VOL. 48, NO. 2 SPECIAL ISSUE JULY 2011 New administrators initiated to service by Andrei Elinzano, IV- Wisdom and Jasper Cruz, III- Prudence “They are to be known as lesser shall transfer to St. Francis at Manda- brothers without distinction and should be luyong (beside Lourdes School Mandaluyong) prepared to wash one another’s feet.” – St. where he will work as assistant parish priest. Francis of Assisi The ceremony was then followed by a special program and agape in honor of the On its 56th year, LSQC marks another outgoing and incoming friar administrators milestone in history with the traditional turnover at the Magnificat Grounds. The said program and installation rites for the Friar Administrators was marked with several special numbers held last June 23, 2011 at the HS Auditorium. prepared by the employees and the presenta- tion of gifts from the different sectors such Rev. Fr. Antonio Ala II, OFM Cap. as the Grade School and High School Facul- was installed new of the school. To- ty, Non Teaching Personnel, Administrators, gether with him are Br. Rolando Donasco, Parents Council and the Alumni Association. OFM Cap., new school treasurer and Rev. Fr. In her speech for the opening re- Wilfredo Atienza, new school campus min- CALLED TO SERVE. From left to right: Br. Rolando Donasco, ofmcap.( Treasurer), Rev. Fr. Wil- marks, School Principal Ms. Jocelyn Andaya ister. Both Br. Donasco and Fr. Atienza will fredo Atienza, ofmcap. ( Campus ) and Rev. Fr. Antonio Ala II, ofmcap. ( Rector ) will lead welcomed the new friar administrators. With their first time to work with the school. LSQC as new friar administrators for the next coming years. Photo by: Daniel Evangelista much optimism she remarked, “The assign- Ascending as the 15th rector of the straightforward but still humble speech. forth as well as the accomplishments ment of Fr. Tony, Fr. Willie and Br. Allan to school, Fr, Ala was formerly school vice- rec- and achievements. Though it was sad for our school will help usher in new changes tor and treasurer. In his acceptance speech, he The ceremony commenced with a him to leave the school, he shared how happy and we can only hope for better things to shared how he was hesitant at first to accept the prayer service led by Fr. Acuin which included he was at the same time leaving the post as it come.” Further, she added, “Indeed, the say- post as he knew the heavy responsibility there the solemn rites for turnover of the school and had been a huge relief on his part considering ing, the whole is greater than the sum of its is for a rector but through the guidance and as- installation of the new friar administrators. The the demands there are to run a school. With parts is correct for collectively the surance of Rev. Fr. Cesar Acuin, OFM Cap., said rites were marked with the historic turn- confidence, he leaves the school in good hands bring with them their own unique gifts and outgoing rector, and his , he over of school artifacts, blessing of the new under the leadership of Fr. Ala with a prom- charisms, share these with the community finally submitted himself. He urged the entire friar administrators, turnover speech of the ise to continue guiding him and the school. and in the process enrich Lourdes School.” community which involves all sectors i.e. the outgoing rector and the acceptance speech- administrators, faculty, non teaching person- es of the newly installed friar school heads. Outgoing Rector Fr. Acuin will con- The new friar administrators shall nel, parents and alumni to unite behind him centrate on his post as the re-elected Provin- serve the school for the next three years with the and support him in all endeavors. “Huwag ni In his homily and turnover speech, cial Minister of the Capuchin Order here in the ever increasing demands and challenges and the yo po akong iwanan. Samahan niyo po ako” Fr. Acuin reminisced the years when he Philippines, the highest post a Capuchin friar continuing commitment to continue uphold the as he stated in a simple and candid yet started as rector of the school, the chal- may be appointed. On the other hand, outgoing school’s vision, mission, core values and thrusts. lenges and demands his post brought campus minister Fr. Dominic Abella, OFM Cap Newly installed rector marks first Rector’s day School artifacts handed over by Andrei Elinzano, IV- Wisdom In what appeared to be a fantastic and meaningful way to celebrate the Rector’s Day last during turnover rites July 20, the said traditional celebration was due by Andrei Elinzano, IV- Wisdom to the birthday of Rev. Fr. Antonio Ala II, ofmcap. Ever wonder what happens during the installation rites of new friar administrators? Aside from the usual turn- The newly installed