Dominican Studentate hosts search-in program

This second semester, Pagtugon Sa Tawag (PST), the vocation promotion apostolic group of the Dominican Studentate and the local promoter of Santo Domingo Convent, was busied by the Vocation Discernment Program which consisted of activities aimed at helping the inquirers and prospective candidates to the Order in their discernment. This year, PST conducted the vocation discernment program both online and face-toface, which drew a good number of participants.

PST’s engagement in the vocation promotion this formation year was challenged by the pandemic. It could not be denied anymore that the online platform is necessary for vocation promotion, even during the post-pandemic era since the online platform makes it easy to reach out to those who are in the provinces or could not come for one reason or another. Through online means, the Order of Preachers can thus easily be made known especially in far distant places even if there is no presence of the Dominicans in those areas. Nevertheless, the challenge is how to bring those who meet us online to face-to-face encounters. The face-to-face encounter is still irreplaceable.

And so, aside from the online vocation promotion activities, PST also conducted a face-to-face vocation discernment program through its searchin program. We invited the inquirers, especially those who are living around National Capital

Region, to come to the Dominican Studentate and stay with us for three days and two nights on February 24-26, 2023. We also invited those inquirers who had passed their entrance exam during the Team Preaching program last January 2023. The inquirers joined almost all of the activities of the brothers. Aside from that, they also had some talk and sharing sessions with the friars. The inquirers joined the prayer schedules with the friars both in the choir and in the chapel and the Way of the Cross. They also interacted with the friars in the refectory. The inquirers also joined the cleaning schedule of the brothers. The participants of the search-in program were also blessed because, during the talk sessions, they could interact directly with the friars. The speakers were Father Tereso M. Campillo Jr., OP, Father Lauro G. de Dios, OP, and Rev. Mervin G. Lomague, OP. The topics of the talks were similar to the topics of the online vocation discernment program. Besides the same topics, the inquirers of the search-in program also got a chance to ask their questions directly to the speaker. The deepening points of the talk and sharing sessions flowed from the questions from and discussion with the inquirers. Thus, the packaging of the talk and sharing sessions was somewhat different from the online program. BR.

It was indeed a joy for us to see the children smile and be happy. It also a great blessing to have visited and served the people in the area once again after the pandemic.

BR. LAURENCE RYAN V. MATA, OP

Level II features pilgrimage to Bulacan

After a lull of more than two years due to the pandemic, the sports festival of MUKHA AD, together with Santo Domingo Parish Youth Ministry (SDPYM), was staged once again as “Amazing Race 2023” on April 16, 2023 at the UST Angelicum College Gym. The program started with a prayer led by Ms. Ann Cordial, SPDYM Coordinator. Thereafter, Ms. Kristine Claire Ganoy, also from SDPYM, led the warm up exercise. After which, there was a jingle competition wherein the MUKHA AD and SDPYM members took turns in performing their creative pieces to creatively introduce their respective groups. Then the various games and interactive teambuilding activities followed suit. One of their tasks in the Amazing Race was also to cook and prepare the lunch they would eat together. It was a fun-filled day which also allowed the participants both from MUKHA AD and SDPYM to foster camaraderie, sportsmanship and friendship. It is also the beginning of more future collaborations between the two youth groups. MS.