My vocation story

One concrete proposal of Fr. Chavez in his strenna is for the Salesians is to share our vocation stories to the young people.

Allow me this space to share mine.

To begin with, I am a returnee. I left the seminary in 2004 as a novice-to-be on the eve of our supposed flight to the novitiate in Cebu. I worked as a teacher in some school in Manila, and I thought that I’d be happy to live and die working as one.

Along with that teaching stint, I worked for a publisher as a writer of English language textbooks marketed in Korea. I also contributed articles and edited educational materials for a Japanese firm. And because I had so much free time left, I also worked as an English tutor for a language school.

Looking back, I couldn’t believe that I was able to juggle three jobs all at the same time!

Despite the modest salary I was receiving, the glamour of working as a professor in a respectable academic institution in the country, the fulfilment of doing what I liked doing the most, I was satisfied.

There were so many possibilities ahead of me.

Or so I thought. 

One late afternoon, after coming from work, I passed by a mall. I was wanting to treat myself to a fancy restaurant for I was hungry. And modesty aside, because I could very well afford it. While choosing where to eat, out of nowhere, I was reminded of my past life as a seminarian.

I recalled those times in the seminary when there would be unstructured activities by batch, we would just have a quick hike to Tatlong Butas, ordered halo halo and something else, shared stories we would repeatedly delight to talk about over and over and over again.

And that alone was a piece of heaven for me!

That time, I exactly longed for that.

I set aside the idea of eating for I had become hungry for something more, for something greater that could not just be satisfied by any physical food alone. Deep within, I realized, I was completely empty.

That time, God knocked again at my door. And at that moment, He knocked me down.

I got in touch my spiritual director, one year after I left. I told him my situation. And then, we talked about the process of my re-admission. He asked me to volunteer at Pugad once a week. And then after that, we processed my experience.

Irony of ironies, it was on a Good Friday that I got settled with my decision to re-enter. The universal Church was recalling the agony of Jesus that day, but inside me, I found peace at my decision.

On June 1, 2006 I returned to this seminary together with my third batchmates, all first timers, three of whom will be professing their vows six months from now.

I’ve been a Salesian for only three years. Too young, you would say. But that short period has been filled with moments of bliss and faithfulness, although, it has also been marred by pains and infidelity. There were clear moments when I felt that God wanted me to remain by His side;  but there were also times when haunting questions became my sole reason to stay.

I heard Him told me the words "Donnie, come and see," and I did. But I also heard him say "Donnie, go and see." And I did. The other day, I asked him, "would you want me to stay here? For good?" and faintly, I heard the words "Donnie, we shall see."

Mary's Move, the news

Following the long-standing tradition of Don Bosco’s oratory, the postnovitiate community mounted an academy in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Mother. This time around, they presented a relatively non-traditional performance, as they staged a dance theater. Hence, the title of the production “Mary’s Move.”

The performers of the production were all young people who came from various settings where our FIN and FIS postnovices go for their apostolate. And instead of asking them to simply prepare a dance item, each group was given a theme to reflect on in order to guide them in executing their dance steps.

The themes revolved around four issues which our postnovices thought that affect our young people today: environment, sexuality, socio-economic realities, and various forms of anxieties which influence the behavior of our young people.

Our postnovices conceived this dance theater to not just prepare the young for the solemnity, but through the performances—and the reflections of their fellow young—they are able to recognize their very own situatedness.

The groups which performed included Teatro Sibol of Kapayapaan National High School (a public school where our postnovices teach weekly catechism), Liturgical Dance Group of Caritas Don Bosco School (a school run by Caritas sisters; our postnovices animate the youth groups of the school), Performing Arts Group and The Dance Co. of Don Bosco College (where they do their assistance) and the Juventus Youth Group of Mary Help of Christians Parish.

The result: it was not a mere theatrical production, but more of a full blown shindig held on the very eve of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The performers wowed the spectators with their stunning moves and brilliant steps. That eve of the celebration of Mary’s Immaculate Conception proved to be a night for the young!

Together with the friends, classmates, teachers and families of the performers, members of the Salesian family also came to watch the show, such as the FMA and CSM sisters and the Cooperators of Canlubang chapter. Fr. Eli Cruz, SDB the provincial superior of FIN stayed throughout the performance.

In his goodnight talk, Fr. Charles Manlangit, SDB, the rector of the postnivitiate community said that Mary’s Move is a move towards a return to innocence, a journey back to God’s fold.

Making ourselves loved

Several years ago, I joined a group of high school students in an out-of-town immersion. I was not supposed to be there but the request coming from the department to assist its third year students who would undergo the summer immersion changed things.

Since the school year was over and I was free from any scholastic obligation, I gladly agreed to go.

May 6, a red-letter day in the seminary, came and I was out of the community. I was in the height of the immersion. I got a text message from my brother assistant. I thought it was a 'happy feast day' greeting. But my world crumbled when I read the message "Donnie, you have chocolate in your drawer and it is filled with ants."

I don't know what to say, but prudently, I recall texting him this message: "I'm sorry. I'll clean it once I returned. Happy feast day, brodz."

I am a big fan of the Preventive System. In fact, I'm conscious of the practical things I know about it especially when I assist students. But it loses its value if those who enforce it--Salesians especially—seem to police.

Of course, I committed a mistake in putting chocolates in my drawer; it was not supposed to be that way. But the SMS message communicated various messages to me except love.

A presence of Salesian matters when it radiates the love of the Good Shepherd, and not of a police officer, who is keen to wait for people to commit mistake so that he could apprehend them.

And when a Salesian becomes a living image of the Good Shepherd, he does not have to worry about the amount of love coming from the young.

It will come.

In a truckload.

Happy birthday, Lonxs!

I met Br. Lonxs nine years ago in Bansud, Mindoro during our vocation camp. Both of us were part of a 20-something or so group bound to enter the seminary. We were relatively young then. Both of us were in our early 20's, while most of our companions were fresh out of high school, in their late teenage years, perhaps.

He was unassuming (humble at many times!), naive (almost childlike), funny (he is always ready with some dose of banter), friendly (a real people-magnet), helpful (most of the time, people take advantage of his goodness), hardworking (I ran out of ideas here J).

These were true then and they are still valid up to this point.

But more than these, he has this profound sense of people skills he could rightfully call his, and his alone. He has a compassionate heart. Always willing to set aside everything just so he is able to help. He’s considered as the elder brother of the batch because he seemed to have taken upon himself to be responsible for each one. Once, I was surprised knowing that he tasked himself to wake up a classmate whenever the latter falls into sleep in the wrong time and in the wrong place.

When were supposed to fly to Cebu five years ago as a novices, I backed out, leaving all of them--Lonxs included. But it's funny that it was providential then since the person (I don’t know who he/she is) who booked the tickets for all of us got tickets for everyone—me included—excluding him. It was a blessing in disguise since he eventually used mine.

Whenever reunions among the members of the batch is held, that anecdote would find into the scheme of things.

We were not close then. We were friends, we belonged to the same batch, but we belonged to different worlds. He had his circle of friends, while I had mine. Now, despite being advanced in formation, he seems to be the closest to me. We grab the chance to keep up with each other. Some quick exchange of banter precedes an intimate dosage of what's been happening to us .

I'm a batch collector. And in my process of collecting individuals in various seminary batches I've had over a span of nearly a decade, I could easily say that he's a precious catch I'm not willing to let go.