What follows is a reflection by one of Xavier’s alumni who have selflessly shared time and effort in making Ignite, the Grade 7 recollection, a reality.

     I never wake up early on a Sunday morning because I just think it’s not right to waste the morning out of bed. In fact, only two things can get me out of bed on a Sunday morning: a “crazy idea” or a bowling event. On one particular Sunday morning though, I was out of bed early, drinking coffee (and I dislike coffee, by the way) in Jun Lim’s (XS Batch ‘90 ) house and my bowling balls never left my house.

     Allen Silvano (XS Batch ‘96) of the Grade School Campus Ministry and Service Office had a “crazy idea” I could not resist. He told me, along with several other alumni, that a recollection was being planned for the Grade 7 students of Xavier, and Fr. Johnny Go wanted it to be special. The School Director wanted the alumni to help in designing an effective overnight recollection that could serve as the culmination of a students’ stay in Grade School.

     While I am never one to back down from an opportunity to serve God, I silently hesitated as we planned the activities. I was tentative about working for the project which would later on be known as Ignite because I, like most alumni, found Xavier to be different now. For one, most of our old teachers were gone, and so were landmarks like the Grade School Gym and the Grade School MPH. Then there were the students who could not speak English well. These students were not only a lot richer, noisier and naughtier; they also seemed to be prone to apathy and their attention spans were decisively shorter. Thus, with Xavier being so different, I had these questions in mind, “Could our old tricks work? Could we really affect the students and make a difference? Could we, like many alumni say, bring Xavier back to the glory days ?”

      Yet, despite these thoughts, my desire to serve God took over my fears. Hence, along with several fellow alumni, I did help out in Ignite , and for two school years now, I have been offering my services to this activity.

     Surprisingly, each time I find myself in the midst of a Grade 7 class, I am always touched when I see participants really listen and later come to realize important things after an activity or a talk. I am encouraged when I see a student, on his own volition, write in his journal and then proceed to the prayer room on his own for a short but meaningful prayer. I never fail to smile when I see the students actively participate in the Ignite activities while still learning and enjoying. I am moved when I see volunteers –

teachers, students and alumni – spend their much-needed rest time helping out to make the Ignite more special. In the end, seeing all of these led me to recognize the reason why constant efforts to bring Xavier, “back to the glory days,” have never worked.

     Most alumni, like me, lament on how much Xavier has changed but most alumni, though, unlike me, have never personally interacted with the current batch of teachers and students in the “new” Xavier School. If they do, they are bound to learn that Xavier is and will always be the same. Working in Ignite , I got to use the new facilities like the air-conditioned classrooms and the MPC. I realized that these facilities, while being more technologically advanced, remain to be homey and conducive to learning. Working in Ignite , I got to relate with the “new” teachers and I observed that they, like their predecessors, are here because of their love and dedication to teach and mold young minds. Working in Ignite , I get to mingle with the “different” students. I discovered that they, like us then, are young, talented men yearning to be nurtured and directed. While their behavior in class may be noisier, and their English skills may be suspect, they, like any Xaverian of the past, are struggling to discover who they are meant to be, so that they can live full and successful lives dedicated to serving God and others. Behind all the noise, the apathy, and the texting, they remain to be like us, Xaverians, looking for their true vocation and niche in this world.

     These are the reasons why efforts to bring Xavier back to the glory days always fail. Xavier may have changed its outward appearances, but in the face of emerging new buildings and the quick turnover of teachers, along with the changing behavior and priorities of its students, Xaverians remain the same. They are all dedicated to serving God in the spirit of the Magis. They remain to be truly Xaverian.

     Now that is something worth getting up early for on a Sunday morning!

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