AdZU welcomes the New School Year with Mass of the Holy Spirit
In keeping with the tradition among Jesuit
schools all over the world, the Ateneo de Zamboanga University begins each new
school year by celebrating the Mass of the Holy Spirit. It is one of the oldest
practices observed by the educational institutions run by the Society of Jesus,
which started in 1548 at the first Jesuit school in Messina, Sicily.
As is customary, at this year’s Mass of
the Holy Spirit, the AdZU community gave thanks for all the blessings received
the past year, and invoked the Holy Spirit to guide all members in continuing the
University’s mission.
Some of the “gifts”
such as the recent performance of the College of Nursing in the June 2017 Nurse
Licensure Examination – as Top 5 Performing School Nationwide with two
topnotchers; the 100% passing rate of the College of Law in the Bar; and other
achievements in the board exams in teacher education, accountancy, engineering,
psychology, and medicine, – these are some manifestations of the Holy Spirit at
work in the Ateneo community cited by Ateneo President Fr Karel San Juan in his
homily at the Mass of the Holy Spirit for the Higher Education and Central
Services with presider, Fr Richard Ella, SJ, held last June 20 at the
University Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus .
The
entire AdZU Community, both Catholics and members of other religious
denominations attended the Masses, as “expressions of unity and solidarity with
one another” and “as a desire to express our respect and appreciation of each
other’s multi-cultural backgrounds”. Fr San Juan also urged the community to continue praying for the
intercession of the Holy Spirit for special intentions for
peace for the country and for the end of conflict in Marawi.
The Holy Spirit Masses were held by the
various units in both Salvador and Kreutz campuses. At the Salvador campus in
La Purisima, Fr San Juan also served as the presider and homilist for the
College of Law held on June 19 at the UCSHJ, and as homilist at the Senior High
School unit Mass, with Fr Stephen Abuan, SJ as presider, held on June 21 at the
MPCC.
At the Kreutz campus, for the Junior High
School, Fr Arnel T Ong, SJ was the presider with Fr Henry Ponce, SJ, as
homilist held on June 14 at the JHS Lobby. For the Grade School, the presider
was Fr Stephen T Abuan, SJ, with Bro Lloyd B Sabio, SJ as homilist held on June
16 at the Nepomuceno Covered Courts.
For the full
text of the Homilies, click on the following links:
Grade School Unit (Bro Lloyd V Sabio, SJ)
Junior High School Unit (Fr Henry Ponce, SJ)
Higher Education and Central Services
Senior High School Unit (Fr Karel S San Juan, SJ)