rector of the over and acceptance speeches made by the friar school heads, school celebrated his 40th birthday consid- a symbolic turnover of the school through artifacts that rep- ered though to be young for a chief head of resent it defines the transition of power and responsibility. a school. This coincides too with his first year of rectorship which is still fresh from a During the Turnover Rite last June 23, the presentation month since his initiation to service. of school artifacts for turnover after the homily officiated by out- going rector Rev. Fr. Cesar F. Acuin, OFM Cap. highlighted the The day- long festivity commenced ceremony symbolizing the transfer of power as well as duties as early as the breaking dawn with a special and responsibilities to the newly appointed friar administrators. mañanita, a birthday serenade done early in Fr. Acuin made the symbolic bestowal together with the assis- the morning, for the celebrant at the GS Gym. tance of the school principal, Ms. Jocelyn Andaya to which the Fr. Tony who was busy with his routine work- three new administrators lined up on the stage to receive these. out at the weights room was surprised with a birthday serenade rendered by the lay admin- The first artifact was the school’s permit -and cer istrators from both the GS and HS department tificates of registration. As stated by Fr. Acuin, these docu- led by Ms. Jocelyn Andaya, school principal. ments show proof that Lourdes School, Quezon City is duly recognized and existing under the laws of the country. A special birthday program by the whole Lourdesian community followed The second artifact was the revised and approved organiza- hours after in the morning. It started with a tional chart. “Remember to uphold and respect the proper channels prayer service led by the campus minister, of communication and authority between and among administra- Rev. Fr. Wilfredo Atienza, OFM Cap. Sub- tors, faculty and non-teaching personnel.” As Fr. Acuin remarked. sequent to it was the joint morning praise IT’S ALL ABOUT FR. TONY, TONY, TONY. Selected GS and HS students render an acous- and flag ceremony of both departments. tic number for the birthday celebrant who is applauding behind on stage. (Turn to page 3) (Turn to page 3 ) Photo by: Justin Tajon The man behind the mask Discovering Fr. Willy by Hazel Fernandez, IV - Wisdom by Alain Lorenzo Aycardo, III- Prudence priorities are the same with almost any rector of the school: God, pursued it anyway. And so far it was something he did not regret. At a first glance, his office is filled with loud and noisy with the students and employees as his turf would be on the blood, eat and drink it in memory of me. Not bad for the call, huh! his Capuchin brotherhood, the school, which are ranked respec- Lourdesians sitting on chairs and couches as if they were at spiritual aspect. Being the campus minister, his task is to over- “Do everything with LOVE.” Those are the part- tively. Then what? If I were to ask, I would infallibly answer that To all Lourdesians, we introduce you to Fr. Tony, home; students playing chess in one corner while another asks see that spiritual action and dynamism alive through formation ing words of our new campus minister who considers the key to this man’s being is who he actually is behind his seat. our new school rector. As how serious his post might mask for pointers in playing the guitar. Thus, laughter and chatter fill activities such as retreats, recollections, masses and the like. the same as his motto in life. Indeed, Fr. Willy is a bless- him, it cannot be concealed that he is one of the jolliest per- the airwaves that reverberate throughout the four corners of the And whoever said that priests never wanted at one point in ing to LSQC for he is a man who does everything with His job maybe the most demanding and chal- sons one could ever know. Further, no matter how high his small but warm room. Amidst all the chaos and rowdiness and time to tie the knot with their special someone? Fr. Willy, as love and at the same time loves everything he does. lenging and we admire him for carrying the cross to lead stature may seem, he is the most hospitable and warmest per- the tiny space, this man still has complete command of his of- he is preferably addressed by Lourdesians, also wanted before us. For sure, his schedule is as busy as a bee but did you son you’ll know. He even wanted the Lourdesians to know fice. And well, he still manages to hold the room in one piece. to have a family and be married to a teacher because he be- know that like every ordinary person, he still enjoys the that he is not someone to fear at and that you can always go “Fr. Willy, as he is preferably addressed lieves