Jesuit Communications (JesCom) gathered benefactors, friends, and mission partners for a grace-filled evening of thanksgiving on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at the Christ the King Greenmeadows Parish Social Hall. The Thanksgiving Dinner for The Word Exposed celebrated not only the program’s 17th year of broadcasting, but also the generosity and faithfulness of those who have made its mission possible.
Hosted by Ms. Rissa Singson Kawpeng, the evening began with a prayer led by JesCom Executive Director Fr. Emmanuel “Nono” Alfonso, SJ, who invited guests to “think about the future” despite the many crises that mark our times. Drawing from Pope Francis’ bestselling book Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future, Fr. Nono reminded the community that while corruption, disinformation, wars, and poverty dominate the headlines, Christians are called to be “Pilgrims of Hope.”
Fr. Nono then highlighted JesCom’s decades-long record of harnessing media for evangelization—from the pioneering liturgical music of Fr. Eduardo Hontiveros, SJ, to the widely praised local media coverage of Pope Francis’ landmark 2015 state and apostolic visit, to the award-winning films Ignacio de Loyola and GomBurZa. He also cited programs like Radyo Katipunan’s Keep the Faith: Daily Mass with the Jesuits and workshops combating online disinformation as proof of JesCom’s commitment to truthful communication, education, and formation.
Fr. Nono then announced the formal launch of The Word Exposed (TWE) Endowment Fund, anchored on its five pillars: values-based programs, homiletics training, catechesis, conferences, and media training. He underscored that by supporting TWE Fund, donors become partners in JesCom’s greater mission, ensuring that the light of God’s Word continues to shine for years to come.
Photos courtesy of Catherine Cardoz, Chef Jessie Sincioco, and Christ the King Greenmeadows parish priest, Fr. Aytoy Opiniano.
The evening’s highlight was the heartfelt message of Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, who has hosted The Word Exposed show since its humble beginnings back in 2008. With characteristic humility, Cardinal Tagle shared how he was initially chosen to host the program almost by accident—but how it eventually became a 17-year journey of faith, providence, and service.
Ending his sharing, Cardinal Tagle recounted a “pleasant surprise” he received upon arriving back in Manila. With much joy in his heart, he began reading handwritten letters detailing moving encounters with viewers across the globe: a Colombian girl uplifted by his joyful preaching, a Thai law student who wished Cardinal Tagle could sign his books, and even a Protestant viewer from Indonesia who felt it was time to finally “come home” to the Catholic Church after listening to The Word Exposed. “Evangelization is storytelling,” Cardinal Tagle reflected, “but at its heart, the story must be authentic, and the true influencer must always be Christ.”
The splendid gathering closed with a medley of Pintig ng Puso and Liwanag ng Aming Puso—songs co-written by Cardinal Tagle during his formative years at San Jose Seminary, with music by the late Fr. Hontiveros—performed alongside flutist Jay Gomez, Jesuit Music Ministry’s Rey Malipot, and pianist Miguel Concepcion. Tokens of gratitude were also personally handed to benefactors as a reminder of their vital role in JesCom’s mission.
Special thanks were extended to Chef Jessie Sincioco for generously sponsoring the sumptuous dinner, as well as to Fr. Aytoy Opiniano, parish priest of Christ the King Parish Greenmeadows, who offered the free use of the parish social hall.
As Fr. Nono and Cardinal Tagle both had affirmed, The Word Exposed is more than a globally acclaimed program. It is indeed a ministry born of generosity, sustained by faith, and dedicated to making God’s Word ever alive, relevant, and transformative.
(AMDG)
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