Julia: Welcome to Things I Wish I Knew, the podcast from

Thinking Faith, a work of the Jesuits in Britain.

I'm Julia. I'm in my early 30s and I used to live

in a Jesuit young adult community. We all live

hectic lives and often don't get time to reflect

on what's happening both to us and around us. This

podcast is meant to help you to take a moment to

stop and think about where you are, what, where

you're going and, um, where your relationship with

God fits into it all. Every week, I meet a new

guest who tells me about something they

experienced which changed their life forever. By

talking about the things they wish they'd known,

we'll explore the idea that God is in all things.

And we'll talk about the part that faith plays in

navigating life's challenges.

Today I'm speaking to Marc Anthony Ignatius, who

is a Catholic creative. He grew up in Manila and

moved to London as a teenager. In this

conversation, he speaks about his experience of

becoming a youth missionary. He travelled the

world and now works in marketing and how God has

commissioned him throughout his life. So, Marc

Anthony, what was it like growing up in Manila?

Marc Anthony: Growing up in Manila in the Philippines is very

different. It's very manic as well. Lifestyle is

so different. Um, particularly for me, like, I

don't come from a very affluent family, but in the

Philippines it's kind of like labour is cheap.

And, um, I was so used to being pampered up. We

would have helpers in the house, driver. Ah, we

would have really good access to things. Um, and

definitely it was very different. And in terms of

being in Manila, it's kind of easier to be

Catholic in terms of being in the Philippines.

It's like 80% belongs to the Christian

denomination and probably around, what, around 70%

of it, the Roman Catholic faith. So in terms of

things, in terms of culture, church has always

been embedded in society. And particularly for me

as a child, our family would always go to church

and kind of like, my early memory would be going

to church every Sunday and then looking forward to

family meals afterwards. We would go to the mall

and we would have a meal and I would always look

forward to, you know, like, sometimes going into

church and looking forward for the. Would be,

like, not necessarily going into mass, but

actually like, oh, we're going to have a meal out

with the family. Um, so, yeah, it was very nice.

Julia: And so how did that experience define who you were

at that time?

Marc Anthony: That experience definitely, um, made me who I am.

Um, like, in terms of what I know of myself, of me

being naturally who I am, which is Marc Anthony.

But I think it laid out great foundations for

myself as a human being, as. Not just as a human

being, actually as a Catholic, um, because as a

child, um, even going into school or within our

families, um, I was so kind of used to that rhythm

of prayer, being able to have that rhythm of

creativity, that rhythm of even though in the

midst of being busy, uh, not just as a person, but

also in the city like Manila, um, it made me, um,

more resilient and more curious, um, about

everything that goes around me, um, but it also

allowed me to really nurture, uh, like my gifts,

um, as a child and to actually build that

curiosity to, um, move over, really.

Julia: So then you moved to London in your teenage years.

What was that like?

Marc Anthony: Gosh, it was so different. I moved in, uh, when it

was autumn. I was so used to kind of like 35

degrees, um, weather. And then I came here when it

was like 15, 16 degrees Celsius. Um, it was nice.

Um, it was very, very different because I wasn't

used to four seasons. Not just four seasons, um,

within the year, but four seasons in one day. Um,

you know, being. Particularly being in London, you

know, sometimes, um, we don't know if we're going

to carry an umbrella or we're not, but actually we

are going to have it on our bags because, you

know, the weather can sometimes change. But I was

so used to kind of like having that two weather.

It's either it's very hot or it's the monsoon

season. Um, but when I moved into London, it was

very different because, um, I remember when I was

a, I would go to school, then after school I would

go to museums because they're for free and they're

so easily reachable. And after class, um,

particularly when I was like finishing my GCSEs or

doing my GCSEs, I would go to Mass every single

day and it's easily reachable.

Julia: Talking of you doing your GCSes, you must have

come just as you had to start doing them.

Marc Anthony: Yeah, so I was Salesian educated, um, when I moved

here with the Salesians of Don Bosco. And it laid

out really great facts, foundations for me in

terms of we all know, or if you don't know, but

St. John Bosco is the patron saints of the youth.

Um, so the school that I belong to had a lot of,

um, activities and also formulations for myself.

Um, and yeah, um, I remember kind of like

commuting every single day. So coming from West

London, all the way down to Battersea in southwest

London. It that kind of journey to go to school.