that educators know how to raise well children as evi- leisure of watching television during his break time? to his office not only for business but also for any per- denced by the teachers we have in school whose students and sonal stuff, have lunch and even talk about love issues as well. by Lourdesians, also wanted before to own children have all turned out to be successful life. This And not only that, like everyone else, we’re ob- have a family and be dream though of his belonged to the past then for he has indeed viously itching to know from friars whether he had So Lourdesians, don’t hesitate to drop by Fr. Tony’s tied the knot recently not though with a teacher but with God. a girlfriend before. To our amusement, he answered office at the grade school department as he is not some- married to a teacher.” with blushing cheeks and a smirk: “Yes, normal na tao one to fear at rather someone worth discovering so dearly! One would be surprised to know too that this M.A. Pas- rin naman ako at dumaan din ako sa ganyang stage.” “Yes, normal Born by the name Wilfredo Cuevas Atienza, the 40 year toral Ministry (Cum Laude) degree holder is into sports with bad- “Being a rector is a serious job,” old newly installed campus minister of the school once dreamt of minton and table tennis topping his list. He’s also fond of writing That was our prelude to a light conversation with him na tao rin becoming a doctor not because of the huge paycheck that awaits poems and often arranging these into songs. Further during his free Thus says Fr. Antonio Ala II, ofmcap, our newly in- after dropping the formalities. We started diving into his high naman ako at but simply because of his huge passion to serve the people. time, he admits to being fond of cleaning and tiding things up. stalled rector when asked about his job during the PEB team’s school life after i.e. what he was and how he dealt with things. interview with him. The nature of his job though seems not He then went on to describe himself as a “mischievous” student Though fate did not seal what he had aspired back Asked as to how he decided to enter the holy life, Fr. really new to him as he was the vice- rector and at the same back then. Funny as it is that he was never really serious with then, life has its way of giving him what he earnestly desires: to Willy openly went on to share how he has received the call. time treasurer last year but perhaps having this position in- things and he used to do random naughty stuffs too! Fr. Tony serve the people through spiritual formation and healing. And It was in college when he unconsciously painted a grail with stead means only one thing: carrying the biggest responsibility. even shared an instance when he was playing with a straw and unlike the rector and treasurer, who are more academically, lo- strands of wheat and a branch of grapes. Inscribed in the paint- a paper ball that was aimed at the same time to hit his target gistically and technically inclined, Fr. Willy gets to work closely ing was the famous biblical passage, this is my body, this is my As the rector enjoys the status and privilege of classmate. But due to his classmate’s ultra ninja matrix skills, the highest seat in the school government, it is undeni- he managed to avoid the paper ball, instead hitting his teacher. able that he holds the most burdensome of the responsi- His teacher then was so mad that he threw chalk towards him. Beyond financial matters bilities i.e. taking good care of everyone in the school. by Gab Gonzalez, IV-Wisdom Fr. Tony even admitted having flirted with July 14, Thursday was just like any other day for my amusing to have discovered that the Capuchin broth- But this article is not about Fr. Tony as the rec- “few” girls back then. He even joked about how he dealt fellow PEB staffer and I until we were warmly welcomed by Br. ers would gather every Monday at the grade school gym tor for we will have the rest of his term to discov- with them saying, “Liligawan mo tapos pag nagka- Rolando Donasco, ofmcap in his cozy but busy looking office to indulge in their weekly sports activity: basketball. er this. Instead, we will try to unmask him as the rector gusto na sa’yo, iiwanan mo na.” But there was this girl for an interview. It was truly a great honor to be spending time and find out who really is whether with or without title. whom he loved the most but didn’t end up with anything. with him since we knew that he has willingly taken a little bit of Interestingly back in high school, the new school trea- his time off judging by the piles of paperwork he has on his desk. surer considered himself a shy type of guy. He also went on One look at Fr. Tony and you will be bewitched by He was never