My Pope Philippines - December 2019 / January 2020

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There’s a reason why they call this season the most wonderful time of the year. Everything feels more festive, people are warmer, and the decorations that deck our halls play up the Christmas spirit to the hilt. Which is why we thought to bring you not one, but three stories on the beautiful symbols that help make these days both meaningful and merry. (Check them out on pages 11, 12, and 20.) But it’s not just Christmas and New Year that we’re celebrating this December. At My Pope, we have another extra-special occasion that we honor: the birthday of our dear Lolo Kiko! We hope you’ll be excited to send him some love when you read our feature on page 39.

Speaking of our magazine’s namesake, where would we be without the Christmas teachings of Pope Francis (page 30)? And to honor his oh-so-important ideas, we bring you a host of uplifting stories on those who have taken the Santo Papa’s message to heart. Read about the young Villalon sisters (page 10) who bake cookies to help those in need, the SINAG Foundation that takes “love thy neighbor” to the next level (page 18), and singer Jose Mari Chan who tells us what he loves most about Christmas (page 26). And before you get too caught up in the busy-ness (or even sheer exhaustion!) of the season, we look into how you can end things on a high note (page 34) as well as how to have a fresh (re)start so you can revisit old goals and be more successful in achieving them in the new year (page 42).

Wishing you all the best this Christmas and beyond!

My Pope Philippines Magazine Description:

My Pope Philippines is an adapted English version of Italian magazine, Il Mio Papa, dedicated entirely to Pope Francis. Every month, My Pope describes the life of the Holy Father, an emotional ride of meetings, words, and simple gestures of his daily life that highlight the important message of change that permeates his pontificate.
At least 65% of the content is international and 35% is created by the local editorial team in the Philippines to feature stories highlighting the encouraging developments in the lives of Filipinos, whose values and actions reflect those that the Pope stands for, with sections on good news, inspiring stories, traditions, arts and crafts and everyday heroes.