Memorial of St. Columban
23 November 2012
Circular Letter 07-2012
Dear Fathers, Parents, Guardians, Seminarians and Friends,
Thank you for attending the Prayer Session last Sunday, November 18,
2012. The Holy Hour for Vocations and
the Eucharistic Celebration are our community celebrations of our “faith.” Please continue to pray for vocations with
us, and join us again for the next Prayer Session on December 15 (Saturday) at
9:30 AM. It will also be our Family
Christmas Party. Please bring with you
your entire family, including grandparents and small children. We shall have games and prizes!
Allow me to summarize the points that we have discussed during our
meeting last Sunday. The first is about
our formation in the seminary. I invited
you to look at the most important and central value for all our programs,
projects and labors. When we improve the
facilities, do sacrifices, make changes – all of these are geared to improve
and promote a well-integrated formation for our seminarians, future priests of
the Church, as envisioned by our Vision-Mission in the seminary and our Holy
Mother Church. If we forget about this
then our efforts become misdirected.
Secondly, our discussion about the grades of your seminarian-sons. We congratulate the Dean’s Listers. Grades do not make a person. They should never be considered as the gauge
of a person’s worth or even give him a sense of identity. Rather these grades reflect the mental
capacity, hard work and discipline, proper time management and the quality of
our teachers and academic program in the seminary. Somehow, we need intellectually equipped
seminarians so that they can be ready for their further studies in
Theology. In college, the Commission on
Higher Education (CHEd) and the Episcopal Commission on Seminaries advise us
that our students must get to know and master all the basics, especially in the
area of our specialization which is Philosophy.
The third is about our schedule.
Here is our complete schedule for the second semester:
November 24-26 Home Visit/Christ the King
December 8 Talent Show: Christmas with Mary
10-11 Bishop Rene’s Installation in
Laoag (Community Outing)
13 Benefactors’
Night
14 Community Christmas Party
15 Prayer Session (Host:
Juniors; Celebrant: Msgr. Manuel Bravo);
Family
Christmas Party; Christmas Break after Party
27 Rev. Jofer’s Sacerdotal
Ordination
January 6 Arrival from Christmas
Break
14 -17 Midterm Examinations
26 Human Formation
27 Prayer Session (Host: Sophomores;
Celebrant: Fr. Joseph Fernandez)
Conference
for Families by Ate Eda, Family Day
February 1-3 Home Visit
4 Metropolitan Clergy Day
11-12 Blessed John Paul II Philosophy
Week
13 Dress Rehearsal for the
play, San Juan Evangelista
14-16 Play Dates
16 Celebration of the Golden
Jubilee of the RCALD
17 Prayer Session (Host:
Freshmen; Celebrant: Bishop Rene
Mayugba);
AM
– Vocation Day, PM – Presentation of the
play
for
Family and Friends
22 Comprehensive Exams for
Seniors
23 Human Formation
March 1-3 Home Visit
8 Thesis Defense
11-14 Final Examinations for Seniors
15 -18 Home Visit for Seniors
19 -21 Retreat for Seniors; 5 PM- Arrival
18 -21 Final Examinations for
Undergraduates
22 Despedida
23 Graduation (Host: Juniors;
Celebrant: Most Rev. Socrates B. Villegas)
24 Summer Vacation Begins
Let me combine the fourth and
fifth points. Please know that as Rector
I am also holding the positions of Dean of Studies and Procurator. Because of these responsibilities, I have
journeyed with you in the past months also with details about our projects and
budget. I also mentioned two fundraising
drives. One for you, the BIGAS and the
Friends of MHCCS for financial donations, and two, the “Helping Hearts” which
is for our friends and benefactors who would support us with one thousand peso
donation every semester. My intention of informing and involving you (in) all
these is transparency. I believe that as
stewards, we have to consider co-responsibility seriously.
For this reason (and many other
reasons), our team of formators has decided to create the “Mary Help of
Christians College Seminary Parents Association” or MHCCS-PA. We propose that we shall create an Ad-Hoc
Committee to draft a Constitution (December), elect the first set of officers
(January) and induct them (February).
Their “advisory” role will be very crucial especially in matter of
finances and formation concerns. I thank
you very much for giving a unanimous consent to this proposal during our
meeting.
God bless us. May Mary, Help of Christians, always pray for
us.
Very truly yours in Christ,
Fr. Mario Dominic C. Sanchez
Rector
