Students from the third grade to college, with their teachers, school personnel, parents and other members of the Poveda community, gathered together last July 27, 2010 at the school's gymnasium to celebrate the feast of Saint Pedro Poveda's martyrdom.

The Eucharistic celebration was presided by Most Reverend Honesto F. Ongtioco, BDSTL, (Bishop of Cubao), Msgr. Antonio Mortillero (Vicar General of the Diocese of Cubao), Msgr. Dan Santa Maria (Parish Priest of Christ the King Parish) and Rev. Fr. Steven Zabala (the School Chaplain).

Bishop Ongtioco, being the main presider in the celebration, gave a homily centering on the theme "The Povedan: A Person for All, Like Fr. Poveda Ready to Heed God's Call."  The Mass became even more inspiring and meaningful with his sharing on the life of Fr. Poveda and his challenge for all members of the Povedan community to live out and follow Fr. Poveda's example of faith in God and compassion to people, especially the marginalized.

 

Officers and members of the PPA, members of the management and faculty, welcome

Once again our home and our school come together as partners, in a common mission that binds us , in St. Pedro Poveda’s words,   “ to bring out the best in everyone of our children.”

This year, we are invited to carry out this mission with a keen ear on the words from the Gospel , “Do whatever He tells you.” (Jn. ) These words unite us with the Teresian Association all over the world.  you will see  this invocation on our bulletin boards, and hear it repeated in every assembly,  and in every meeting. This year, we pray for a listening heart to hear these words, to be true to what Jesus tells us to do as parents, teachers, administrators to live in authenticity who we are and what we said we will do.

As parents you have the prime role in this partnership. Your presence to your children and the love only you can give them cannot be substituted by anyone. On our part ,count on the professional expertise  founded on years of study and experience in our fields.  More importantly, we offer to teach them Povedan values with the hope that your daughters, molded in them,  would be guided by what they were taught  beyond the walls of these schools in the choices they make.   My dear parents, this is only possible if we model for them these values, both at home and in school. This is the most essential call, in my belief, of our partnership and where it  is mostly needed.

We are blessed that St. Pedro Poveda was very explicit in the core values he wanted in the Teresian Association and therefore in our schools.  Example, he  says, is paramount in communicating them.

Talking to the teachers of the first educational centers he founded, Pedro Poveda says,

 “Do you want your students to be prayerful? Start by being so yourselves. Do you want them to be good? Be the first ones to do so.  Do you want them to be orderly, punctual, respectful? See to it that you yourself are models of such good deeds.

You have to be exemplary because without wanting it, you are the focus of attention. Your good example creates a great impact on your students.”

Two days ago, we witnessed our nation’s  expression of a collective hope for a new beginning. Let us start this new beginning right here in our school and in our homes, and model before our children the person, the family, and the school we want for them. “Ako ang simula ng pagbabago.”  May these words we heard so much  in the last months be not turned into another cliché but  be a mantra, that with our examples, we can pass on to our children.

What change would we like to model to our children? Let me just share with you more of Poveda’s counsels to the teachers of the first Teresian schools.

“Conduct yourself”, he says, “ as God would want of you. Above everything else be calm. Do everything serenely, without haste, without discouragement …  Do not be irritable , never humiliate anybody. Be generous with your praise. Be prudent and tactful with your words, your gestures, and even your facial expressions.

Sometimes you have to console, other times you may have to reprimand, but you have to do so with great love.”

Before a world, battered with inconsistencies and misuse of power,  we hear him say,

“What we need for the world and for ourselves is a steadfast and enduring firmness, to stand strong on what we must believe and practice, without allowing flatteries, threats or persecutions to affect us. But in so doing,  let us be kind, gentle and loving with others.  In this way, we will have an effective influence in the world…”

For Poveda, the power of joy, generosity and love is foremost in being communicators and instruments of the same.

He continues, “ To be able to influence your students, make yourselves amiable… a person who performs his duties cheerfully, influences others to do the same. Joy opens up your hearts to others.

It makes virtue attractive and it is the most powerful instrument of your apostolate

Be compassionate, tolerant , good, loving to everyone, but be strict, demanding, rigorous and exacting with yourselves.

For us, in positions of authority, and all of us here are in this position, Poveda enjoins us,

“…  let us command less, rather , let us be the first to do, to serve others, to practice charity and to forget ourselves.”

My dear parents and staff of St. Pedro Poveda College, what a wonderful program for partnership St. Pedro Poveda has outlined for us. Let us heed our Founder’s words and say to one another, “ Tayo ang simula ng pagbabago” so that our children will see that the persons in whom they have placed their trust  really live what they say.

It is a “tall order”  but the changes we dream that may seem impossible amidst the seemingly insurmountable hurdles can be given birth  right in here in our school and in your homes.   We owe this to our children.

“Do whatever He tells you.”   When the waiters did this, at that wedding day in Cana,  the first miracle happened and water turned to wine. May God make all of us present here , in  this our jubilee year, to be instruments of  countless miracles for each other and for our children.

Congratulations to our new officers, count on us in your projects to continue making our school a safe and inviting place of learning and  growing.

And finally, In the name of all the management, teachers and staff, our heartfelt gratitude, our dear parents, for being there with us, in many many ways.  Thank you once again, Good evening.