“I have no idea really about the Flame of Love devotion, in the beginning. I could just recall that it was introduced to me by my friend from Cebu, who back sometime in 2012 had given me a message of great importance. It was only in 2018 that I came across this Flame of Love devotion also from the same friend of mine whom i contacted and got reconnected after I unintentionally opened her message almost 6 years ago. In 2018 I was transferred to my current assignment. It was then that I got reconnected to her. It was then also that she introduced to me the FOL devotion. It was also the time that my mother got sick and died in October 31, 2018. It was a hard time for me. The passing away of my mama took much of me and so I held on to the Flame of Love devotion. I remember that sometime in August 2018, presented the Flame of LOVE devotion to a member of the Mother of Mercy devotees. I also told them about the important message I got from my friend. Their coordinator told me also that they were actually looking for Priest who could also guide and help them. They said that it might be that I was sent to them as they were also sent to me. However, I was not able to sustain my presence with them since i had no service car of my own and besides my assignment was in Buda, almost two hours by car to their place. So I was on and off with them. However, many of them used and practiced the Flame of Love devotion in their group, family and individual prayers.Also in August 2018, I met a group of ladies praying the rosary in our parish while I was administering Baptism. Their group’s name was changed D’Believers upon my suggestion. One of them became my coordinator in the spreading of this devotion in Davao. Since the members of the group were working many of them could not come on Saturday afternoon Cenacle Prayer schedule we have. So we invite others and parishioners to join us. Luckily family members of first coordinator joined us and so we continued.At the time my mama got seriously sick leading to her death on October 31, 2018, the group suffered also. It was revived on December 8, 2018. The revival came like this. Dec 7, 2018, I prayed the Cenacle Prayer alone in our chapel that evening. The following day, December 8, 2018 solemnity of the Immaculate Conception I was approached by two young parishioners asking how to join the religious congregation. I told them that they better finish first their studies before joining. For the time being I invited them to join in the praying of the Cenacle. That day we prayed the cenacle prayer. That became the start of the group in Mary Help of Christians Parish, in Barangay Dacudao, Calinan District, Davao City. The two young people joined the original group of ladies in our Saturday Cenacle Prayer group.In the first quarter of 2019, I was recovering then from the loss of my mother, the Saturday 3PM Cenacle prayer group using the Flame of Love Prayers especially the HAIL MARY…, got more enthusiasm. It was also on these times that i personally got particular message instruction from my Mama Mary through my friend as regard to what Mama Mary and Jesus wanted to establish here in DAVAO. However, i must admit that i took the blame why such instruction and wishes never realized. And I was and still sorry for that. After my retreat in June of 2019, I and my friend designed the Flame of Love devotional leaflets to distribute to people. The second edition of that leaflet came in July 31, of the same year. This time it has the full text of the FOL basic prayers. Then sometime in September the same year we came up with the Bisaya version of the FOL prayer leaflet. Both the English and the Bisaya continued to circulate starting then. In the course of the distribution we came across a group who called themselves prayer warriors. They used to pray for the dead. We were informed that they too were using the Flame of Love prayers. So we invited them. So they joined to our Saturday, 3pm Cenacle Prayer. They themselves also propagated and spread the devotion around. My first coordinator spread the devotion to her group, the Neo Catechumenal Way Community. And since I had been celebrating Mass with this group I explained to them the importance and the urgency of this devotion.The Neo Catechumenal Way Community members also spread the devotion to their families and small communities. Thus much of the many of the FOL leaflets reached the hands of many already here in Calinan, Davao City. Sometimes also in October 2019, we came to know about a certain Pura Bandolon from Cebu who was already practicing and propagating the FLAME OF LOVE devotion. We got to know each bother by chat and calls. She agreed to send materials to us including the books and leaflets about the Flame of Love devotion. And since she has contact with the FOL communities in the US where the books came, she sent to me volumes of those materials. And in the planning of the FOL website in the country, we agreed to make her the National Coordinator. She also agreed. On the other hand, sometime in August, the Flame of Love devotion reached Cagayan de Oro through the help and initiative of Analie Maglasang, my first coordinator. When her Uncle died, we prayed for him. But the soul of her uncle informed my friend that he would want his family to know that he was sorry for what had happened before he died. And he requested to let his family know of this. My friend told me to do it. So i went to Cagayan De Oro to tell his family. It was there and in that event that we were able to spread also the FOL devotion in Cagayan. Not only Cagayan that this devotion was spread, but also in Mati Davao Oriental. My relatives and neighbors there as well as my friends and parishioners when I was assigned there also received the leaflets. Well, in the beginning I was not that enthusiastic about the important of Mama Mary’s message back in 2012. It was because I was also busy that time in my work assignment. But when I came across again the important message of Mama Mary and Jesus through my friend, last 2018, it was then that I realized that I was called for a purpose.But when mama Celestina got seriously ill leading to her death in October 31, 2018, my friend from Cebu told me something that i kept in my heart. “Mama Mary said that you don’t have to worry for your mama, Father Ariel. She will be the one to bring her to Jesus Her Son.” This message of my friend relayed to me lift up my spirit. So I told mama about it. And when Mama died I further realized that indeed this is a kind of a mission. In 2019, Feb 6, Mama Mary informed me through my friend again about her plan to have a Chapel erected on a site She identified. I was dumbstruck at the message. But it never got realized. I was partly to be blamed. And I was and am still sorry for that.And when the diary and the other leaflets came through Maam Pura, I realized that this devotion is so important and urgent because having and living this devotion is helping save souls. And this is what urged me to dedicate myself and my energy.But what really motivated me is the love for Jesus and Mama Mary and their Cause to save souls. I like to help save souls. Don Bosco’s motto was “Give me souls, take away the rest.” In short, SALVATION OF SOULS.Hoping that the spreading and propagating of this devotion help save souls as Jesus and Mama Mary wanted.I am now at their disposal….And i will be glad to cooperate with them….

Message from: Rev. Fr. Ariel M. Arias, SDB
FOL Spiritual Adviser