Stepping down from the rented car after an hour and a half ride from hometown Lavezares, we saw Manay Nene (Ryan's mother) waiting for us by the seminary's main hall. She came a day before the ceremony to assist his son in that very special occasion. I saw people moving around the seminary compound which sits on top of a hill. Earlier, I took pity on two older ladies as they struggle to walk on a very steep road leading up to the seminary.
All over the seminary, the mode was both festive and solemn. There were yellow and white buntings fluttering by the main building. Going by the stairs, people are busy yet barely talking with each other, perhaps, because minds are all set for the special event set to happen in a few minutes.
We went on the second floor of the building and saw for myself the dorm-like rooms of the seminarians. Ryan shares a room with nine others which they call BEC-Pasidayag. Each of the room is considered a BEC cell. BEC stands for Basic Ecclesial Community which is the basic church, composed of small number of families in the neighborhood, that is self-nourishing and self-sustaining made possible through communal praying and sharing and following God's Word.
At exactly nine o'clock, the mass started with Bishop Isabelo Abarquiz of the Diocese of Calbayog as the presider along with more than ten priests. Hearing the opening song, tears started to form in my eyes. I cannot explain why I am getting emotional. This also, I always feel, everytime I hear the Mass at Cebu's Santo Nino Basilica Minore. As the music ended, I find myself wiping the tears away.
The homily of the bishop was not only delivered for the seminarians to be invested, I consider it a conscience call for everybody. It struck a chord in my heart as the bishop repeatedly reminded the seminarians to serve God and the poor, a mission much animated by St. Vincent de Paul in whose honor the seminary was named and who is celebrating his feast on that day. If only people in this country take seriously "Serve God, Serve the Poor" as a mission statement, giving life to it on a daily basis, societal problems would be much easier to address.
In the middle of the mass, the bishop blessed the habits of the seminarians in the presence of their respective parents. Each of them went up to their room and wore the vestments assisted by their parents. Then, they went back to the chapel for the continuation of the ceremony until the end of the mass.
Then, all proceeded to the Covered Court on the left side of the main building for the reception. There were a lot of food for everybody and a space for every seminarian and his family. Food was great. It seems the seminary is already used to such kind of big event.
Ryan took us to every nook and cranny of the building. He showed us the dining hall, study room, classrooms, took a peek at the library, then, to the rector's hall where old photos of rectors and seminarians are displayed. Then, we went back to the chapel to say important prayers kneeling by the relics of Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint John Paul II.
As we leave the seminary, the desire to go back is becoming more intense. It really is always a coming home to a sacred place where God is.#
