2018 GRADUATING CLASS RECOLLECTION, FORGIVENESS AND GRATITUDE
We are already in the Lenten Season.
It is quiet common in our province that when a group of pupils or students is about to graduate, the teachers will ask the Catechists to conduct Recollection prior to Baccalaureate Mass and Graduation.
Since I served the parish as a Catechist in 1995, I pioneered in conducting Recollections for graduating pupils or students in our province. I had served these elementary schools of Mambajao, Camiguin for more than 10 years giving Catechism, lectures and conducting Recollections of students, pupils, and sometimes even teachers. There were times when I was requested by the parish priest to conduct Recollection to parish leaders which included some professionals, presidents/chairmen of different movements and organizations in our parish. After years of working with me, some catechists learned how to conduct Recollections without my help. I encouraged them to form groups of facilitators of Recollection. When I quit serving the parish to focus on our family life, the catechists had already formed several groups for conducting Recollections in our parish and beyond.
Last Wednesday, someone called me up on the phone. It was Mr. Roy Rago, a DepEd teacher in Guinsiliban Central (elementary) School. (DepEd= Department of Education). He asked me to facilitate the Recollection they had scheduled for the graduating pupils of the said school. How can I say No to this DepEd teacher who was once my student in Religion classes during his High School days? (I was a Catechist/Religion teacher for 14 years). Despite the fact that I had not facilitated any Recollection activities anymore for the past 8 consecutive years since 2010, I answered him positively. The Recollection was scheduled on February 23, 2018 (yesterday). Last Thursday, I asked permission from my employer to go to Guinsiliban for the said Recollection.
|| Sir Roy and Bro Rolly||
Yesterday, approved by my employer, I left Mambajao and went to Guinsiliban.
It was very early in the morning that Mr. Roy Rago arrived in Quiboro, Mambajao, Camiguin. (Quiboro is my residence). I invited him to come inside our house and offered him a cup of coffee. After we drunk coffee, I said goodbye to my wife and went to Guinsiliban with Roy. We rode on his motorbike. We passed through the town of Mahinog (which in English means “Ripe”). We travelled more than 20 kilometers for half an hour.
When we arrived the school, we saw his pupils near the gate. They greeted him, “Good morning, Sir!”
From the school, we went to his house in Guinsiliban and took our breakfast. He knew already that I don’t eat meat on Fridays so he cooked noodles and served it hot.
He left me for a while and went to school for a short meeting with his co-teachers.
I was so surprised when I heard a little baby girl (5 years old) who told me, “Just stay here. I just get my toy (a disposable syringe made out of plastic).” I was not surprised with her toy but with the way she talked with me. She was speaking in English. I was thinking that she’s a child of a neighbor next-door. After 30 minutes, Roy arrived and told me that the little girl is his youngest daughter!
It was already 9:00 in the morning when we arrived at the municipal gymnasium where the Recollection took place. There were more than 80 pupils waiting there. Another DepEd teacher was there, Mr. Alvin Galla. On the other side of the gym, I saw another teacher. She was Ms. Margie Kaharian, a substitute teacher from Butay Elementary School (a school located in the upper part of the town).
||Bro. Rolly explained Recollection using his prepared Powerpoint presentation.||
There were 3 groups of pupils there. A group of graduating pupils from Li-ong Elementary School and Butay Elementary School joined with the pupils of Guinsiliban Central School. I was greatly touched when I knew that there was no available Catechist/religion teacher in the town to facilitate the Recollection. Mr. Rago said, they planned to get catechist from another parish but these religion teachers required them more budget than what the teachers expected. They were very thankful when they knew that I asked nothing from them except their participation. I brought my own laptop with me. I prepared my own Powerpoint presentation for the graduating class. I had my own audio files, music/instrumentals for the activities.
||Sir Roy taking a picture while I was talking with the Graduating Pupils.||
I began the Recollection with the Prayer of Invocation to the Holy Ghost. After the Opening Prayer, I oriented the pupils on what Recollection is.
|| I explained to the pupils what is Recollection and how to make this successful.||
(RECOLLECTION is defined by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ as the “Concentration of soul on the presence of God.” He further explained that “It calls for considerable mental discipline to avoid dissipation of mind, but is required of all who aspire after Christian perfection.”)
Google defined RECOLLECTION as “the action or faculty of remembering something.”) After explaining to them what Recollection is, Sir Roy gave the First Topic: The Purpose of Man. Mr. Alvin Galla gave the Second Topic: Sin, Mercy and Reconciliation. I gave the Third Topic which is about Penance. Then, we had a lunch break.
