HIGHLIGHTS

Wellington Y. Tong '66: Exemplary Alumni Awardee Acceptance Speech

Posted Thursday, 31-May-2007 8:21 AM

Delivered by Wellington Y. Tong '66, at the Angelo King Multi-purpose Hall, on the Occasion of the Awarding Ceremonies for the Xavier School Golden Jubilee Awards for Exemplary Alumni.

Fr. Daniel Hwang, Fr. Ismael Zuloaga, Fr. Johnny Go, Mrs. Jenny Go, Ambassador Dee, Ambassador Tan, Ms. Jane Cacacho, Ms. Jane Natividad, Friends:

I am deeply moved by the trust and confidence that Xavier School has reposed upon me tonight.  And I accept this honor with gratitude and humility.

I am a product of my education at home and my education in Xavier. 

I received the gifts of life and critical sustenance through my parents.  They taught me the meaning of love, integrity, and commitment through the way they lived.  Living simply and frugally, my parents provided their five children a home, security, and a good education as our gateway to the future.  This was perhaps why all four boys went to Xavier. 

My six memorable and happy years in Xavier between 1960 and 1966 were to be years when enduring friendships would develop.  They would heighten self-confidence and hone leadership skills.  They would continually challenge the mind to search, to think, to reason, to question.  They would also awaken our passion for excellence and the spirit of courage and generosity as well.  

The Jesuit fathers trained us for proficiency in English, Mandarin, Mathematics, the sciences, history, geography, and Pilipino so as to equip us with basic skills.  But most important of all, they led us to meet a loving and faithful God and taught us to trust in God’s infinite goodness and mercy.  This personal relationship with the Divine would open the wells in our hearts that enabled us to practice charity through love of neighbor, justice in human relationships, and compassion toward the weak and dispossessed.  It remains etched in memory how both Jesuit mentors and our lay teachers labored with exemplary devotion. 

My Xavier education was a coveted gift.  But this gift came with an obligation.

Tonight’s awards serve to remind us that all Xavier graduates have an obligation to make a difference wherever we are and wherever we can.  We are called to penetrate and bring light to our surroundings.  We are called to build a better world with competent skills and commitment.  We are called to bring about a Christ-centered transformation that society so badly needs.

We have received a difficult mission.  And there are no boundaries to the mission field. 

Also, the call to be men of competence, character, conscience, and compassion never ceases and hence we will require constant renewal.  Xavier must continue to nourish and renew her sons so that we may persevere despite our frail nature, our failures, and life’s adversities. 

May St. Francis Xavier, patron saint of Xavier School, pray and intercede constantly for us all that we may have the grace, the courage, and the generosity to heed our call to be leaven and light to the world.  And may Mary, the Mother of God and our patroness, watch over us her children - without ever tiring - and guide us in our arduous quest to become more like her Son.

Thank you and have a good evening.

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