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High School faculty retreat

by Ms. Carolyn Aquino
Posted: Wednesday July 02, 2008 04:25 PM

The High School faculty members at the St. Scholastica's Center of Spirituality (SSCS), Tagaytay City

Seventy-one (71) faculty members of the High School unit participated in the annual faculty retreat held from June 2 to 4 at St. Scholastica’s Center of Spirituality in Tagaytay City.    Fr. Anselm Manalastas, OSB of the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat facilitated the retreat. The theme was Ora et Labora with focus on Benedictine Spirituality of Work.  

Fr. Anselm quoted mainly from the Sacred Scriptures and the Rule of St. Benedict to emphasize the dignity of human work as both materially and spiritually fruitful. Delivered in a light and humorous way, Fr. Anselm was able to drive home the point of what it entails to be a worker in the school of the Lord’s service. Work is always in the context of PRAYER and REST, of CELEBRATION and SORROW; it is an HONORABLE and MEANINGFUL part of human life.  Human work is a primary means of stewardship for the world God has generously blessed us with and we gratefully respond with human competence. 

Throughout the three-day retreat, the schedule of activities followed the Benedictine rhythm of prayer, work and rest.  Aside from the physical nourishment of good food during common meals and the priceless benefit of siesta, the group had daily Mass, Divine Office, lectio divina, adoration, penitential service and confession for spiritual sustenance and growth. As St. Benedict exhorts, “Before you begin a good work, you must pray to God most earnestly to bring it to perfection.” Indeed, ora et labora were lived out as evidenced by the active participation and joyful disposition of the teachers in every session, in the tasks assigned to them, and most especially, in singing with gusto with the indefatigable faculty chorale in the lead.  The retreat began with a song and a prayer, and ended with the celebration of the Eucharist. 

After the Holy Mass, the distribution of assignments, commissioning to the new appointees and welcome rite to the new teachers followed. The teachers old and new also signified their commitment to the ministry of teaching in St. Scholastica’s College, Manila for the school year 2008-2009 by way of a prayer. The retreat token - the medal of St. Benedict attached to a birthstone rosary – was an apt symbol of each one’s life journey towards God’s dwelling, guided by the teachings of the Holy Bible and our holy father Benedict in the company of the Blessed Mother. Ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus!

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