Regional Major Seminary’s vice rector marks 10 years in priesthood

“It’s not an accident that I reached this point in my journey towards the priestly vocation. Should God allow me to serve Him through the priestly ministry, then it would be His greatest gift for the Church.”

This is according to Fr. Rene A. Ribac, vice rector of St. Francis Xavier Regional Major Seminary, days prior to his ordination to the priesthood last June 30, 2009. Ten years later, he never expected that he will reach this point in his life that he will be guiding young men who just like him, dreamed of becoming a priest.

Raised in Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, he said that his desire for the priestly life started during his childhood when his mother, a former catechist used to bring him in the chapel and in their parish.

He remembered that he was first attracted to the vestment or sotana of the priests. He said that time he was already determined to become one of them saying, “sigurado ko nga mag-pari ko wala lang sila kabalo.”

In his fourth year in high school, Fr. Rene underwent a vocation search-in at the Society of Mary congregation or Marist and also at the St. Francis Xavier College Seminary (XACOSE) in Catalunan Grande, Davao City.

He said he was confident to answer the exam because he felt that he would really pass it despite the worries of his principal that the young Rene would only cause trouble during the search in due to his behavior.

Back then, he has no idea regarding the difference between a religious and diocesan priest.

“I don’t have any idea about the difference between the diocesan clergy and religious priests. What I had in mind was that I really wanted to be a priest and that’s all,” he said.

His teacher, who happened to be a nun, explained to him the difference between the two. Recognizing the need to have more priests to shepherd the flock in the diocese, he decided to be a diocesan seminarian and turned down the Marist congregation even if he passed the exam.

Before he entered the Pre-College, Fr. Rene said his family started residing in Toril, Davao City and then he decided to transfer from the Diocese of Digos to the Archdiocese of Davao when he was in second year college.

As a college seminarian, Fr. Rene always looked up and dreamed of studying at the neighboring St. Francis Xavier Regional Major Seminary (REMASE) of Mindanao. That’s why even if he is not used to studying his lessons, he did all his best to be focused in his academics or else he would fail and get expelled in the seminary.

“There were many instances that I have to place a book on my head while studying my lessons because it’s difficult for me to concentrate,” he said as he expressed his willingness to be part of REMASE.

Of the 26 seminarians who entered the Pre-College, Fr. Rene and three others were the only ones who graduated in XACOSE excluding those returnees and those who entered the seminary after they graduated in college.

Unlike the easy entrance in XACOSE, the REMASE on the other hand gave him a difficult time in answering the questions during the entrance exam though he was able to make it.

Fr. Rene’s stay in the Pre-Theology Year (PTY) was the lightest moment for him in his stay in REMASE since they were not that loaded with subjects in Theology. In T1 (Theology 1), his first year in the REMASE main building, Fr. Rene said that he experienced gloom but he still looked for meaning in his stay by studying his lessons and by volunteering as butcher in the seminary’s piggery.

Fr. Rene shared with DCHerald that after some adjustments, he felt happy staying in the seminary during his second year in Theology. It was also that time when he enrolled in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) course in preparation for his priestly ministry.

In CPE, he was trained to give counseling to people in the hospital especially the sick. Also that time, he learned that if he is in doubt whether he would stay in the seminary or not, he should not decide right away. And this was what he did.

It was in his third year in Theology that he started to get worried and sad when most of his classmates left the seminary to discern for their vocation outside or if not, leave for good because they discovered that their vocation is not to the priesthood.

When Fr. Rene reached fourth year, he was the only one in T4 (Theology 4) from the Archdiocese of Davao.

Asked what made him stay for 10 years in the seminary, Fr. Rene is quick to point out that it’s due to God’s grace and not only through his endeavors.

Adding to that is his openness in the formation and the support and bonding he had with fellow seminarians.

After he graduated in March 2008, Fr. Rene had his 10 months pre-diaconal exposure in different parishes and pastoral agencies of the Archdiocese of Davao including the archdiocesan newspaper, the Davao Catholic Herald, where he was correspondent from May up to September.

He was ordained deacon on February 3, Tuesday at Sto. Rosario Parish in Toril at 2:00 pm. Auxiliary Bishop of Davao George B. Rimando officiated the rites of ordination.

Fr. Rene chose “For you are my treasured possession” (Ex.19:5) as theme for his diaconal ordination.

He was ordained to the priesthood last June 30, 2009, also in Toril by Archbishop Fernando R. Capalla.

“Please pray for me that God will help me in my vocation and please pray that God will send more workers in His harvest,” he quipped.