By Casandra Hilary B Emata
“To run where the brave dare not go…”
This is a line from “The Impossible Dream,” one of the all-time favorite songs of the founder of Southeast Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute (SEARSOLIN), an international training hub dedicated to the formation of socially aware and competent leaders for poverty alleviation and holistic human development particularly in the rural areas of Asia.
The late Fr William F Masterson SJ not only dared, but he also dreamt “the impossible dream” as he formed men and women for others for rural development and leadership—those who do not only see agriculture as a business but as a way of life etched in their identities and mission.
This and other stories shed much light to the life and legacy that the great visionary Fr Masterson had built in SEARSOLIN’s five-decade existence thus far, and the challenges to uplift the lives of the rural community.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of XU-SEARSOLIN and 104th birthday of Fr Masterson, the “Big Man” who established the XU College of Agriculture and its various units, the forum “On the Legacy of Fr Masterson: Gratitude, Renewal, Mission” brought together the SEARSOLIN and Aggie community to
commemorate the huge impact Fr Masterson has made on their personal lives, on the institutions he set up and on the development of the region. The forum was held on December 18.
Guests shared their gratitude and experiences with Fr Masterson that have shaped their personal and organizational paths in the cooperative movement, rural development and extension work, social enterprise, academe and in working at SEARSOLIN.
Aggie students and other attendees who have not personally known Fr Masterson felt like they have known him in some ways through the stories shared by the SEARSOLIN-ers and those who had the opportunities to know the Big Man.
Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio J Ledesma SJ DD, SEARSOLIN director Fr Rene Tacastacas SJ, XUCA dean Dr Ma. Rosario Mosqueda and Aggie Student Council (ASC) president Christian Quilang encouraged the “transformers” to rekindle the passion and purpose towards achieving greater missions, guided by the Ignatian values just like what Fr Masterson did.
The activity culminated with a heartfelt singing of “The Impossible Dream,” which aptly reflected his life mission, legacy and big heart.