really sure if his vocation today is a result to reminisce about his circle of friends and the troubles they his charisma. Is it the looks or his charming smile? Or perhaps from a calling as he had actually aspired to be a lawyer. But due “I am in charge of all of the financial operations and got themselves into. One time, he and his barkada got into a the laughter? As they say, laughter is the best medicine and it is to his school’s cut-off, he pursued education instead. He never dumaan din matters of Lourdes School”, he said when asked about his job de- fight with another group of guys. Luckily, they didn’t get caught with no doubt that Fr. Tony’s laughter can do the trick even to envisioned being a priest back then which is why when he de- scription. He may be new to the school but being a treasurer isn’t since it happened during class hours. A surprising revelation the most miserable heartache. His perspective maybe? Nope, his cided to enter the seminary, his mother opposed it; But he still he ako sa ganyang stage.” at all new to him anymore as he had been previously assigned the though was when he admitted that he had a girlfriend back then same position at the Capuchin Retreat Center in Lipa, Batangas. in high school but the relationship lasted only for six months.

The good shepherd he is Br. Allan shared with us that if he weren’t in the reli- From then on, one gets to realize that Br. Al- gious life, he probably would have the same white collar job lan was like anyone else in high school and he went through by Andrei Elinzano, IV - Wisdom since he has a Bachelor of Science and Commerce degree. all these things that normal teenagers experience as well. Asked as to how he finds his first few weeks as the school It has been seven never has failed nor faltered in way of life and conscious- leaders imbued with a sense treasurer, he shared that he initially finds it difficult to imple- However, it was at the age of 25 that his life has gone full years since the LSQC flock steering the community. Tru- The school’s thrust ness as it lives on in the minds ment changes in our school since there are lots of processes to “Continue being diligent towards your studies. circle as he entered the seminary owing that he indeed witnessed was under the care of this wise ly, a complete package as we was formulated primarily be- and hearts of the students, go through though he openly expressed that he wants to pri- Yun lang ang panghahawakan ninyo sa buhay and heard the calling to a holy life. And the rest is history, bring- and strong shepherd. He was can call him, he has this eye cause it was evident that at graduates and employees. oritize the repairs of our facilities and buildings with the roof- ing him here in the portals of the 56 year old venerable institution. a person who continuously for strong and able leadership present, tyrants in the society ing being one of these. Regarding his perceptions and impres- niyo na alam niyong sa inyo. Walang maka- strives on moving forward de- which is irrevocable. Armed dominate unexpectedly, and Aside from our sions of the Lourdesians, Br. Allan remarked that the moment kakuha sa inyo nito kaya pahalagahan ninyo Towards the end of the interview, Br. Allan openly shared spite hardships, a who with genuine faith in God cases of corruption associated school thrusts, Fr. Cesar’s he accepted the position in our school and as he has gotten to ang edukasyon niyo. Treasure it.” his message for all the Lourdesians, “Continue being diligent to- has this warm smile every and a sincere heart to serve with various leaders were ever term as rector marked several know the community little by little, he noticed how the stu- wards your studies. Yun lang ang panghahawakan ninyo sa bu- time you encounter him, and a the Lourdesian community, growing. It is disappointing significant changes and- im dents are well-organized and are imbued with proper values. hay niyo na alam niyong sa inyo. Walang makakakuha sa inyo his life when he was in high school. great teacher who never runs LSQC will always remember though that most of them have provements in the school. It nito kaya pahalagahan ninyo ang edukasyon niyo. Treasure it.” According to him, basketball, bowling and bad- out of words and is always Rev. Fr. Cesar Acuin, ofm- received Catholic education. was during his stint that the From this point on, the interview has shifted to a much ready to help and motivate cap for his undying legacy. Graduates from schools cen- school was finally repainted minton are amongst the sports he indulges with. It was FATHER CESAR, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE IN OUR HEARTS. THANK lighter note. Br. Willy went on to share some of his hobbies and