(The message given by Bro. Ronald Balase C.Ss.R at the Closing Exercises on the 30th of March 2019)
It is finally over. What a good sigh of relief. To our speaker, Fr. Alvise Belinato, C.S.Ch., to our school director and superior of the Vice Province of Manila, Fr. Victorino Cueto, C.Ss.R. who is in Rome at the moment, and is represented by Fr. Brian Espejo, C.SsR., to our Dean of Studies, Sr. Miriam Alejandrino, OSB, Fr. Edilberto Cepe, CSsR the acting provincial superior of Cebu Province and official delegate of the SATMI board of directors, to all the SATMI administration, faculty and staff, confreres, family members, classmates, supporters, and friends, a pleasant evening.
Today, St. Alphonsus Theological and Mission Institute marks another success forming new missionaries and ministers of the Church. That is us, my fellow graduates of this institute. We take pride to be part of this prestigious theological school in Bajada.
The first time I’ve arrived here, I was culturally and mentally shocked. In millennial term, I was shookt. Who would not be shocked when you have professors like Bro. Ramon Coronel who challenged our concepts of faith of God and told us that priest are just frustrated transvestites wearing long gown during mass. By the way, he is now a priest. Fr. Carlos Ronquillo whose moral classes make us tremble in search of God’s love even in the ugliest and nastiest experience in life, Fr. Bert Cepe, who just came from Rome that time, would lambast our preconceived and misconceptions on Scriptures and he would send me out from class for not bringing my Bible. Mngr. Abel Apigo, now bishop of Mati, who would remind us always to love the Holy Mother Church by painstakingly going through her life from the time of the apostles until today. That was more than two thousand years of history that we have to be familiarized with. This was how SATMI welcomed us. I came without insomnia; now, I learn to get used to it.
I am not complaining, just stating the facts that when it comes to theology, we are serious about it. We mean business. As Mr. Daniel Lao postulates theology must be a viable product. It is a marketing to gain the profit of God’s redemptive love. SATMI enables us to see that indeed our whole journey is a continuation of God’s narrative of love for humanity. Therefore, here in SATMI, we do not study theology, we do theology. We are pushed to the margins to journey with those in the periphery, to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the hopeless especially the ongoing destruction of our environment as Bro. Jude Perera lamented. And even those prostituted women does not escape the compassionate heart of Brother Amila Pathum. Here we are challenged to foster peace and reconciliation even in the midst of war and seemingly irreconcilable differences as Brothers Glenn Dumadag and Rommel Taypin committed to. Beyond the margins, we are taught to cross the borders even to the point of being nomads in the world of technology and social media in the example of Brother Eric Sevencruz. Moreover, here we are formed to be a tender and caring people in midst of apathy and indifference as what Brothers Errol Ortiz and Emmanuel Senador had for those who are mentally disturbed and sick.
Now, as we are about to leave this institute beyond the learned theological underpinnings concomitant to our religious life, we will mostly miss the faces of people we journeyed with. SATMI is not just a school, it is a family. This is our home. We will miss how we staged productions during cultural week and Abdon Josol Lecture series. We will miss the lively laughter and sharing during break time at the AMJ hall. Surely, we will miss our diligent staff (Ate Ella, Ate Nenen, Ate Bebeth, Lovely and Ate Neay) and our professors who are generous and patient in our learning process. To my fellow SATMI students, thank you for the wonderful years of exchange of gift, talent and idea. Special thanks to the SATMI student council headed by Bro. Dennis Galan for making this event a success and meaningful.
In Bicol, instead of thank you we say DIOS MABALOS. It means God shall return the favor. May the Lord return the favor that each and every one of you had given us in the past 5 years. Dios Mabalos saindo gabos.