MANILA – A veteran church and development worker joined two of his brothers into the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) clergy, becoming the first-ever political prisoner to have been ordained deacon of the church.

Political detainee Aldeem Yañez was ordained deacon last Friday, April 25, inside the Male Dormitory of Cagayan de Oro City District Jail, completing with two brothers the three-fold Bishop-Priest-Deacon ministry of the IFI.

He is the eldest brother to Bishop Redeemer Yañez and Fr. June Mark Yañez.

Arrested on April 10, 2022 (a Palm Sunday) at their home, the military and the police allege that Yañez was illegally keeping firearms and explosives and was a member of the New People’s Army.

IFI leaders however said that the charges against him are “blatant fabrication.”

Read: IFI Supreme Bishop: Church worker’s arrest ‘grave abuse’ of police-military power

Active servant

In his Letter of Intent to Diocese of Cagayan de Oro Bishop Felixberto Calang dated March 15, Yañez wrote that his commitment to uphold human dignity and rights, even amidst personal trials, had profoundly shaped his journey of faith and service.

He said he is prepared to dedicate himself fully to the responsibilities of the diaconate, fully supported by his family and anchored by his long experience in various church ministries.

“From my teenage years, I have been an active servant of the Church, beginning as a choir (member) and guitarist and progressing to diocesan, regional up to national leadership roles being elected as national president of the Youth of Iglesia Filipina Independiente (YIFI) from 1999 to 2002,” Yañez narrated.

“My involvement extended to the ecumenical involvement of being elected as Vice-Chairperson of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP). I was also exposed to work as a development worker of the Church in the National Cathedral and that of Visayas-Mindanao Regional Office for Development (VIMROD) reflecting a deep-seated commitment to the community’s spiritual and social well-being,” he added.

Yañez is also famous nationwide for his faith-based and service driven songs.

These acts, as well as his sacrifices as a political prisoner, he said have led him to contemplate the diaconate.

“I aspire to enhance my contributions to the Church, particularly in youth and music ministries, ecumenical and interfaith engagements, and development programs. I am committed to embodying the servanthood of Christ, as emphasized in the vocation of a deacon,” he assured his Bishop.

Bishop Calang accepted Yañez’s application, which was affirmed by IFI Obispo Maximo Joel Porlares’s issuance of a mandate for his ordination.

Challenges, perseverance

Despite being one of IFI’s brightest servants, Yañez had suffered persecution because of his activism and ministry.

In October 2021, he was successful in overcoming trumped-up charges of arson, kidnapping, harassment, and grave coercion stemming from a July 2018 General Santos City arrest with other activists.

A few months later, however, on April 10, 2022, men in black forcibly entered his home in Barangay Iponan, Cagayan de Oro City, at around 4 am, planting firearms and explosives before conducting a staged search operation.

While inside the prison, Yañez, along with 15 other church workers and members of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, was charged with violations of terrorism financing or Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act.

In jail and still in possession of boundless enthusiasm in serving others, he served as religious services coordinator and business office department coordinator of the facility. His responsibilities include monitoring morning meetings for the Therapeutic Community Modality Program (TCMP), leading orientation sessions for new Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs), facilitating small reflection groups (Static Groups), coordinating table tennis sports activities, advising in their dormitory also known as cell, and leading the choir during Sunday masses.

These activities make him “mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared for the ministry to the diaconate,” he told the IFI Diocesan Board of Admission’s inquiry regarding his fitness for the ministry.

“My incarceration has not diminished my fervor or commitment to serving God and His people. Instead, the hardships I have faced have equipped me for my present situation,” Yañez wrote.

“With three decades of experience in ministry—from my youth days to serving in various fields of work within the IFI, including music, ecumenical efforts, peace-building, development work, and grassroots community outreach—I’ve developed the resilience needed to face new challenges in life, family, and mission work,” he said.

Support, solidarity

Yañez’s brother, Fr. June Mark expressed elation over his older brother’s ordination.

“As a brother and a co-builder of God’s just kingdom on earth I am very happy and proud to see pictures of Aldeem being ordained,” he told Kodao from his parish in Belgium.

But Fr. June Mark said his brother’s ordination into the clergy is but a confirmation and official recognition, noting that Aldeem had been a “deacon-in-practice” for most of his life.

“I admit: what he (Aldeem) has done before and is doing even now for God’s people and for the ecumenical movement even inside prison walls is something that I as a priest cannot surpass, which makes him deserving of such ordination,” Fr. June Mark said.

Yañez’s ordination has also drawn significant support from many, Fr. Dionito Cabillas wrote, as proven by the presence of two IFI Bishops during his ordination: Bishop Calang and IFI General Secretary Bishop Dindo Ranojo.

Even a Roman Catholic Church prelate, Archbishop José Araneta Cabantan of Cagayan de Oro City, was present at the ordination. Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Emeritus Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ also sent a message congratulating Yañez, hailing his long service to the youth, the indigenous peoples and the faithful of Mindanao.

United Church of Christ in the Philippines’s Rev. Alejandro Lazaro represented Northwestern Mindanao Jurisdiction’s Bishop Ligaya Flores San Francisco at the ordination, thanking the new deacon for being an inspiration.

Mission beyond prison

Behind bars, Yañez had indeed personified service.

“Regardless of the circumstances, we are called to serve God wherever we are. We must be ready to bear fruit, whether in Church programs, community outreach, domestic or international missions, whether the work is difficult or easy, sacramental or clerical,” he said.

Recently he released an album of some of his songs and an accompanying songbook titled  “Gawasnon.”

“Even though my liberty has been temporarily taken away, I believe the state who wanted to silence and persecute me has failed. In adversity, I find opportunities for growth and service,” he said.

“The jail facility has become my new mission area. The persons deprived of liberty have become my new choir, singing songs during Sunday Mass and other occasions. My time in jail has inspired new songs and writings, aimed at uplifting both myself and others. My fellow inmates have become my new congregation, and I engage them in Bible studies and therapeutic activities,” Aldeem declared.

But while Aldeem remains cheerful in jail, Fr. Cabillas said their Church is not letting up on its campaign to free their newest deacon. He said that Yañez would serve more if he regained his rightful freedom.

Fr. June Mark joins the chorus for his brother’s release.  “I join the loud and just call for his release so that he can fully exercise his deaconal calling,” he said. Reposted by Bulatlat