One of the advocacies of HEdCen is religious tolerance and respect. Albeit non-sectarian, the school realizes that majority of its students are Roman Catholics. Thus, among the regular religious activities it helps commemorate is the rite of passage of First Communion.

Last December, the school sponsored the First Communion of members of the Grade Three class, at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Antipolo. The celebration of the sacrament, officiated by incumbent parish priest Fr. Joel Victorino, with the choir of HEdCen Grade 4 students led by Sir Roi on guitar, captured the joy, solemnity and wonder befitting the occasion. Much to the surprise and pleasure of the parents, Teacher Emma and several faculty members attended the ceremony.

The communicants did us proud, proof of the hard work they put in during rehearsals under the guidance of the ever-patient Teacher Vivs. We marveled at the sense of importance our sons and daughters gave to every aspect they participated in the Mass, from the responses to the choreographed hand gestures of some songs, all the way to the reverence with which they knelt and received the Body of Christ for the first time.

From the church, the communicants, their parents and the other members of the HEdCen community proceeded to the school, where the communicants were welcomed with confetti as they entered the campus. Of course, to end the special morning, we had a munting salu-salo of pasta, dinuguan at puto, Baby Claravall’s velvet cake (which was gone in a matter of seconds), and a host (pun intended) of other dishes, plus cold drinks courtesy of Ruel and Ruby Terry, and we all went home well-nourished in body and spirit.

Thank you HedCen, for making our children’s First Communion Celebration truly memorable!

(Photos courtesy of Ms. Sarj Protacio, mom of Mico and Gio, and Mr. Derek Brugada, dad of Kaze. And my apologies for the somewhat belated nature of this post. Better late than never!)

Posted in: Props, A HEdCen Oldie's POV, HEdCen Special Events, Photo Gallery | Comments(0) | January 2008

Here’s an excerpt from a parent’s response given at the school’s culminating activity held yesterday, 24 March 2007, with the theme “The HEdCen Child: A Gift to the World”:

Teacher Emma requested me to make a response on behalf of the grade school parents. I know I can’t claim to speak for all of you out there; that’s impossible. But what I can do is share with you the sentiment my wife Mallotte and I feel whenever our children reach yet another milestone. Somehow, I think it connects with the theme of our HEdCen children as gifts to the world.

This is something I wrote a few years back for my daughter Riana’s first communion, which she had at another school before we decided to bring her back home to HEdCen. I’ve modified it a bit, and it goes like this. Babasahin ko na lang po.

As Riana marched down the aisle and stepped forward to receive her first communion, I looked at my wife and said “Before we know it, mamartsa na ‘yan sa kasal niya.” I had intended my remark to be funny. This is the way I usually react to moments of poignancy, to stop the tears from welling in my eyes. It sort of worked for me but only made my wife cry just a bit more.

Then I realized that this is our burden as parents: Whether we care to admit it or not, our children were never meant to belong with us all our lives. They are not ours to keep.

From the second they are born, we start giving up our children, little by little. We return them in increments, principal plus interest, not bodily, but as gradually forming souls made truer – or less so – by what we do and fail to do. We are more than recipients of gifts in His image and likeness that He has bestowed upon us. We are the temporary caretakers of the precious lives He has entrusted to our custody.

This is our burden as parents. Our calling, our vocation, and our privilege.

But still, as our children take yet another step closer to our God, I can’t stop myself from asking … “Please, dear Lord, parang awa naman po Ninyo, dahan-dahanin po Ninyo ang pagsingil sa amin.”

Yun lang po, mahal naming mga magulang. Thank you and enjoy the rest of the evening.

And isn’t my daughter simply lovely when she smiles? Congratulations honey!

Posted in: A HEdCen Oldie's POV, HEdCen Special Events | Comments(1) | March 2007