A special holy day...

 ...in honor of our Blessed Mother + some nostalgia.

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by PAM

My day started at 4:00 a.m. as usual today, but it wasn't an ordinary day because, today, we are celebrating the Feast of the Nativity of our Blessed Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, in our Roman Catholic faith.  And so, my day started with a Mass, celebrating the blessed Mother's birthday.  I went for the online 5:40 a.m. recitation of the Holy Rosary followed by the Mass at the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag where my siblings and I (except one) were baptized.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAMA MARY!

I was born and raised in Manaoag, Pangasinan.  My family moved to Manila when I started elementary school.  My siblings and I used to go home to Manaoag every summer and stayed with our maternal grandparents.  My grandfather was a farmer.  Growing up, we enjoyed going with him to his farms especially during harvest time where our grandmother and her cousins brought the farms' produce to the different marketplaces in the province, and would bring us goodies of various kinds when they returned.  We used to wake up very early in the morning and ride in our grandfather's cart with our dogs.  The cart was pulled by his cow or carabao, whichever he preferred to accompany him for the day.  After the day's work, he would take us to the river where we swam like there was no tomorrow with the cow/carabao and the dogs!  Haha...  It was especially enjoyable when it was raining, and we raced to the river in the rain.  The water current would be faster than usual, and we rode the current using plastic basins - water tubing style.  Sometimes, our grandfather would take us to his family's orchard, where we picked fruits and have a little picnic under the trees.  During the picnic, he would often tell us about his stay in Guam, USA as an overseas worker, and where a sibling and a number of cousins of his reside.  It was during these picnics that I learned to speak English from him.  The first English word that I learned, I learned from him... and it was "salt".  

Later, our visits became less frequent, especially after our grandparents passed.  These days, we rarely visit but whenever we do, we'd always pass by the Minor Basilica first.  So, I feel very 'at home' in hearing the Mass from the Minor Basilica... it brings back memories of our childhood with our grandparents.

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Because the Blessed Mother is our Patroness...

Today is extra-special because, for the first time in two years, we finally are able to hear the Rector of our University (University of Santo Tomas or UST) give the "Rector's Report" - a tradition in our University.  Our Rector is a devotee of the Blessed Mother, and so, important events in his Rectorship are usually held during Church Feasts that involve the Blessed Mother.  

The annual Report usually covers all the accomplishments of the University in the previous AY, and it is submitted to Rome - to the Pope, since UST is a Pontifical University.  This particular Rector's Report covers the accomplishments of the University from January 2020 to July 2021 - at the height of the pandemic.  The Rector invited top administrative and academic officials to attend in-person at the Grand Ballroom of the Blessed G. Paredes, O.P. Building - home of our Office for Alumni Relations. I feel honored and very fortunate to have received an invitation to this very special event.  And, it was extremely humbling to have been mentioned by the Fr. Rector in his Report.  

I particularly love what he said in his 'Reflection and Conclusion' (1:21:55 mark in the video): "How did the University get through the first 18 crucial months of the pandemic?  Responding... was essentially love's labor... we accompanied our students in their struggles, both in their academic and personal lives... we learned the value of meaningful connections with fellow members of the Thomasian community... in the process, we experienced what it means to be truly blessed with life, with health, with friends, with family.  The pandemic taught us the value of what it means to be a Thomasian community.  We are a community that looks out for the welfare of each other during a time of great uncertainty... we are a community guided by the virtues of 'Tria Haec' (these three): faith, hope and love... what reverberates are these two messages: be grateful, be open to others.  Gratitude enables our spirits and allows us to see as the direness of our reality, whereas empathy opens our hands and palms to reach out to those who need our time and resources.  Gratitude and empathy are the principles that allow us to redirect our focus on the things that we can change. And, also, together they inspire change from within ourselves driving us to serve with humility and sincerity; and allowing us to touch the lives of those around us in ways we never thought possible. 

The Rector of the University of Santo Tomas,
the Very Rev. Fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., Ph.D.

"The Lord has given me the opportunity to lead the University at a time of great uncertainty and ordeal.  With His unending grace, we have seen the light of this day.  We have gone past the episode of the darkest hours of this pandemic - I hope and pray...  We did not experience complete campus closure during the pandemic... we were made to experience this once-in-a-generation global health crisis for a reason. We were meant to survive... there is truth to the saying, 'the enormity of the tasks that the crisis demanded from us may have been too much for each and everyone, but not enough to break our spirit as one Thomasian Community.' More than a time of hopelessness, the pandemic is a defining moment that brought out the best in us.  It is a time that brought Thomasians closer to one another, and closest to God.... never have I seen this University so united, so strong in the face of adversity.  May God be our beacon and strength in the coming days, all the days of our lives."   

His words were, indeed, relatable.  It was like hearing our own thoughts from the deepest recesses of our hearts.  The whole event was indeed wonderful... but more than anything, it was GREAT to see colleagues and friends in our dear Thomasian community after a long, long time!  Thanks be to God!

After the event, I was able to finally see my new (physical) office... albeit temporary.  It is located in the same building... I just needed to go a few floors up.  It was great!  I went home today with very light spirit... very happy, and ready to start working hard once again for my beloved University and for God's greater glory!

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Photo credit:  The first photo was grabbed from the online Mass at the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag.  Thanks, YouTube, for the video link.  All other photos featured in this post belong to me.  One was taken by someone else for me.

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