OYAYI NI INA

25 years under the Musical Mantle of Mary

Looking back on our days as the Class of 1999 from Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary fills my heart with deep nostalgia. We started our journey in 1995 as 19 young seminarians — eating together in the refectory, sharing laughter over simple meals; praying side by side in the chapel, our voices rising as one in hymns and petitions; studying late into the night, sometimes battling drowsiness but always pushing each other to stay focused; and ending each day with quiet moments of reflection, entrusting everything to Jesus, the High Priest, and Mary, our loving Mother. Those routines — so ordinary yet so meaningful — wove us into a brotherhood that time and distance could never break. Though some of our brothers moved on before graduation, 16 of us completed the journey, and Sheldon answered God’s call as a Carmelite priest-friar. The rest of us pursued careers and built families, yet the bond we forged in those formative years remained. Now, 25 years later, we have once again been called by our alma mater — this time to serve, a fitting way to express our gratitude for the blessings we've received since we left her hallowed halls.

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