After the break, Sir Rago received a call from the Secretary of Guinsiliban Parish Convent informing us that the Mass schedule was changed from 1:30 p.m. to 5 o’clock in the afternoon. It gave us enough time to proceed on the climax of our activities, i.e. Guided Meditation.
||Before Medittion, I explained to them what shall we do next.||
In the Meditation, I let the children sit down in a relaxed position forgetting the noise outside and their worries in the past and at present. I let them hear and meditate on the lyrics of the music from my computer.
||Sir Roy further instructed his pupils on the importance of Reconciliation before they shall leave their Alma Mater.||
I let them remember their past, from their first days of school, the good experiences as well as their unpleasant memories with their classmates, teachers, parents, friends and neighbors I let them imagine those times when they committed mistakes and wounded the feelings of others especially against Our Lord Jesus Christ.
||I told them to remember how their parents took care of them since childhood.||
I let them ask forgiveness from God and reconcile with their classmates.
||Pupils prepared a letter for their parents.||
There were tears of joy and feelings of comfort as they had exchanged their good messages of forgiveness, their “thank you’s” and words of goodbye before that Graduation Day shall come. They wrote letter for their parents who were waiting in the parish church. When we went to the church, the children brought flowers and gave it to their parents.
||With the help of the image of The Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the pupils talk with God in the silence of their hearts||
Fr. Nicolas Basadre, SSJV, the parish priest of Guinsiliban, explained to me why he changed the schedule of the Mass. (Fr. Nick was a friend of mine since I was in the parish convent of Mambajao under Msgr. Jacinto Abelardo S. Cabillan, HP, STL, SSJV and then under Msgr. Cirilo L. Isnani, PC, STL. The then Bro. Nick was still a seminarian and I was still a Sacristan Mayor. When he was confused and had doubts on his vocation to become a priest, I encouraged him to persevere in what he was doing. He became a priest.). Fr. Nick told me that the Mass Schedule for Recollection was not yet fixed, that he decided to re-schedule it at 5 p.m.
While the two of us were busy talking, a shiny black Honda Civic vehicle arrived. Four people came out and we recognized them. They were led by Fr. Florencio “Boy” Salvador, the Doctor of Liturgy of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro. Fr. Danny Coronel, who had a house here in Guinsiliban, was also with them. They had scheduled a Lay Leaders Recollection on February 24, 2018 (Saturday) in Catarman, Camiguin. Lay leaders around the island province were expected to attend. (Fr. Boy remembered me. He cannot forget me because way back in 2012, during the Open Forum of Lay Leaders, I was the one who asked him many questions that made the discussion so lively and interesting. Even the cook who was attracted with our discussion forgot that he was cooking banana. As a result, the banana was overcooked!)
Before the conclusion of our activities, I instructed the pupils to say words of thanks to their fellow classmates and their mentors for the experiences and the good things they shared for this school year 2017-2018. I also reminded them to say words of thanks to their mentors. One pupil cried as he said “Thank You” to two girls (Bea and Bebe, his classmates) who bought a new bag for him last year.
A Seventh-Day Adventist pupil named Shemraye Estrada Waminal wrote a letter for me. He wrote,
“Dear Kuya Rolly,
Salamat nga gitudloan ko nimo nga makasabot sa akong kaugalingon. Salamat nga bisan dili ko Catolico imo gihapon ko gipasabot. Salamat. Thank You.” (Dear Elder Brother Rolly, Thank you for explaining to me about myself. Thank you that even if I’m not Catholic you still explained it to me. Thank you. Thank you.)
||A pupil (an adventist) wrote a letter to Bro. Rolly.||
Suddenly, Steemit came to my mind especially those Steemians who give me real inspiration and benefits. I kept the idea in my mind and when I opened my computer I was so surprised when I see how my latest post got more upvotes! I almost shed tears of joy knowing that there are persons who appreciated my work. These persons have not just appreciated my work. They lifted me up towards a more inspired world of writing. I want to Thank them and may I mention some names here in order to express my heartfelt gratitude especially to my brother in law @jun2 who introduced Steemit to me and encouraged me to join this blogging and social networking website. I would like to express my words of heartfelt gratitude to @surpassinggoogle, @ocd, @anomadsoul, @steemitachievers, @acidyo, @gogamini, @moby-dic, @deeday31, @arcange, @coolguy123, @sylvesterjohn, @junebride, @sensation, @steemgigger, @raphaelle, @zerometal, @shaunmatthew, @ranielbrianulan, @eurogee, @kingkong1, @princepr, @bugaev, @satoshiroller, @nessyquel, @timcliff, @tarazkp,@mk40, @smallsteps, @margaretwise, @breadcentric, @anneke, @bottymcbotface, @ryunamist, @patriciadian, @bensignal, @joyjoyharb, @narcisyo and the rest of Steemians who inspired and guided the newbies in the art of social networking. Thank you for supporting my post even if I’m only new to this Community.
We were done at 6:00 p.m. after the Mass.
Finally, before I went back home in Mambajao, I introduce Steemit to Sir Roy and Alvin. They shared to me their pictures which I presented here. They said they want to join Steemit soon.
If you like this post, please Upvote, Resteem and follow me @mariequeen27.
Sources:
(1) Google
(2) Pocket Catholic Dictionary by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, p. 361, Impimatur: Joseph T. O’Keefe, Vicar General Archdiocese of New York, December 13, 1979