APPRECIATING DEEPLY THE SPIRITUALITY OF MO. CANDIDA MA. DE JESUS

Manresa School, in its 46th year of service to Catholic Education, continuously commits itself to the attainment of its educational goals and the vision – mission as a response to the call of the church on new evangelization.

As a starting point for the SY 2017- 2018, the school administrators headed by RCA, Sr. Lorena V. Sevillo, F.I., had very fruitful professional development sessions which were focused on the Spirituality of Mo. Candida, Shared Mission, and the “Proyecto de Misión Común” that were held in school on April 3 and May 3, 2017.

The session on “Experiencing the Spirituality of Mo. Candida in the Workplace,” which was discussed by Sr. Emelinda C. Falsis, F.I., as a member of the Hijas de Jesus Ad Hoc Commission, was a very timely session that inspired and challenged us lay administrators to deepen our love for the mission, with God as the center of our Christian life and our teaching vocation and service in any field of responsibility. Learning from the life of Mo. Candida, whose experience of God as Father in her apostolic and missionary life was so strong, moved us to be reflective of our faith life. The truth about an intense faith, total trust, and abandonment to the Father of Mo. Candida was an eye-opener to us lay collaborators, as we face the daily work and meet the varying demands in the service we offer to the school.

One striking point was the question posed to the administrators on how we respond to our personal poverty and in our workplace, and how it led us to trust the Lord. The session greatly enriched our knowledge and understanding of the charism and spirituality of Mo. Candida. It gave us an affirmation of loving more our vocation as lay partners of the F.I. Sisters in the educative mission, and most significantly is the call to place Jesus Christ as the center of our life and service. The final message of Sr. Lynn to us at the end of her session, “Letting be in Faith, Letting go in Trust, and Letting grow in Love,” touched our hearts and gave us meaning in appreciating Mo deeply. Candida’s spirituality.

As the administrators felt inspired in living out the spirituality of Mo. Candida, the talk on “Four Levels of Shared Mission,” which was discussed by another Ad hoc member, Ms. Aida A. Gomez, uplifted everyone to remain faithful in embracing the shared mission. There were many insights and discoveries on how each one understood the four levels of shared mission based on one’s own experiences, and it was a contributing factor in looking at things positively, specifically on our participation in the shared mission. As shared by the participants, being lay partners of the big family of St. Candida in Manresa School, there is a felt need to be more open to different opportunities for growth that would lead to greater participation and collaboration that genuinely comes from the heart of a person with all faith and trust in God. As each one was able to identify her/ his level of participation in the shared mission, there was also an expressed desire to reach the co–participation and company level of shared mission. It was a challenge for everyone to grow more in faith as they got involved in the shared mission, and strengthening their passion in the shared mission was seen and felt in their active participation in the group discussion, interaction, and reflection activities. Lastly, each one was made to reflect and put in one’s heart the meaning of being a real partner in the mission through the message taken from Pope Francis on his talk on Vocation: “to be a missionary disciple means to share actively in the mission of Christ.”

Being animated with dedication and zeal for the educative mission, it was such a very meaningful experience for the members of the administration to know and understand the “Proyecto de Misión Común” as discussed comprehensively by Sr. Lorena V. Sevillo, F.I. last May 3, 2017. As our Proyecto Común states: “To manifest the merciful, compassionate and forgiving face of Jesus”, we were all touched by its message and the call to respond with dynamism to the apostolic actions of the local community of Parañaque House as we also integrate the Proyecto Común in the educational action and aims of Manresa School. It truly motivated us to be more sensitive and discerning in the way we approach, establish relationships, journey with one another in the spirit of fraternal love and care, and deal with the demands of our service in the different areas of responsibility. With our profound appreciation of the spirituality of Mo. Candida and humble response to the shared mission, we accepted the truth that living in one’s heart the proyecto comun is a very significant endeavor we have to face with much effort and passion for the common good. It brought us to a reality that it is only our faith, strong confidence, and trust in God that can guide us every day in our mission in life. It is indeed an expression of our love for our Loving Creator, Jesus Christ, the one who guides us to be more merciful, compassionate, and forgiving. With gratefulness to God’s perfect love, we put all our trust and confidence in Him as we join hands in actively collaborating in the shared mission this SY 2017- 2018.