Date: 22 January 2015
Weekly Memorandum No. 2016 – 1.4
TO: AdZUHS Community
FROM: Father Principal
1. Principal’s Message:
Vireloquens(To be an “articulate person”) andeloquentia perfecta (“flawless eloquence”) are among the traditional characteristics of graduates of a Jesuit school. Persuasive and articulate communication was always a desired end-product of Jesuit education. This Friday, January 29, our students will hopefully show to the High School how we maintain this Jesuit tradition of excellence in communication.
Dr. Isagani Cruz, a renowned and respected writer and one-time undersecretary of the Department of Education once said that we should seriously learn the English language because the reason is very simple and practical: English still happens to be the preferred international language of our time, a language with a vocation for universality, serving for the peoples of the whole world the same purpose which latin long ago served among the peoples of Europe.
Our problem is how to achieve a fine balance between the need to accelerate the growth of Filipino so that it may serve as a tool of national unity and development, and the need to preserve English among us so that our nation may be able to participate effectively in the universal human endeavors of commerce and diplomacy, culture, and civilization.
Let us help the English department in its desire to promote and strengthen the English language teaching in our country.
2. Activities and Events for January 25 – 30, 2016.
a. January 25, Mon. * NO CLASS DAY (The Day after Family Day)
b. January 26, Tue. * 9AM JBEC 2016 Committee Heads Meeting
c. January 27, Wed. * 7 AM Gr. 9 Borgia Class Mass Moderator: Ms. MariflorPamalison
d. January 28, Thu. *
e. January 29, Fri. * 7 AM Gr. 9 Briant Class Mass Moderator: Ms. I-C De Castro
* 7:30 AM (Day 1): Overnight recollection for Gr. 10 Evans * 8AM – 12 NN: English Speech Fest Finals
Grade 8: Extemporaneous speaking
Grade 7: Storytelling
Grade 10: Spoken Poetry
Grade 9: Speech Choir
f. January 30, Sat. * 12 NN (Day 2): End of Overnight recollection for Gr. 10 Evans * 8AM – 12 NN Outreach program for Lunzuran Elementary Pupils
* 8AM – 11 AM AM: Ateneo Promenade Practice Venue: Lobby In-Charge: Mr. Delos Reyes with Grs. 9 & 10 Moderators
* 1PM – 4PM: Ateneo Promenade Dance Practice Venue: Lobby In-Charge: MAPEH Department
3. Faculty and Student Activities
a. Fr. Pen Abuan SJ will be in Cebu City on January 28 – 30 (Thursday – Saturday) to meet up some participants in the International Eucharistic Congress. In his absence, Ms. Rosie Hong is OIC; he reports back to work on February 1, Monday.
b. Mr. Erwin G. Pelayowill be in Fr. SaturninoUrios University in Butuan City on January 25 – 31 as official representative and AdZUHS Head of Delegation in the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) Mindanao Games.
c. Mr. Honey Rod Alfaro is in Cebu fromJanuary 19 to February 1, 2016 for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress. The congress aims to promote an awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church, help and improve our understanding and celebration of the liturgy, and draw attention to the social dimension of the Eucharist. Sr. Ronette Rubio, SRA, is the HS Campus Ministry Office OIC.
d. Bro. John Eric E. Esteba SJ will be in Ateneo de Manila on January 28 – 29 to help conceptualize and install a project sponsored by the Office of Mission and Identity of AdMU. In his absence, Bro. GeovanieBaco and Ms. Mayit Velasco will handle his classes.
e. Senior Scout Emilio DS Aquino IIof Gr. 9 Lewis represented Western Mindanao in the National Scout Youth Forum for Mindanao held on January 19 -22 at Ecopark, Tagum City.
4. Teach Us How To Pray: Journaling
James Martin SJ
Many Catholics keep a journal to record the fruits of their prayer. This is surprisingly useful spiritual practice, since as time passes we naturally tend to forget what God has revealed to us. After all, even the disciples were prone to forgetting what Jesus had done – often right in front of them.
This forgetting may stem from plain old laziness, or more likely from a fear of responding to what we’ve learned in our spiritual lives. (If we remember what God has revealed to us, we might have to change!) Keeping a written record reminds us of God’s activity in our lives; and by looking backward we can gain confidence in the future.
Writing a journal also has a distinguished history in the lives of the saints, from St. Augustine to Blessed John XXIII to Servant of God Dorothy Day. Day once wrote (in her journal) that a journal helps us see how various problems “evaporate” over time.
Today this form of writing is often referred to as “journaling.” This means that the writing itself is a form of prayer. It includes such practices as writing a letter to God, imagining a conversation between you and God, listing those things for which you are grateful, or starting with a question like “What do you want me to do for you?” and then writing an answer in God’s voice. So the next time you find yourself stuck in prayer, pick up a paper and pen. Or fire up your computer and start typing.
James Martin is a Jesuit priest and author of Between Heaven and Mirth, The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, and My Life with the Saints.
