When two good friends meet

MALOLOS CITY, Bulacan – IT’S challenging how to get in touch with a friend due to some restrictions in the seminary. First, mobile phones are strictly discouraged. Second, Internet access is limited only. Third, I basically don’t know where to send a letter.

Bro. Michael Angelo Dacalos (or Myke, as I call him) was one of my closest friends way back in high school at Tagum City National High School.  After high school, we separated ways and went to different colleges.  He went to University of San Carlos in Cebu to take AB Philosophy; I went to Ateneo de Davao University to take BS Information Technology.  From then on, we seldom communicate.

Last month, I was able to get in touch with him online. I asked him where he’s been now, got his address and contact details.

I was scheduled to have an interview at the Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in Intramuros, Manila last April 4. I was asked to appear personally in their office as part of the application requirements for the 6th Asian Youth Day comes this August in Daejeon, South Korea.

Since I got Michael’s details few weeks’ back, I took this chance also of visiting him on Sunday (April 6) since I don’t have any other things to do while I’m in Manila. Sunday is also his only available time to meet outsiders.

Afternoon of Sunday, I arrived in Bulacan. He’s now in the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (Missionarii Sacratissimi Cordis) Chevalier Novitiate House in Purok 3, Barangay Taal, Malolos City, Bulacan. MSC is a group of priests and brothers trying to be and bring the message of God’s love to the world in the life they live and the work they do.

Bro. Michael has been staying in the congregation for four years now. He was about to become a manager of a fast food chain in Tagum City when he decided to enter MSC.

He remembered that it was during a vocation campaign in high school that he encountered the different religious congregations in the world. At first he thought that there is no difference between religious and diocesan priests. He also learned about the different charisms of religious congregations after college.

It was also that time that he realized that he is more inclined to become part of a religious community though the Diocese of Tagum is known for the big number of priests ordained every year.

He realized that the promotion he would have that time will not make him happy. His heart is searching for the kind of life that will bring him happiness and it is decision to enter MSC that he said his heart felt at ease.

Like the life I lived as a layperson, his formation also has its own highs and lows.

He was still an aspirant when his mother died in an untimely death. His mother was killed by a gunman.

I asked him how it affected him and if there was a time that he hated God for what happened. He said that he asked God why it happened. But if you try to know God, and you understand who God is, you will understand why things happen.

As of now, he’s in his last month in the Novitiate and he’s looking forward to transfer in their congregation’s house in the New Manila. He’s going to enter the Postulancy and will take his study in Theology for three years, hopefully in Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo de Manila University.

Before I left, I told him that I’m happy to know that he has found his vocation. But he’s quick to reply that I’m wrong. He is still searching for his vocation and hopefully it is through this stage of his journey that he will discover what God’s plan is for him.

In my mind, I am envious of what he has become since he left Tagum City and entered the congregation. He has found his purpose in life. Unlike me, I am still in that stage of discovering my purpose in this world and continue to stumble in the steps I take.

But with his words, I am confident that God also has plans for me. It is not yet clear for me, yet I trust Him that during those times that I stumble, God will be there to offer His hand and guide me in my steps.

Our meeting is a good reminder to me, especially in this season of Lent to really know my vocation in deep prayer and silence. Visiting an old friend whom I haven’t seen for years is such a blessing.

I left Bulacan with a smile knowing that I didn’t only find a long lost friend but a praying partner. I’m sure he will not forget this writer who went a long way just to visit him. Kidding aside, it is a wonderful feeling to be there, a respite from the hustle and bustle of the life in the city. It is a place where one can find solitude and discover the things that God wants of you.

For sure, I will pray for him – especially for his fruitful and worthwhile journey towards the call to holiness. And I’m sure he will pray for me too.

It is a meeting where a story is made. A story of two friends—one who constantly discovers God in the religious life while the other one constantly struggling to know God more.