It's like going into the bus and everything and

seeing how busy it could be in the rush hour. But,

um, I always look forward to kind of like going

into school because I had really, really good

foundations around it. I had so much of a great

time at school that I even became head boy. Um,

and yeah, uh, I loved it so much. Really?

Julia: That's good.

My next question was, what was it like going to

Salesian school?

Marc Anthony: Um, being in Salesian school, actually, um, it was

really fun. I had a great time particularly. I

think one of my highlights is going into

pilgrimages and going to places, holy places. So

we would normally have within, like the

summertime, we would go to the Aylesford Priory

with the Carmelites. And I've always kind of like,

looked forward into it, but particularly when I

was in year 10 and year 11, uh, I became very

involved in leadership, um, formations. So all the

kind of Salesian schools in the country would

normally gather up in, um, Saviour House in

Bolington in Cheshire. And I really loved that.

And I was able to kind of like meet a lot of

Salesian students from all around the country.

Julia: So I was just thinking then about how you talked

about going to a Salesian school and talks about

the influence of the Carmelites, um, when you went

to Aylesford and obviously you've got now the

influence of the Jesuits and the Ignatian

spirituality. So you've had a lot of, like,

influence of different spiritualities for you. So.

And you talked about when in your childhood, your

faith being very like, naturally there, because

that's what your family did, that's what you did

at church. But when did your faith become

something more personal to you?

Marc Anthony: Um, so I've, I've spoken about all these

foundations, right. And all these things that I've

kind of experienced, but I forgot to talk about.

Like, um, when I moved here in the uk, the very

first point of place that I went into and our

family went into is a church which is the

Westminster Cathedral. And, um, I was serving at

Westminster Cathedral all the way down to when I

was 19. Um, but, yeah, so for me, um, faith became

very much a personal thing. When I started alt

serving, um, I was an altar server. Ah, back home

in Manila. We had formations there. But I think

when I serve from Westminster Cathedral in

Westminster Cathedral, that I, um, really, really

had this big breakthrough in my life that, wow,

like every Sunday I would normally kind of like,

not just When I was young, I was, like, looking

forward to the meals I would. I was really very

much looking forward to kind of like ironing my

shirt and making sure that my shoes are properly

polished. That, uh, when I get in then, and I get

my auburn and I get, when I get dressed into, uh,

my altar server swag, or otd, um, that I gave God

the best of me and the best possible way and my

all in being able to serve God. Um, yeah, it was

very, it was very, very. It was very much like a

personal thing because I remember I. I started

going in and making my faith very personal to me

when Pope Benedict XVI went to the uk. Um, and I

remember that being such a great experience. Um,

because if I'm not mistaken, he is the very first

Pope that I've been able to. Periods in the flesh.

Um, but, yeah, when I became an altar server, ah,

just changed. Um, and that was a time where

Cardinal Vincent Nichols became the Archbishop of

Westminster. And I was the very first cohort, like

the very first batch of people that was confirmed

by Cardinal Vincent. Um, so I have that kind of,

like, history. But, um, that really became

personal because from my altar serve days and then

I got confirmed at the cathedral, it was really,

really personal because I really had that strong

sense of rhythm in my faith and in my prayers. Um,

you know, from moving, from growing up as a child,

moving here and having that rhythm of going into

church and like, altar serving, having the

Salesian foundations, um, God was really

intentional in having this personal relationship

with me, and me desiring that personal

relationship with him, um, through the things that

I kind of belong to or the things that I've kind

of looked forward to joining, really.

Julia: So going back to what you said about Pope

Benedict, where. Where did you see him?

Marc Anthony: I saw him, um, in 2010. 2010? Yeah, it was 2010.

It was 2010. When Pope Benedict came. Um, I had

this really, really profound experience of him

when he was doing his papal audience in Hyde Park.

I remember I. We had a big kind of, like, tent and

like, chairs with some of my teachers in school in

the Salesian school here in Battersea. And I

remember this kind of, like, feeling of, like,

when Pope Benedict came in. I don't know for

anyone who's ever seen a Pope, but just that

feeling of, like, God being with him, it was

absolutely incredible. Like, I just thinking about

it now, like, I'm even having goosebumps around it

because you see, you see how much the leader of

the. The Catholic Church actually not just

emulate, but the way he's dressed and the way he

blesses people, um, it magnifies so much of God's

love, really.

