Fr. Moises Albarina was building a promising career as an accounting executive at an oil company in Manila, his home country of the Philippines, when he felt called to something more. The desire to serve others and share his faith eventually led him to leave the corporate world and join the Comboni Missionaries, taking his first vows in 2009. 

“I felt encouraged to respond to God’s love and mercy, and I did not want to keep that gift only for myself. I wanted to share it with others and be of greater service to the Church,” he shared on the eve of the May 8 graduation ceremony for the 26th session, for which he was a participant. 

Shortly after his ordination in 2014, Fr. Moises was sent to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest and most populous city, where he spent the next eleven and a half years helping build the congregation’s missionary presence in the Southeast Asian country. His work involved teaching English, accompanying young aspirants and students, and serving within the formation community. Yet missionary life in Vietnam came with its own challenges. One of the biggest difficulties, he recalls, was learning Vietnamese.

“Even after two years of learning the language, I still struggled to speak it well,” he said.

Despite the challenge, he fell in love with the mission, the people, and the culture, which he says shares similarities with life back home in the Philippines.  “It was a wonderful first assignment,” he reflected.

However, after serving for more than a decade in Vietnam, the demands of missionary life and continuous ministry began taking a toll. Before arriving for the 26th session of the St. John Paul II Sabbatical Program in January 2026, the Filipino-born priest had spent eleven and a half years in active ministry without a significant break. 

As he prepared for a new assignment in Kenya, the sabbatical program offered him an opportunity to pause, rest and renew himself spiritually, emotionally and personally. The four-month residential experience, he says, became far more transformative than he had anticipated.

“It has been very enriching,” the missionary priest reflected. “With all the workshops, talks, one-on-one sessions, growth groups and community building, every day felt like a kairos moment — an opportune time and a blessing to grow and know myself better.”

Among the areas that impacted him most was emotional awareness and learning to better manage stress and emotions. “One of my weaknesses has been controlling my temper because it affects relationships, sometimes without realizing it,” he acknowledged, adding, “Here I learned how to identify, name and manage my emotions and feelings better.”

The experience also helped him become more attentive both to others and to God. “I have learned to become a better listener, a better communicator, and to always maintain a positive outlook,” the Comboni missionary shared. “I now carry many positive affirmations in my life.”

A lover of calm instrumental and meditative worship music, Fr. Moises says the experience of living and praying alongside fellow priests, sisters and religious from different countries and congregations also became part of his healing and renewal journey. 

As he prepares to begin his next missionary assignment in Kenya — a country where he previously undertook theological studies, mission service and diaconate ministry as part of his formation journey — Fr. Moises says he leaves the program more self-aware, spiritually renewed and grateful for the path that led him from the corporate world in Manila to missionary life across cultures. 

“This is truly a place for personal growth, transformation and renewal,” he said, adding, “For all those planning to come, you will not regret it. You will experience the beauty of the program and encounter the voice of God here. It is truly a wonderful experience.” 

Inspired by Fr. Moises’ journey of renewal? Applications for the 27th Session of the St. John Paul II Sabbatical Program beginning on August 3 are now open. Apply today via: St. John Paul II Sabbatical Program Application Page