Date: 27 November 2015
Weekly Memorandum No. 2015 – 11.3
TO: AdZUHS Community
FROM: Father Principal
1. Principal’s Message:
This coming Sunday, November 29, is the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of a new Liturgical Year in the Church tradition.Advent, comes from the Latin word adventus, or advenio– meaning arrival, coming. The arrival of our lord, his coming.
Three arrivals:
first one, of silence, of peace, unknown, silently, in that remote village of Bethlehem;
second, arrival in our hearts, amid our own lives, our conflicts, our pain, our living out the day to day struggle, the ups and downs, the complexity of human experience; and
third, the final coming, when he shall come, as scripture says, in all his glory and power and might, terrible to behold as he comes in all his majesty.
Peace, comfort and consolation, companionship, and finally in awe and trembling.He chooses to come to us now in many ways. How aware are we when the Lord comes into our life?
2. Characteristic of Jesuit Education (CJE). Jesuit education relies on a spirit of community among teaching staff and administrators.As far as possible, people chosen to join the educational community in a Jesuit school will be men and women capable of understanding its distinctive nature and of contributing to the implementation of characteristics that result from the Ignatian vision.
3. Here’s an email I received on November 14 from the Face-to-Faith Philippine Country Co-Coordinators, Fr. Aristotle Dy, SJ, Director, Xavier School, and Mr. Erwin Montojo. Kudos to EspieAtilano and Ruth Guerrero.
Dear Face to Faith Team of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University High School,
Congratulations to you for winning the international Peace Day competition among member schools of Face to Faith!
Of the more than 70 entries from around the world, your Peace Day activity which brought together peoples of various faiths and cultural backgrounds was adjudged the winner by Mr. Jeremy Gilley. Mr. Gilley is an English actor turned filmmaker who advocated for an annual international day of global ceasefire and non-violence which was unanimously adopted in 2001 by the member states of the United Nations in a resolution that declared September 21 as World Peace Day.
Your promotion of cross-cultural and interfaith understanding through dialogue is valuable in a world mired by so much misunderstanding, fragmentation, and violence. Your commitment to and leadership in the explicit teaching and practice of dialogue in your city and region is truly inspiring. We hope that, through your leadership, more schools will learn how to teach their students how to dialogue and give them safe spaces for actually engaging in dialogues.
As Ms. Jo Malone, Face to Faith’s Senior Program Manager, had said, the Ateneo will receive a plaque, a letter of congratulations from the patron of TBFF, the Right Honorable, Tony Blair and a congratulations video from the team at Peace One Day.
Once again, congratulations!
4. Activities and Events for November 30 – December 7, 2015. (For detailed Sked of Activities for the Ateneo Fiesta 2015, please confer separate announcements from the AtFest and Sports Committees; the sked below provides us the HS’s participation in the weeklong activity)
N.B. Note that while the AtFest is going on, no one is allowed to stay in Tumaga campusEXCEPT those who will be working on December 3 (in preparation for the HS night) and December 4 (to prepare for the Alumni night). All are expected to be in the main campus for the AtFest events.
a. November 30, Mon. * 5AM – 9AM Run for RAP, Backfield (an invitation)
* BONIFACIO DAY (Regular Holiday)
b. December 1, Tue. * 9AM – 10:30 AM Mass: Eucharistic Celebration at UCSHJ (Gr 7 only)
* 3PM – 4 PM Giant Human Formation, “One Ateneo” – Backfield (All)
* 5PM – 6PM: Opening Parade, City Proper, MPCC (All)
* 6PM: Christmas Tree Lighting (an invitation)
* 7PM – 9PM: Opening Program and Mindanao Festival Dance
c. December 2, Wed. * 8AM – 6PM: Debate Eliminations (selected students)
* 9AM – 12 nn: BC Lobby, Minute to Win it (selected students)
* 7PM – 9PM: Pop Dance (selected students)
d. December 3, Thu. * 8AM – 11AM: Master chef, Ateneo Backfield (selected participants) * 8AM – 12 nn: Debate Championship, College AVR
* 5:30 PM Novena Mass at Metropolitan Cathedral of the IC
* High School Night: 5:30 Registration
6PM – 9PM Program
Venue: FWHKSJ Campus
e. December 4, Fri * Alumni Homecoming:
7AM – 2PM Registration at Fr. Salvador Campus
3PM Jubilarians’ Mass
4:30 PM Motorcade from Salvador to Kreutz
7PM Welcome Program & Fellowship Night
f. December 5, Sat * 8AM – 12 nn: Faculty and Staff Day Venue: MPCC
* 6PM – 8PM: Choral Competition
g. December 6, Sun * 9AM: Alumni Homecoming Mass
* 6PM – 8PM: Dancesport Competition
* 8PM – 9 PM: Ateneo Got Talent (selected participants)
* 9PM – 10 PM: Closing Program
h. December 7, Fri * Rest Day (No classes in all Ateneo levels)
i. December 8, Tue * 7:30 AM Catechesis
* 8AM Mass
j. Weeklong activities * Dec. 1 – 4: Sports Fest (cf. separate sked of activities)
5. Student Updates
a. Division Schools Press Conference, held on November 13-14, 2015. Coaches and Chaperones: Ms. MarraVesagas and Mr. Carlito Robin.