Julia: I remember because I also saw him at Hyde park,

the like, cheering that happened for him as he was

coming on stage. But then as the, like, exposition

started, just the silence and the prayer that like

hushed on like 80,000 people all at once. And I've

never experienced that in the same way again.

Marc Anthony: So beautiful. Definitely. So beautiful.

Julia: So seeing Pope Benedict in Hyde park had a really

big impact on me. And, um, like a week later I

went off to university and started as a fresher.

And that experience I had kind of impacted my

whole university, my time at university. What

impact did, did it happen you or what did you end

up doing next?

Marc Anthony: So I was like nearly finished with secondary

school and then I moved into, um, my A levels, uh,

and I moved from Battersea in southwest London,

then moved into Camden for sixth form. And then

there it was quite different because I came from

an all boys school and then now it's kind of like

mixed gender. And then my kind of base school, um,

had a lot of girls in it because it was a girls

school. Um, I guess for me, um, after that whole

meeting with the Pope, it sparked a little bit

more curiosity and creativity in me that I went

into art school, went, um, to art school at the

University of Arts, London. Um, and then during

that time for me, like, I was kind of thinking,

oh, shall I stay in London or shall I not? Um, and

then lo and behold, God has planted me, um, to be

in the city of Lincoln.

Julia: And why do you feel that God was planting you to

be in the city of Lincoln?

Marc Anthony: Um, do you know what? Lincoln is quite an

interesting place. Um, it's in the East Midlands.

Um, and it's not, it's like a, uh, it's considered

a city because it has the great cathedral. Um, but

it's like, it's so small, it's a town. It was very

much a culture shock for me. It felt like when I

moved from Manila to London, I've always been

planted by God in cosmopolitan cities. And then lo

and behold, for university I went into probably

one of the smallest cities in the uk, which is

Lincoln, which no one has ever heard about

probably. Um, but fun fact, the Magna Carta is

there and it houses one of the great cathedrals

ever, um, made in the country. But for me, I felt

like Lincoln was such a strong blessing for me. So

I started, I started my degree there in journalism

and then quickly shifted into creative

advertising. For me, like, it I formed really good

relationships and really good friends, um, in

Lincoln. For, um, me. I've learned so much about

community and what it means to actually really

become a formed person. Because when you're a

teenager, right, you're trying to explore

different things in terms of your interests and

stuff. And then when you're in university, it's

kind of like the time, particularly for me, when I

moved out of London. It was a time for me to

really be independent for myself, to cook meals,

to do groceries, to actually go into my lectures,

to, you know, to become a young person. A young

person fully living independently. There are times

as well where kind of like my faith is challenged

or shaken in the sense that I wasn't doing well in

university or sometimes I forget to go to Mass,

um, or maybe tempted to do things that are not

Christian. Like. But in Lincoln, I felt like God

called me there and planted me there. The seed

that came out of it was so fruitful. And then also

the things that I worked around and did around

when I was in Lincoln, um, was simply monumental

in terms of my identity.

Julia: So how did you go from studying creative

advertising into youth ministry?

Marc Anthony: So, um, so at the age of 18, when I was still in

London, um, I did this youth camp with a

charismatic community. Um, it's called Cops for

Christ. Youth for Christ. Um, it's a, uh, movement

that started in the Philippines. Majority, um, of

his members are Filipinos. Um, but then we all the

missions and everything, um, we are all around the

world, um, including Africa. A friend of mine,

like an old friend of mine, we were in a bubble

tea shop. Um, when bubble tea wasn't as popular,

um, there was this bubble tea shop in Notting Hill

and I used to go there all the time. And then this

sister was like, oh, why don't you join our youth

camp? And I was like, m. Okay. And then in there,

like, I experienced God in, in the most profound

way and in the most tangible way. And then I was

only in London doing youth um, for Christ, or YFC

as what we call it, uh, for a year. And then I

moved into Lincoln. And then I remember being in

Lincoln, it was kind of like, gosh, there's no

community here. Not there wasn't any Filipinos in

it. Not that that mattered. Like the number of

people of colour. It's not as diverse as in

London. So for me it was. It was a big culture

shock. Um, being in the um, shops closes at 4 or

5pm I was like, how am I going to live in this

place? Um, but then I remembered, um, so when I

moved into Lincoln at the age of 19, I would go to

my friends, um, in another chapter. So I would go

to Newcastle. I would hop into different ministry,

um, gatherings, uh, and different prayer meetings.

