By Annabelle Harris
A team of Perth Catholics has taken its ministry of healing prayer and Eucharistic Adoration to the Philippines, combining evangelisation with service to some of the country’s most disadvantaged communities.
Members of Miracle Prayers Healing Ministry and The Apostles of Perpetual Adoration travelled to the Philippines in May for their first joint international mission.
The eight-member team comprised Fr Doug Harris, Fr Elver Delicano, Mary and Mervyn Ch’ng, Michelle Firth, Annabelle Harris, Joseph Harris and Patrick Wilson.
Their mission sought to deepen understanding of the Eucharist through Mass and Adoration, while offering opportunities for people to experience healing through prayer.
Miracle Prayers, an outreach of the Disciples of Jesus Covenant Community in Perth, was founded in 2013 with the objective of continuing the healing ministry of New Zealand priest Fr John Rea SM.
The Apostles of Perpetual Adoration was co-founded in 2006 by Perth Archbishop Emeritus Barry Hickey and Fr Doug Harris to promote Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration.
Beginning their mission in Cebu, the Perth team joined members of Holy Spirit Choir and Street Ministry in distributing food to people living on the streets.
The encounter brought the missionaries face-to-face with severe poverty, but also with what they described as the graciousness and gratitude of those they had come to serve.
Masses and healing services were held in Cebu City with the Holy Spirit of Freedom Community before the group travelled north to the renowned Parish of Nuestra Señora Virgen de los Remedios in Bogo City where they were warmly welcomed by parish priest, Fr Berny Agustine.
The community was still recovering from a devastating 2025 earthquake, which damaged buildings and roads and destroyed the parish bell tower, presbytery and meeting rooms.
During a well-attended Healing Mass, many parishioners came forward for prayer, with participants subsequently reporting relief from conditions including arthritis, a frozen shoulder and mobility problems.
A major focus of the Bogo City visit was encouraging Eucharistic Adoration.
Fr Doug and Fr Elver preached about the value of Eucharistic Adoration, while other team members shared personal testimonies about the impact of the Eucharist and Sacrament of Reconciliation on their lives.
Hundreds of parishioners committed to a weekly Holy Hour, while volunteers received training to operate the parish’s planned Adoration Chapel. This part of the mission concluded with a dedication Mass concelebrated by Fr Berny, Fr Doug and Fr Elver, followed by amazing village fellowship and hospitality.
The missionaries later travelled to Mindanao, undertaking a pilgrimage to the Divine Mercy Shrine in El Salvador, before continuing to Manila.
Among the most significant experiences was their visit to the Puso ng Ama (Heart of the Father) Foundation in Payatas, an impoverished community in outer Quezon City.
Hosted by Fr Paul Uwemedimo MGL and his team, the Perth group undertook home visits and street ministry, praying with residents and witnessing the difficult conditions experienced by families living without adequate sanitation and services.
For most of the team this time in the Payatas was the absolute highlight of the whole mission and a great privilege and honour to visit people in their homes and pray for their needs.
Joining the Missionaries of God’s Love at St Benedict’s Parish in Quezon City, the team conducted another Eucharistic mission, attending weekend Masses, offering prayer ministry and promoting regular Adoration.
Hundreds again committed to spending an hour each week before the Blessed Sacrament, with volunteers receiving training to support the parish’s Adoration Chapel.
The journey also included visits to He Cares Ministry and Holy Trinity Home for Children, where funds raised through donations and raffles in Perth enabled the missionaries to support the work of the religious sisters and other organisations they encountered.
Another highlight was the visit to the seminaries where Fr Doug and Fr Elver had studied for the priesthood.
The mission concluded at the Divine Mercy Monastery of the Carmelite Nuns of the Holy Trinity in Ligao City, where the group prayed the Stations of the Cross on the mountainside behind the monastery.
Reflecting on their journey, the missionaries expressed gratitude for those they met and those who supported the mission through prayer and financial contributions.
They revelled in the amazing experiences and wonderful people they met and worked with on the mission and would love to return for other missions in the future.
Here in Perth, Miracle Prayers continues to hold healing services twice each month, while The Apostles of Perpetual Adoration continues its work supporting parishes seeking to establish and promote Eucharistic Adoration.