i. Individual Contests
· News writing (English) Zacharee Q. Masamayor 1st place
· News writing (Filipino) Myca Dane T. Sapitula 1st place
· Editorial Cartooning (English) Stefan dela Cruz 1st place
· Editorial Cartooning (Filipino) Ahmad Rauf L. Panduga 3rd place
· Copyreading and Headline writing (Fil) Anthony Godwin Jandusay 3rd place
· Photojournalism (Filipino) Hernalyn Fernandez 3rd place
ii. Group Contests
· Collaborative Desktop Publishing Jose Xavier Castillo 1st place
Lea Jean Esperat
AntonetteFelizCalimot
Rey DominicBautista
Kyle Alfonso Oyong
Christian Joshua Cervas
Joshua Rommel Vargas
iii. Individual Overall (English, Secondary) 2nd place
iv. Individual Overall (Filipino, Secondary) 1st place
v. Individual Overall Highest Pointer (Secondary) 1st
vi. Individual and Group (English, Secondary) 1st place
vii. Individual and Group (Filipino, Secondary) 1st place
b. 6th Zamboanga debate Open, November 20 -22, 2015, held at AdZU Fr. Eusebio G. Salvador Campus. Coach: Mr. Rowil G. Santinlo
i. High School Cup Grand Champion: Therese Nyah Janel C. Sampang (10 Ignatius)
Najwa I. Uñga (10 Ignatius)
ii. High School Best Speaker: Hans Xavier W. Wong (10 Ignatius)
iii. High School Grand Finals Best Speaker Maeca Czarina P. Pansensoy (10 Ignatius)
iv. High School Cup Grand Finalists Maeca Czarina P. Pansensoy (10 Ignatius) Gerald Ace B. Wee (9 Xavier)
Nelson Miles B. Antatico (10 Jerome)
Omar Shariff J. Juaini (9 Xavier)
Ben NadzmierBensali (8 Campion)
Gerard Matthew Burnos (8 De Brito)
v. Open Category Pre-Semifinalist* Hans Xavier W. Wong (10 Ignatius)
John Louize F. Guban (10 Ignatius)
* the only HS Team in the Open Break
c. 5th Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) Games City Elimination, held in AdZU Main Campus, La Purisima Street, Zamboanga City on November 20 -22, 2015.
i. Volleyball Girls (1st place) Rodlyn T. Mendoza (Gr. 10 Jerome)
Lady Nylecoj B. Badiang (Gr. 10 Kostka)
Gianna I. Torres (Grade 9 Lewis)
FlynnieMadelle R. Milan (Gr. 9 Realino)
Mary Faye S. Alba (Gr. 8 Pongracz)
Louise Ann M. Narciso (Gr. 8 Brito)
Viktoria Millicent V. Valenton (Gr. 7 Southwell)
ii. Volleyball Boys (2nd place) Earl Vincent Uy (Gr 10 Jerome)
Jericho E. Cabrera (Gr 10 Garnet)
Andre Kenneth T. Ordoño (Gr 9 Lewis)
Jaime Raphael D. Ruste (Gr 8 Lewis)
Rayven G. Bodaño (Gr 9 Briant)
Omar Khalid Abdulmunap (Gr 9 Realino)
Karstien S. Ramires (Gr 7 Canisius)
iii. Basketball (2nd place) John Derrick R. Enriquez (Gr 10 Kostka)
Wilstane James F. Gonzales (Gr 10 Ignatius)
Ildefonso A. Deloria III (Gr 10 Ignatius)
Fah’dFrondizi F. Elum (Gr 9 Briant)
Jim Martin A. Alfaro (Gr. 9 Xavier)
Arvin Neil T. Lota (Gr. 9 Xavier)
Allen Rex M. Valdez (Gr 9 Realino)
Adrian Verric C. Lomongo (Gr 9 Borgia)
Az-zahir G. Arbison (Gr 8 Regis)
Wei John F. Gonzales (Gr 8 Arrowsmith)
William Robert S. Tan (Gr. 7 Chabanel)
J-Floyd P. De Las Peñas (Gr. 8 Bellarmine)
6. Teach us to Pray: Advent – Season of Desire
Fr. James Martin, SJ
Advent is the season of desire. “The days are coming,” says the book of the prophet Jeremiah. St. Paul tells the Philippians that “the Lord is near.” John the Baptist cries out, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” He tells his followers that “one mightier than I is coming.” The people of the Old Testament, the people of the New Testament, and the people of today are encouraged to wait, to anticipate, to expect, to long, to hope – in short, to desire.
So why does desire get a bad rap in spiritual circles? Two reasons.
First, it’s sometimes conflated with sexual desire, and therefore condemned. (Which is ridiculous: the gift of sexual desire is part of God’s holy plan for humankind.)
Second, desire is often confused with superficial wants, like “I want a new car.” But holy desires are different. God places within us the desire to love, to follow our dreams, and to become the person God wants us to be. Without desire there would be no change in the world. Without desire we wouldn’t even get out of bed in the morning!
Our deepest desire is the longing for God. Planted within us, and often revealed in feelings of restlessness and incompletion, is the innate desire for a relationship with God. “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O Lord,” wrote St. Augustine. This is what Jeremiah, St. Paul, and John the Baptist all knew. This Advent, then, perhaps you could ask God to reveal to you, ever more deeply, your own longing for God to enter into your life. For the days of desire are here.
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”.
