The Silver Anniversary of Kapuluan Study Center

The First Stone

The whole day event started off with a film showing of a get-together by St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei. It was followed by the Holy Mass, celebrated by the Vicar-General of Opus Dei in the Philippines, Fr. Joseph Duran. In his homily, the towering presence of Fr. Duran surprisingly complimented with his warm and jovial demeanor as he described Kapuluan and its accomplishments for the past two and a half decades.

To set the tone for the celebration, Carlo Timbol, a Kapuluan fellow and now studying at St. Luke�€™s College of Medicine, gave a soulful performance with his rendition of Gary Granada�€™s Mabuti Pa Sila. Afterwards, Mr. Oliver Tuazon, the current director of Kapuluan Study Center for the past, gave a short talk about Kapuluan told of its background, contributions, and projects over the years. A slideshow also showcased Kapuluan�€™s priceless memoirs dating from its first few years to the present. Very evident were the mountain hiking excursions which every Kaps fellow certainly did love. Also noticeable were the furnitures of Kapuluan which seemed they could last a whole lifetime, thanks to the people intent in preserving them for the future generations.

As always, great food was served for lunch and this was the time were everyone simply enjoyed the event, chatted with each other, and shared and laughed at the stories of each one. After lunch, there was a get-together with the so-called �€œTitans�€ of Kapuluan as they were some of the pioneering leaders dating back to the foundation of center way back 1984. They were Oscar Olmos, crowd favorite Rey Taganas, David Caloza, and former Kapuluan director, Jason Devilla.

The Get-together with the Titans

This get-together proved to be a very special one as the each and every Kapuluan fellow lent their ears to the uproarious stories and experiences the four great men shared; which at the same time effectively inspired the audience to also make their own story �€“ a story of selfless service to God, the country, and all His people.

First to share was Jason Devilla and he told the group of the blessings of being required to take ROTC in the past, wherein they were able to invite hordes of fellow cadets and orient them about the Center. They proudly shared that the seats for meditation stretched far back to the living room up to the lanai area! He described as a �€œmoving�€ experience was his memory of the times when the lines for confession stretching as far as the lanai area also!. They also shared that the study room was also very much filled especially during examinations as well as the oratory as everyone asked for God�€™s grace during these periods.

Almost knocking us out of our seats were the ingenious ways they were able to invite guys to the center in the past. David Caloza shared that he was invited while still in his fatigues from ROTC. He remembers thinking to himself  �€œI was deceived!�€ when upon his inquiry, it was revealed that a girl actually recommended him, when actually, the one who invited him just randomly picked out a name from  the list of males residing at the Kalayaan Residence Hall.

Among other stories, Oscar Olmos shared his tactic of inviting guys to the center. On given days, he would deliberately not wear his watch and when an opportunity came, he would ask a guy for the time, and use the line, �€œBy the way, have you heard of Kapuluan?�€

Another unforgettable story was that of Ray Taganas during the time when he joined the Work, as well as his mimicry of his mentor-priest Fr. Frank. On one occasion, Ray remembers Fr. Frank asking him to help with the sales of books on spiritual reading and prayer, affably describing his methods like �€œOh Friends of God kayo diyan! Bili kayo The Way, The way!�€ On a more serious note, he tried to inspired the fellows telling of his years of service and work for Opus Dei in Cebu, India, and soon to be, at Indonesia.

The Film and the Legacy

After the fun-filled get-together, merienda was served and continued on to the film showing of Michael Hoffman�€™s �€œEmperor�€™s Club�€. The film taught of the importance of building one�€™s character while still young as we may end up like one of the characters, Sedgewick Bell, wherein he persisted on cheating in the Mr. Julius Caesar Contest when he was young and during the rematch with his classmates in his later years. It taught us a lot about making the right decisions by and for ourselves, and not waiting for later to change our bad habits and misdeeds.

The film was meant especially for the center fellows since it has always been Kapuluan�€™s vision, to train and mold the youth who are strong in virtue, character, and most importantly, spirituality.

The road to the next 25 years now begins. Who knows who will be sharing in the get-togethers for the golden anniversary? But the more important question for Kapuluan and its fellows is to ask themselves this: what does God want me to do for Him, in the next 25 years �€“ and even beyond.

Twenty-five years ago, endowed with God�€™s almighty grace, the foundation on which a few great men now stand was built. Its fruition, already in splendid bloom, has now come back to its roots. From humble beginnings, success was brought about through a joyful spirit of service which continues to emblazon up to the present. Even as the physical aspect of Kaps, its furnitures and fixtures, stood the test of time; so does the fire that has been passed on from their generation to ours.

-Article by Ernest Algabre

-Photos by Jigs Quizon