most unforgettable experiences were the moments shared with the CRBC staff as another member of this Christian community. This was the base for international and local contacts that gave a sense of “being at home” after many travels around Asia.

     As the Church in Taiwan starts its 151st year of Evangelization, may God bless its leaders and its faithful and reward them for the many occasions they have become also significant in the life and growth of other local Churches in Asia through FABC.