THE ARCHDIOCESE of Manila will host the 12th Philippine Conference on New Evangelization (PCNE) at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), bringing together the clergy, consecrated persons, and the laity for one of the country’s largest annual gatherings on evangelization.
This year’s conference carries the theme “SANGKÁY: I Have Called You Friends (John 15:15)” to emphasize Christ’s call to authentic friendship as the basis of communion, participation and mission building.
Organized by the Office for the Promotion of the New Evangelization (OPNE), the conference will be held from July 24 to 26 at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion to renew the missionary commitment of the faithful while supporting the Church’s continuing implementation of the Synod on Synodality.
Main conference events
Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula will open the conference with a Eucharistic Celebration on July 24, followed by a keynote address to be delivered by Naval Bishop Rex Ramirez and a reflection session for the session participants.
During the afternoon session, PCNE founder Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle will host two plenary talks titled “Heart-to-Heart: Friendship and Accompaniment” and “The Banquet of Friends: The Eucharist as the School of Relational Conversion.”
The talk will discuss friendship with Christ as the foundation of Christian life and will highlight how communion with Jesus strengthens believers in their mission and relationships with others. It will end with a panel discussion facilitated by Fr. Filemon dela Cruz Jr., O.P.
For the second day of the conference, there will be a panel discussion titled “Love One Another: Conversion of Relationships and the Civilization of Love in the Digital Age” to discuss how to build relationships rooted in Christ’s love and foster communion in the digital age.
Participants will also take part in simultaneous sessions on various topics before attending the plenary talk and panel discussion to be facilitated by Catholic Christian Outreach. The session titled “Go and Bear Fruit That Will Remain” will focus on strengthening Christian relationships and encouraging participants to live out their mission as witnesses of Christ by building a united and faith-filled community.
The program will conclude with a synthesis, followed by the commissioning of delegates and Eucharistic Celebration presided by Archbishop Charles John Brown.
All-youth conference
While the first two days of the gathering is devoted to the main conference, an All-Youth Conference will be held exclusively for young delegates to bring them together for sessions centered on missionary discipleship, Christian leadership, and youth evangelization.
The All-Youth Conference on July 26 will begin with a mass presided over by Bishop Rufino Sescon Jr. of the Diocese of Balanga, followed by an opening plenary session led by lay evangelist Bro. Obet Cabrillas.
Compared to the main conference, the youth conference will feature formation activities dedicated to deepening young people’s friendship with Christ, strengthening their faith journey and equipping them to become active witnesses of the Gospel.
These activities include Lakbay Sangkay, Side Quest, and Sangkay META (Mission, Evangelization, Testimony and Action), which provide spaces for reflection, fellowship, faith sharing and discovering their role in the Church’s mission.
The youth gathering will end with an adoration and benediction session led by Fr. Eduardo Miguel Ramirez, where the participants will spend time in silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and receive a special blessing.
This year marks PCNE’s third consecutive conference hosted in UST since its 10th anniversary in 2024. The conference was founded by Cardinal Tagle in 2013 to continue the Church’s synodal journey in fostering deeper relationships among the faithful through dialogue, encounter, and shared mission.
Around 5,000 delegates are expected to attend the conference, with invitations to representatives coming from more than 29 episcopal sees and participants from dioceses, parishes, schools, religious congregations, and ecclesial communities sent nationwide.
The regular registration fee is P1,300 for the two-day main conference on July 24 and 25 while the registration for the PCNE All-Youth Conference on July 26 costs P500. A special three-day access pass for catechists and youth that covers both the main conference and the youth conference is also available for P1,000.
Registration and payment for PCNE XII will be open until July 20 through the official registration portal of the conference at https://www.pcne.ph/