you. Regardless of the burden tered in Christian faith and to adopt the official colors of YOU. School Artifacts from page 1 that lies on his shoulders, he For all the years he ethical leadership later went dark blue and sky blue, class- Photos by: Daniel Evangelista has served the school, it was on to become gold mongers. rooms were also repainted, Third, the new friar administrators accepted the certificates of PAASCU- ac known that Fr. Cesar had to- In Catholic schools, we are LCD, OHP and projectors elevation to Level 3 status of th of gospel brotherhood. And creditation of the GS and HS departments. Fr. Acuin defined these as proof of the tally focused on the academic trained to become stewards were made a regular fixture e HS Department, a solid proof he, being a role model, will high educational standards that the institution has continuously been striving for. aspect of the institution and of God’s creations and gifts; in the classrooms and the of the quality Catholic educa- surely be remembered not Lastly, Fr. Cesar handed the school flag, logo, mission statement, seal, employees’ manual and he truly was dedicated on the but unfortunately, all of these comfort rooms renovated. tion that the school is offering for his post and stint as rector student handbook, symbolizing the new administrators’ responsibility of protecting the school’s community’s pursuit for ex- end up futile only to reveal Further, Fr. Cesar to its students. Likewise, he but for being the good shep- good reputation and their goals of continuing the legacy left by the earlier administrators. cellence while balancing this forms of abuse and corruption also ushered in changes in was also the man behind the herd tending his own flock. with holiness and service. by our government leaders. the Social Action Program of change of the schools’ sports Newly installed rector from page 1 the High School (HS) Depart- logo and identity to LSQC Father Cesar, wher- Perhaps the big- Thus, Fr. Cesar dedi- ment with the seniors now Blue Titans, a more fit- ever you will be, Lourdes The program proper which was emceed by Ivan Manzo and Anne Villena of IV-Wis- gest of his string of achieve- cated the whole of his term planning their own social ac- ting representation of School QC is much honoured dom and II-Humility started with a birthday message by School Treasurer Bro. Allan Donas- ments and accomplishments to the promotion and incul- tion activities for their own our Lourdesian athletes to have you as our rector and co, OFM Cap. It was shortly followed by an array of song and dance numbers from the LSQC was the adoption of a school cation of values that embody adopted community, imple- and our sports program. father. You will always remain Chorale, the high school and grade school dance troupe and selected high school students thrust to actualize further the the school’s thrust. He was menting then evaluating there- in our hearts. May your fan- who rendered an acoustic number of the modified version of the song Price Tag in honor of school’s vision and mission. always available to hold semi- after. It was student empow- These are some of the tastic journey prosper as you the celebrant. Not to be left behind also was the well- received dance medley of selected fac- Thus, the birth of Christian nars and sharings on Christian erment at its fullest and the milestones Father Cesar had continue to lead the whole ulty, non- teaching personnel and parents. The program, moreover, was highlighted by the giv- Leadership imbued with a leadership and Gospel broth- school’s thrust evident therein. envisioned for the school in of Capuchin brotherhood. ing of gifts and birthday messages from the Pupil Government, Student Advisory Board et al. sense of Gospel Brotherhood erhood and hear from employ- the last few years he served as The jubilant rector afterwards delivered his personal message of gratitude to the community. saw finally a concrete mark ees about the progress of this Moreover, Fr. Cesar’s rector. With his leadership, the Ending the program was the closing prayer and the community singing of the birthday song. of a Lourdesian in a society endeavour. Now that his term rectorship also saw the Level school has headed to a clear where moral leadership is has ended, the school thrust 2 reaccredidation of the Grade direction that is to mold the Towards the afternoon, a special program by the employees culminated the red- let- now rare among our leaders. is already part of the school’s School Department and the future generation of Christian ter day for Fr. Tony where several special numbers coupled with audio- visual presenta- tions brought the house down with fun and laughter for both the celebrant and his guests.