Mary Help of Christians College Seminary, Bonuan Gueset, Dagupan City 2400 Philippines (Telefax: 075-515-5720)
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Friday, January 4, 2013
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Rector's Circular 8-2012
Memorial of St. John of the Cross
14 December 2012
Circular Letter 08-2012
Dear Fathers, Parents, Guardians, Seminarians and Friends,
It is the time of the year to celebrate the coming of the
Lord. Advent prepares us to celebrate Christmas
with renewed and deeper appreciation for that great mystery that happened more
than two thousand years ago when God gave us his Son, Jesus Christ our
Lord. It should lead us to a better
understanding of the history of salvation bringing a sense of awe and wonder.
It should also lead us to a new longing for Christ. “Like
the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my
God. My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life” (Ps 42,1f).
Advent is also a time to reflect on the
final coming of Jesus Christ in glory.
The second coming is connected with the mystery of the incarnation, in
fact it is its fulfillment. We
Christians are a waiting people, but unlike in the Old Testament, we are
waiting for the fullness of his kingdom.
We and the whole world are still badly in need of liberation and
redemption. Therefore the Advent Season
is always a time of great joy!
As your seminarian-sons go home, allow
me to share with you some reasons of our great joy this blessed season:
·
The Installation of the Most Rev. Renato P. Mayugba, as the 6th
Bishop of Laoag. The community has a pilgrimage-outing in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos
Norte and sang the Te Deum during the
Rites at the Cathedral last December 11, 2012.
·
The drafting of a constitution for the organization of the Mary Help of
Christians College Seminary – Parents Association (MHCCS-PA) which will be
ratified on December 15, 2012 after the Christmas Party.
·
The Visit of the Relic of St. Therese of the Child Jesus to our Seminary
on January 13-14, 2013.
·
Our stage-play on the life of St. John the Evangelist this February
2013. Fr. Dexter Z. Cariño will direct
this play which is very timely because of the Golden Jubilee of Lingayen-Dagupan
as an Archdiocese.
Our Prayer Session next month is on
January 27, and in the afternoon our beloved human formation director, Ate Eda
Castillo will have a conference for all families of our seminarians. This is
part of our Spiritual Formation Program designed by our Spiritual Director, Fr.
Jasper R. Hebron. The formation to the
priesthood is not only for the candidate but also involves the entire family of
the seminarian. Please do not miss this
event!
Finally, allow me to greet you, in
behalf of the Archbishop and the Seminary Administration, a very happy
Christmas and blessed, peaceful new year!
God bless us. May Mary, Help of Christians, always pray for
us.
Very truly yours in Christ,
Fr. Mario Dominic C. Sanchez
Rector
Friday, November 23, 2012
Rector's Circular 7-2012
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
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Rector's Circular 6-2012
Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima
13 October 2012
Circular Letter 06-2012
Dear Fathers, Parents, Guardians, Seminarians and Friends,
Today we officially end our first semester of the current school
year. We celebrated yesterday by the
Talent Show of our Seminarians aptly entitled, “Gifts.” Truly we thank God for the gift of 67
vocations that God has given to the Church.
We appreciate their giftedness and we promise our prayers and support
for their perseverance in the seminary formation.
We also launched our new fund-raising drive called “Helping Hearts of
the Mary Help of Christians College Seminary” or MHCCS-HH. Yesterday more 50 pledges came from our generous
guests who promised to support our formation programs by giving one thousand
pesos every semester. This will help us,
not only in the maintenance of our facilities, but moreso for the formation
programs that are our top priorities in the seminary.
Our seminarians are expected to return to the seminary on November
2, and the first activity for your family is the November 18 Prayer
Session. The Holy Hour starts at 9:30AM as
usual and it will be followed by the Holy Eucharist to be sponsored by the
Sophomore Class. There will be a
Spiritual Conference for the Families of the Seminarians in the afternoon. Therefore not only the parents are encouraged
to attend but your entire family. It is
now seen that your presence to these Prayer Sessions are very important for the
vocations of your seminarian-sons.
Coming up this November is the “Blessed John Paul II Philosophy Week”
from November 29-30. More than 8 college
seminaries from Northern Luzon are converging in Bonuan Seminary for this very
important academic event.
Finally as your seminarian-sons go home, let me again remind you
to spend quality time with them and accompany them especially in their prayers
and attendance at Holy Masses. I also
repeat that medical and dental check-ups are to be scheduled during the
semestral break. Your children are seminarians
and they should not be encouraged to live in too much comfort and care. The spirit of sacrifice must always be
inculcated in their hearts in view of their future ministry especially to the
poor. Nonetheless, the vacation should
truly be a time for rest, relaxation and recreation for them so that they may
be ready to face another challenge this coming second semester.
May Mary, Help of Christians, always
pray for us.
Very truly yours in Christ,
Fr. Mario Dominic C. Sanchez
Rector
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
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