I would be in Lincoln from Monday to Friday and

then Saturday and Sunday I would be somewhere

else. And so I contacted some of my friends and I

was really involved in Youth for Christ in

Bradford and Leeds. And in there I did not just

found God and experience God, but I've made

lifelong friends.

Julia: To then, what made you say yes to becoming a youth

missionary?

Marc Anthony: It was really funny because every single year I

would do this youth conference that happens in the

Philippines. It's called the International

Conference. I remember I went there for 2016, 2017

and 2018. Funny enough, these are my first year of

creative advertising, second year of creative

advertising, and third year of creative

advertising. Every single year whenever I go back

home to the Philippines, the calling to become a

missionary has always been louder and louder and

louder. I would do my university things in Monday

to Friday. I, um, would normally finish in the

afternoon. I would travel to Leeds, lead a prayer

meeting. Saturday, um, we would go and do our

assembly and then Sunday I would normally spend

time with a family and other young people and I

would have one on ones with them and sharing

things. I guess for me, um, my conviction and God

calling me to become a missionary really was in

the most tangible way of simply breaking bread

together. You know, when, when Jesus was in the

Last supper or when he commissioned his disciples,

right, um, to do things for him or to do things

with him, it was always about the relationability

of things. It was always about relating to people.

So for me my calling really was planted through

people. I've interacted. Um, when I was going to

these international conferences, um, there was

this particular conference in 2017. The theme of

that conference was solid ground. Um, it draw onto

kind of like our solid ground being our faith, our

family and community, um, and the people that I've

met there, um, who I'm still friends with, shout

out to all my friends, um, who are in Australia

and um, the uae. Um, whenever we just sit down, we

don't normally see each other for long. Um, we

would normally just spend a week in the

Philippines and we'd go back. Um, for me it really

sparked curiosity and sparked so much of God's

goodness through those uh, conversations and in

there. And through those conversations it really

kind of put a stamp and affirmed me that God has

been calling me to become a missionary for CFC

Youth for Christ.

Julia: It's interesting what you just said, because for

me, I have a lot of conversations with people

about what is a missionary in terms of. Very

traditionally we saw it as a role of somebody who

went overseas and specifically went and talks

about who Jesus is in places that have never heard

of Jesus before. But actually in this day and age,

we're now all called to be missionaries in some

way because so many people in our own country

haven't heard the message of Jesus.

Marc Anthony: My experience of being a missionary has been so

colourful. Um, anything and everything around it,

um, have always kind of centralised on, not just

travelling. I was as a missionary for cfc, Youth

for Christ. I was kind of like base and stationed

in Central Europe, so that's Switzerland and

Austria. Um, but I also had. I, um, went on

mission trips to go to the Holy Land and in Italy

and so in majority of the provinces in Italy. Um,

but in there I did not speak any of the local

languages. But it's not about the comprehension. I

think it was about the heart of communicating to

people that this is the message that you are loved

by God and that we are all loved by God, that

Jesus, uh, Christ is king and the fact that our

Catholic faith is something that is attainable.

Julia: Um, yeah, that sounds like a really profound

experience. How do you go from an experience like

that and transition out of that missionary work

back into a career in marketing and production?

Marc Anthony: Um, there wasn't much transition, actually. If

there's anything God is calling us to mission

every single day of our lives, every single fibre

of our being and every single depth of us is

called to mission. It's either, it's. It's called

to work. You know, God isn't just in, like, youth

missionary work. God calls us to be, you know,

either you're being called to good nurses or to

become a good doctor or to become a chef. All of

these things God speaks, even in the things that

we find that are unspeakable. Um, I transitioned.

I think I transitioned really well in the sense

that the things and the skills that I've learned

from being a youth missionary was so useful to be

out there in the corporate world. Things like

patience, things like being able to be creative.

Um, and particularly for me, one thing that is

important, most importantly, dealing with people,

relationships. Being a missionary, you're able to

actually talk to a lot of people, from youth to

children to young adults to working adults. It

made me really, really blessed to transition into

my career knowing that I could be able to speak to

any, any person of faith or no faith and share my

faith, really, or just do the work that I do.

Julia: So did you ever struggle with the idea that

mission had to look a certain way?

Marc Anthony: Of course. Like, definitely. Like, I think when I

first became a missionary, I thought, oh, I have

to be perfect. I have to do this and that. Um,

missionaries, wherever we are called to, we are

actually called to struggle. But I believe that

God shares that struggle with us. Either you're

missionary or not. Um, we struggle every day. And

the best thing that I've kind of learned from that

is it's okay to struggle, but it's also okay to

run back to God. Um, even if you can't do things.

