Being

even proper clothes but their trust and faith in God could not be undermined. They might not be that knowledgeable about Church’s teachings but their reliance on God is truly impressive. They are aware that life can be very hard, and sometimes, to survive the day is a matter of great deal. But they do survive because faith in God teaches them that life has a meaning and hope never fails. Indeed, people whom we encountered struggle hard to keep their life, but they are content that they struggle for people whom they love. Seeing their perseverance, I remember the words of St. Boniface, “What we ourselves cannot bear, let us bear with the help of Christ.”

Present, Listening, Journeying

MY BROTHERS, as I have told you before, the Pastoral Enrichment Program is designed to reinforce what was introduced to you last summer. Last semester, you had your own seminars, boot camps or capability building workshops that somehow complemented the thrust of the pastoral program of the Studentate. Being sensitive to the demands of your academic requirements, we are only squeezing in this a month-long enrichment program prior to your finals. Thus, we have to make the most of what we got than nothing at all.

Whether you like it or not, as future priests and brothers of the Province, the Church and the stakeholders of the institutions we are running for the propagation of the Catholic faith, expect from you the kind of leadership rooted in the tradition and thrust of the Province and of the Order. As you are being prepared to be academicians, professors, and experts in theology, philosophy and canon law, never limit yourself to these alone, because for most of you, you will be priests, and with that you have to take the challenge to live out the munus triplex of Christ - as a faithful intercessor, a zealous witness of faith and a servant leader!

Yes, UST-AC is only one of our educational institutions, which is only one aspect of your pastoral thrust. However, as you come close and see how they are faithful to education per se, you would see all the aspects of the pastoral thrusts of the Province in this humble school. Aside from the leadership and resources management, UST-AC is also engaging in local mission and justice and peace by making education as a means to alleviate poverty in our country; they are also into guidance and counselling for any academic journey requires a good companion to guide and coach our young people; more so, UST-AC is a fertile place for pastoral ministry where young minds begin to develop their sense of personal identity, but their spiritual identity as well. You have to bear in mind that any learning institution is dedicated not only in honing the mind, but it is dedicated to the integral formation of the whole person.

Equally important, UST-AC is the pioneer of the non-graded system of education in the Philippines. This is our own and as young Dominicans you have to be proud of the legacy of our forebears who painstakingly gave birth to this innovative system of learning. When I was asked to go to Iloilo, I was only three years in the priesthood. At first, I have my hesitation, but my exposure to Angelicum College, Quezon City somehow gave me the courage that I can do it not just because I know the system, but the friendships that I have established with the lay administrators made me feel that I have people to lean on. When we were young coristas we too had our fair share in crossing the door near the gym area of the Coristado to teach in Angelicum or to be assistant facilitators in the Home Study Program. During those days, it deepened my appreciation of the system. More than that, I came to know and became grateful to the presence of so many dedicated lay people who are working for us and making this system really work!

With this, I hope and pray, that this short exposure of yours may provide countless opportunities not only in appreciating your vocation, but most especially also the vocation of the lay people around you, who believe so much in our ministry in educating the young people of today. God bless you my dear brothers!

(This is an excerpt from the Opening Remarks delivered during the Pastoral Enrichment Program FY 2022-2023 Orientation held on April 13, 2023 at UST Angelicum College, Quezon City.)

IN the pastoral enrichment program for urban/rural poor and care of creation, we were assigned to the Re-Entry Education Agenda for the Poor (REAP) Program of UST Angelicum College, Quezon City. In this program, we have realized three important things.

The first learning that we’ve got is on the apostolate of presence. Our very presence gives joy to the people whom we have encountered because they see and feel that the Church is moving with them. I remember Fr. Simon, OP simply telling us, “We will go there to visit and get to know them.” To be with them is to give them our time and a part of our lives. Perhaps, this is also another way to understand the call of Christ for us to give up our life. We will not die literally, but giving them a part of our time is already giving them a sig- call, that, as what St. John Paul II would remind all religious in the document Vita Consecrata, each individual must be totally conformed to the image of the Master they serve. When we do our apostolate, we must be absorbed in the person of Christ, so that we may know that we are there, first and foremost, because of Him who called us to serve. nificant part of our life. Presence is important. This is even the very reason why Jesus had to incarnate and to take on the human form – to be one like us and be with us so that we may know and realize that what is before us is true love.

The third important lesson we gained is a deeper realization that since we are greatly blessed, we too must become a blessing to others. As Dominicans, this blessing which we have is no less than Jesus himself. This same blessing is what we must share with others through education and apostolate. One of our mottos is ‘Benedicere’ or to bless. We can effectively do this by being a blessing to others by our gift of self and our gift of giving them our time and our life to lead them to Jesus. Knowing this, we will be grounded that we must not only save either the body or save the soul alone. In a holistic manner we must save, nourish, and educate the whole human person.

In our visit to the various REAP sites, we felt that people somehow see Jesus in us (hopefully). Fr. Simon, OP, also urged us to wear the Dominican habit in almost all of our exposures in order to remind us and the people that we come, not in our own name, but in the name of the Dominican Studentate, in the name of the Church, and in the most profound way, in the name of Jesus. This allows us to reflect on the deep reality of our religious

All of these learnings can be summarized by one word and that is, ‘Church’. We have felt and experienced what it truly means to be a Church. Simply, it is to walk and journey together towards giving birth to the Kingdom of God in our society. In educating the youth, we fulfill this mission by making real what the Baltimore Catechism would lay down in its beginning chapters: “The purpose of man’s existence is to know, love, and serve the Lord.” Education can lead the youth to know Jesus, and as what St. Thomas Aquinas believes, knowing would lead to loving what we know. And only through knowing and loving Jesus can we be led to serve Him and His Church. Indeed, as the old Filipino proverb goes, “Ang sakit ng kalingkingan ay dama ng buong katawan’. Lahat tayo ay dapat may pakielam at makilahok tungo sa pag-akay sa lahat sa landas patungo kay Kristo.” All ways and means must lead and end in Christ.