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Now, I would like to
thank you Sisters, for your incredible faith in putting me in this
position. I also would like to thank you for something I saw on
your faces at the Mass after the elections in Tagaytay – you
remember? --- when the Celebrant asked me to stand and face you
and to say those presumptuous words: “Today, God’s promise has
been fulfilled”. When I turned to face you, I was touched by what
I saw on your faces – besides amusement of course -- what I saw
was not reverence nor awe, what I saw was affection – warm,
benevolent, proud affection like what one sees in mothers when
they watch the antics of their children as if the things they are
doing like crawling, gurgling or reciting a poem were the portents
of budding geniuses. That warm affection enveloped me like a
comforting blanket.
As I stand here, I
remember a similar occasion, 8 years ago when I stood at this
altar to give my Investiture Talk at President of St.
Scholastica’s College. In that talk, I recalled the story of that
little girl who failed her entrance examinations in this college,
what that event meant to her, how she came back and became
president of the school. I will not repeat the story since most
of you know it.
On this occasion, I
remember another incident in the life of this little girl, which
of course you know is myself. I come as most of you know from a
little town (not of Bethlehem) but of Bayambang, Pangasinan. One
day, the janitor of the elementary school of the town came to our
house to ask my mother for a prize for an amateur singing
contest. I waited for the janitor at the door to ask him where
and when this contest will be. And without telling my parents I
went to join the contest. Before my turn, I had already made up
my mind what to sing – for the elimination round and for the final
round (I was so sure I would be a finalist). But when I started
by song – I remember it was ‘I’ll be loving you always’ I had just
reached the second line when BANG BANG BANG – I heard the gong
which meant I was eliminated !!!. I was so shocked I ran out of
the building and in the darkness of the schoolyard I cried my
heart out on top of a rock in one corner of the yard.
In these days, when
I hear of childhood traumas like child abuse and incest, I am
almost embarrassed to mention these two incidents as my childhood
traumas. But we adults cannot underestimate the feelings of
children. And somehow these two incidents have given me not just
compassion for people who fail but a real, deep empathy for them,
because after more than 50 years later, I still know the feeling
of humiliation and end of the world feeling of those days. They
have somehow helped me survive other failures and they have
grounded me whenever I felt like floating like a balloon with hot
air into the alapaap (skies). Somehow I feel I will be
needing them in the next five years.
Our Priory Chapter
has set our direction for the next two years. It challenges us to
revitalize our local communities for a more effective witnessing
to Christ. There are more than enough recommendations in our
Challenges 2004 to keep the Priory Government and all our
communities busy for the next 5 years.
And now Archbishop
Rosales has just invited us, has challenged us to join him in his
vision of helping the poor of Manila help themselves in a very
concrete way. I think this is an opportunity for us to realize in
a very practical way our option for the poor, which we have been
writing in our documents since 1975. So I hope it is all right
with you that my first act as your representative is to say yes to
this invitation, to accept this challenge. Archbishop Rosales, we
are with you in realizing your vision for the poor which is also
our vision.
I am very much aware
that the Prioress is given the formidable task of spiritual
leadership. This is truly a daunting task. What gives me courage
is the conviction that God had something to do with all this –
that although we were the human instrumentalities in the election
– we strongly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst
and even if it sounds presumptuous it was indeed an act of God.
So somehow in God’s inscrutable ways, I am chosen as a channel of
God’s grace. So I understand my role, among other things, as that
-- a channel. And I believe that if I only leave this channel
open, if I don’t let my ego block it, if I get out of the way, God
will pour graces to all of you and to our priory. In this task of
spiritual leadership, I invite you to a shared leadership. Let us
accompany one another in the spiritual journey we have all chosen
like the disciples of Emmaus journeying with the Risen Christ.
And we draw our strength from the words of Jesus: “I will send
 you
a Consoler – a Companion – and behold I am with you all days, even
unto the consummation of the world.”
I know that at this
moment, motherliness is not exactly my strong feature. The future
might still mellow me into this role. But right now I just want
to be the best of what I already am to you – a sister, a
companion. And as your sister and as your companion, I will not
make many promises. I only want to serve God in you and in our
people with all the energy of my being – THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD
MAY BE GLORIFIED!
Sisters' pledge of loyalty
Back to M. Mary John Mananzan, OSB installed Prioress |