Because who is actually perfect? There's no one

that is perfect. Um, there's so many things,

particularly for me, like, I'm a perfectionist.

I'm a type A. Um, I like things to be done a

certain way. But if God wants you and purifies you

and actually ask you, but, yes, that's how you

want it, but how about my way? That's pruning. God

prunes you to become a better fruit.

Julia: So what would you say to someone who feels called

to mission but not necessarily knowing where to

start?

Marc Anthony: Take a breather. Um, when you're being called by

God to mission, it's kind of like we're so focused

to kind of like, yes, God, I'm going to give my

all to you. Actually have a breather and actually

begin. Begin with God, purify me and begin with

your gifts. What gifts do I have that I could be

able to share to people? What gifts do I have that

needs growing so that God could grow me more as a

person? Um, yeah, mission. We're all being called

to mission. May it be in the church or outside the

church. Everything that we have is a mission.

We're all being commissioned by God to do

something for the betterment of this world and for

the benefit of every single nation. And, um, every

single person we get to meet, really.

Julia: So he just talks about being commissioned by God.

What does that mean to you right now?

Marc Anthony: For me, right now is essentially, is to live God's

truth authentically. At this rate and the world

that we live in right now, it's kind of like, oh,

speak your truth and everything. Speaking truth

is, yeah, okay. It could be one thing, but to live

the truth that God wants you to live

authentically, uh, particularly for me, in the

stage of my life right now where, um, a lot of the

people around me, um, a lot of the people that

I've Kind of, um, served in mission, now they're

doing the mission. And a lot of people that are in

my, in the stage of life that I'm at right now,

they're being called to become parents and to

marry someone. And it's such a beautiful thing.

But for me, to be commissioned is to essentially

really answer to God by living it, uh, truthfully

and authentically.

Julia: So for you, does that mean you're discerning

religious life or is it thinking about how God

wants you to live out your life as a layperson?

Marc Anthony: That's a very interesting question because it's

kind of like. So I came into this kind of plethora

of different experiences from being in university,

being a missionary for the youth, and then now

living and working in the creative world. I guess

for me is, um, discernment is every day. A lot of

my friends are like, oh, what's next? It's kind of

like we look forward so much on what's next. But

for me is it's okay to not know where and God

wants me to be, because God is not just in the

highlight reel on my Instagram. God is also in the

mundane things of my life. What I just know for a

fact is that God is calling me to a mission that

he wants me to do. Whether it is to be a

layperson, to marry, um, someone, or to become a

priest, who knows? But I know wherever God wants

me to be, there he is and he will love me more,

um, because of what he wants it. Film me.

When we are at this stage of life, m where we've

done a lot of things and stuff and where we're

restless, I, um, think essentially our vocations

and what we are being called for mission is where

we can love God and where God can love us even

further.

Julia: So what do you wish you known about mission and

discerning with God?

Marc Anthony: Come with a lot of curiosity, um, because

sometimes we have a predetermined thing with God.

Oh, God, I already know what I'm gonna do. Like

this, blah, blah. It's not so much about what we

are going to do, but rather have the curiosity of

like, okay, God, what do you actually want me to

do? Um, rather than what I'm going to do. God. And

for me, I wish I, I took a chill pill a little bit

more sometimes I was a little bit too intense. But

it's just to live life where I could take a

breather and to really live my calling one step at

a time rather than running 10 times more than what

I should run towards.

Julia: And um, what are you grateful for?

Marc Anthony: I'm grateful for everything. I'm grateful for the

gift of life, for the things that God has given to

me. But also I'm grateful for what God has in

store for me already. Because I know whatever God

has in store for me, he could love me further in

that space and in that moment.

Julia: Thank you for joining us.

Marc Anthony: God be praised.

Julia: Thanks for listening to Things I Wish I Knew. I

know this conversation is going to stay with me

because it reminded me how we're all called to be

missionaries in our day to day lives. How about

you? We'd love to hear how Marc Anthony's story

resonated with you. And why not also tell us if

you're facing an experience you wish you knew how

to look at differently. It might just be something

we can help with. You can find out more about this

and other themes at thinkingfaith.org. Thank you

again for listening. I hope you'll join me again

next time on Things I Wish I Knew.