17 September 2025 – Bishop Napoleon Sipalay of the Diocese of Alamninos, Pangasinan led a group of Filipino Catholic youth pilgrims in paying a courtesy call on the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt on 17 September 2025.
The historic visit honors the longstanding partnership between the Diocese of Alaminos and the Diocese of Limburg, which started in 1987. Since that time, the partnership has blossomed significantly, with the Diocese of Alaminos being in charge of appointing the Chaplain for Filipino Catholics under the Diocese of Limburg.
The two Dioceses also maintain a people-to-people exchange program, which started in recent years. Under this program, volunteers from either Diocese are hosted by a family in the other diocese, during which they are able to exchange their diverse cultural, social, and religious perspectives, and the issues they face as young Catholics.
Consul General Marie Yvette L. Banzon Abalos, in her remarks to Bishop Sipalay, noted the important role of the Filipino Catholic chaplaincies in organizing Filipino communities, wherever they may be. “Where there is a Filipino Catholic chaplain, there is also a strong Filipino community,” she said. She also requested Bishop Sipalay’s prayers in ensuring the successful participation of the Philippines as Guest of Honor in this year’s Frankfurter Buchmesse in October.
In addition, the Filipino youths from the Diocese of Alaminos participated in a youth celebration of the Feast of the Holy Cross organized by the Diocese of Limburg, during which the pilgrims were able to visit a number of parishes and places across the host diocese. They were also warmly received by Limburg Bishop Georg Batzinq.
The pilgrims took pride in the unique Filipino expression of faith- exuberant, colorful, energetic, and deeply personal- noting its role in sustaining and comforting the volunteers even as they faced homesickness and other challenges. END