Finally the most awaited day arrived.

There was a cool breeze blowing and the sun was brightly shining as the alumni of St. Camillus College Seminary set foot once again in the premises of their alma mater.

The once-young seminarians were all smiles as they entered the campus and stepped on familiar grounds.  And why shouldn’t there be smiles?  They had after all four or five years of unforgettable memories coming alive.  Besides, it was exhilarating – after several decades – to be reunited with one another and with their beloved Rector Fr. Ivo Anselmi, with whom they share many sweet (and perhaps sour too?) memories.

With the untiring efforts of Fr. Rey Sentillas, MI, SCCS Rector/President, and the seminary community members, the dream came true on Sunday, September 21, 2008, the dream of an Alumni Homecoming.

The activity started with the Eucharistic celebration “…in which the community, through Christ, is united.” Fr. Ivo Anselmi, MI, joined by a deacon and 13 concelebrating confreres, presided over the Mass. For all who were present, it was an awesome breathtaking moment.

At about 11:00 A.M., the general assembly kicked off. Around a hundred people filed into the auditorium.  The hall was filled with excitement as the alumni who came from various walks of life (ordained ministry, academe, military, business, law, nursing, etc.) continued to recognize in their surroundings what was old and what was new.   

The presence of the attendees was promptly acknowledged. From among the participating alumni, batch coordinators were selected, and from among the coordinators, a core group was formed to lead a newly born alumni association.  Fr. Rey Sentillas, the assembly moderator, encouraged the alumni to extend their help to their alma mater in the carrying out of its various projects.

To enable the alumni to see how SCCS, a once ‘tender plant,’ has matured into a full grown tree, Fr. Evan Paul Villanueva, MI, Vicar of the Provincial Superior, gave a short historical background of the institution, which was the brainchild of Fr. Ivo Anselmi, MI who became its first Rector and Director.

Fr. Evan traced how SCCS evolved from the St. Camillus Formation Center, located in Loyola Heights, which served as the formation center during the first decade (1975-85) of Camillian presence in the Philippines.  At that time, the seminarians attended different seminaries for their academic formation. However, the difficulty posed by their dispersed academic schedules plus the significant numerical growth of Camillian vocations gave rise to the idea of putting up a Camillian seminary which would provide Camillian seminarians with complete in-house formation.  This led to the establishment of SCCS in Marikina, which then gained government recognition through the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports.

Initially, SCCS was envisioned exclusively for the philosophical formation of Camillian seminarians.  But as time passed, several other congregations based in the neighborhood sought admittance for their formands. Eventually SCCS opened its doors to them.  In time even the diocese of Antipolo sent their seminarians to SCCS.

In the recent years, an international flavor has been added.  Camillian formands from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan have also been benefiting from the wells of knowledge and wisdom of this academic institution.

With their upgraded knowledge of their alma mater, the alumni proceeded to enjoy a  very sumptuous lunch.  Lunch was followed by a program that featured several presentations coming from different formation houses.

At around 3:00pm, many other older alumni poured in. There were games which brought back the memories of ‘olden days.’ Everyone seemed happy; one could hear the echoes of laughter and jovial conversations everywhere. The alumni reminisced their ‘classical jokes and stories’.

The rest of the afternoon saw the alumni enjoying a karaoke session and other venues of sharing. Some of them even stayed overnight and continued reminiscing their shared history. In retrospect they realized the positive impact of seminary formation on their post-seminary life as professionals and family heads.  They expressed appreciation particularly for the strictness and sometimes raised voice of Fr. Ivo who left no stone unturned in his efforts to give the best formation possible.  Indeed, September 21 has been a wonderful and memorable day…