Fr. Emmanuel “Nono” L. Alfonso, SJ, Executive Director of Jesuit Communications is a writer and a TV and radio host at ABS-CBN (Channel 2), DZMM Teleradyo, Radio Veritas and Radyo Katipunan. In 2008, he was given a Special Citation Award for Best Opinion Column Category at the 30th Catholic Mass Media Awards . He is the Executive Producer of Ignacio de Loyola, a full-length feature film about St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. The film was released in the Philippines on July 27, 2016 and with international screenings starting August 26, 2016. It is the first Filipino film screened at the Vatican.
The Executive Director’s Corner contains Fr. Nono Alfonso’s spiritual reflections, homilies and critical essays.
Rather, the Dark Ages!
(Published on pressone.ph, March 19, 2024) Discombobulated. That was how President Bongbong Marcos, Jr., appeared in his interview with ABC Australia’s Sarah Ferguson in his recent visit there. Asked by the veteran journalist why he would not return the family’s ill-gotten wealth so it could be used to help the Philippines, Marcos was flummoxed by […]
EDSA in Luneta?
(Published on pressone.ph, Feb 29, 2024) Yes, that was my proposal to a Church prelate just before the Pandemic. I suggested that we had a change of venue for the festivities that year. The People Power anniversary was fast approaching then, but there seemed to be no energy or excitement at all among the populace. […]
GOMBURZA: The Inside Story
(Published on pressone.ph, February 10, 2024) “Salamat po sa JesCom sa pagsusugal sa akin (Thank you to JesCom for taking a risk on me).” That was the opening line of Cedric Juan as he accepted the “Best Actor” award at the Metro Manila FilmFest’s Gabi ng Parangal. Cedric Juan played the lead role as Padre […]
Some Are Lighter Than Others!
There’s a viral quote from the Hollywood actress, Angelina Jolie. She says: “I have never understood why some people are lucky enough to be born with the chance that I had to have this path in life, and why somewhere across the world, there’s a woman just like me, same abilities and the same desires […]
Peter’s Grit
Since the Christmas season in the Philippines has already begun (to the dismay of liturgists like Fr. RB Hizon), let me tell you about my first Christmas as a Jesuit. I was a novice then of course and after supper on the 24th of December, our Father Novice master, Fr. Benny Calpotura surprised us by […]
MAGNIFICAT: Mary’s long view of life
Has your past blest you? Have you found God in your past? Finding Your Roots is a popular TV show where in Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a Harvard scholar, helps celebrities get to know their roots, their ancestors, their past. The actress Queen Latifa never knew her grandparents and like every African American would not […]
“Hail to our Heroes, the Pigs!”
June 30, 2021Memorial of the Protomartyrs of the Holy Roman ChurchReflection on Gospel today (MT 8: 28 – 34) Babe is one of my favorite films where the main protagonist is an animal. Produced by an Australian film company, Babe is about a very intelligent pig. Fearful of becoming food for the table, he earned […]
Unbidden
Homily of Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Alfonso, SJ27 Mar 21, Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent I was postponed from pronouncing my first vows. That’s when I first met Salty. Every day, I would come to Ateneo for classes but would commute back to the Novitiate in Novaliches where I was semi-quarantined from my batchmates. […]
Joseph’s Brand
Blood is thicker than water! That is a very familiar slogan for us all, especially for us Filipinos. It points to the power of our blood relations, the primacy of filial love. I recall that saying because both readings today seem to speak about filial love, in particular parental love. In the first reading, our […]