Biography Narrative

Pangan serves as the programme coordinator of the Socio-Cultural and Interreligious Dialogue course at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan, which promotes and creates spaces for interreligious and cultural dialogue formation to students, faculty and staff at the university. She organised and co-founded the Sira’j Muslim Religious Organization of the university and has moderated the organization since then. She also serves as the coordinator both in the Ad-Extra Ministry on Interreligious Dialogue of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro and the Interfaith Forum for Peace Harmony and Solidarity (IFPHS) that promotes and fosters understanding, solidarity and deep respect between Muslims, Christians, Indigenous peoples and other faith traditions in the city as well as in its neighbouring cities and municipalities.

Mona is a risk-taker and loves to explore possibilities where people of other living faith traditions and cultures could come and work together for peace and harmony. She loves travelling, biking and mountain climbing because it gives her a wider perspective and an in-depth reflection of life and societal situations.

Mona facilitates an interfaith spiritual formation in her university community as part of her engagement in IRD. She conducts various activities that are focused on eliciting deeper respect, understanding, appreciation and acceptance of the richness and beauty of faith traditions and cultures, as well as lessening the prejudicial attitude and behaviour of the community that can lead to division and conflict on the campus.

Interreligious Activities and Initiatives

Building a New Hope for the Next Generation of IRD in Cagayan de Oro City

The overwhelming impact of the COVID 19 pandemic to the life of the people was really unimaginable. The old normal ways and activities were stifled which in effect my community project was also affected. My project was a three-day training workshop on ‘Building a New Hope for the Next Generation of IRD Religious Leaders in Cagayan de Oro. It was participated by 30 young male and female aspiring religious leaders from the Muslim, Indigenous Peoples and Christian community. My community project was re-scheduled thrice because of the locked down due to COVID 19 pandemic. Despite the many challenges, the project was finally implemented last February 1-3, 2021 at Patrick Cronin Hall of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro. The schedule was so timely because it was in the occasion of celebrating the World Interfaith Harmony Week. Representatives from different partner institutions on this project came to give their support and inspiring messages. The three full-days were full of discoveries, learnings and realizations. The input-workshops provided the participants deeper knowledge of their self-identity, appreciation of different faith traditions and culture and the realization on the importance of engaging oneself to the promotion of Interreligious and Cultural Dialogue.