MERO (Missiological Education And Research Office)

MISSION EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

The office for Mission Education and Research (MER) is one of the offices of the Society of the Divine Word with counterparts in the SVD Asia-Pacific zone. As the title expresses it, the office is for mission education and mission research.

It started in 1988 with Fr. Leonardo Mercado, SVD, as its first director. In terms of mission education, for example, it launched  the annual Mission Orientation Course  for incoming foreign missionaries (Datingbayan), then followed by the vacationing foreign missionaries (Balikbayan).  The office also worked together with the Holy Spirit sisters (SSpS) in the summer seminar for Filipino missionaries going abroad (Alisbayan).  All the three programs now are run by the SSpS with SVD assistance.

Mission research was initially done through conducting missiological seminars with the outputs edited  into book form. At present MER also assists the provincial superior  in matters which involve programs on prophetic dialogue.
The office has had a series of directors. The first term (1988-1999)  of Fr. Mercado was followed by Fr. Dionisio Miranda, then by Fr. Edgar Javier and Fr. Michael Layugan. Fr. Mercado re-assumed the office in 2004.  MER at present is focused on how to implement concrete programs on prophetic dialogue for formation, school apostolate, and parish apostolate.