Davao Seminarians challenged to be Imitators of Christ

With great joy and thanksgiving, all the Davao Diocesan seminarians celebrated the 6th General Assembly of Davao Diocesan Seminarians at St. Francis Xavier Pre-College Seminary, October 29.

Themed: “Be Imitators of Christ” (Eph.5:1), they pondered on it with their resource speaker Rev. Fr. Russell Bantiles, Ph.D, a philosophy professor at the college seminary.

“All of us want to imitate Christ but it is concretized in different ways. Young people consciously and unconsciously tend to imitate,” he said.
He added that to imitate is somehow paradoxical, saying: “on one hand, we do not want to imitate but on the other hand, we imitate.”

Fr. Bantiles explained that imitation can be understood negatively but “let us understand it positively especially in understanding of St. Paul.”
“He who follows me doesn’t walk in darkness (Jn.8:12). It means that in following Christ, one must be honest and transparent. A seminarian should not live a double life – the problem of incongruence,” he exhorted.

He furthered the first step to imitating Christ is to acquiring virtues, “thinking, talking and doing the way Christ does.”

In the formation of virtues, he emphasized that one must focus only to one or two virtues at a time. It is a gradual process of building up a character – the sum total of all virtues.
He cited some virtues that seminarians should develop: fortitude, patience, composure, care for little things, magnanimous, industriousness and diligence, sincerity, temperance, good manners and etiquette, and human elegance.

After the talk, they celebrated the Holy Eucharist presided by the Asst. Coordinator of the Pre-College Seminary Msgr. Edgar Labagala, DCD. In his homily, he emphasized that “like the mustard seed, we also start in a small beginning. Virtues and vices also start in a repetitive act of doing little things.”
“As a pilgrim in this world, let us pray for each other,” he ended.
The said event was also attended by some priests. In the afternoon, indoor and outdoor games are played.
The said gathering is done every semestral break. Davao Seminarians President Sem. Giovanni Udtohan said that the aim of this gathering is to foster camaraderie and unity among seminarians from Pre-College to Theology.

The Archdiocese of Davao has a total of 157 diocesan seminarians: (29) Pre-College, (43) 1styr, (36) 2ndyr, (14) 3rdyr, (10) 4thyr, (8) Pre-theology, (5) T1, (4) T2, (1) T3, 1 (T4), (2) Spain, (2) UST, (2) HASS.

From North, there are 56 seminarians while from South 101 seminarians. As of this year, the St. Francis of Assisi Maa has the biggest number of seminarians at 21.

Behind the success of the gathering is Davao Vocation Director Rev. Fr, Hover Jocson and all the Davao Seminarians officers.