As patroness of Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, the school commemorated the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Sept 8 with activities that not only gave tribute to her role as our mother but also emulated her virtue as a woman of faith.
To start off the celebration, the University Church in cooperation with the lay ministers conducted a mass wedding at 3PM in which 27 couples coming from poor communities in Cagayan de Oro received the sacrament of Matrimony, officiated by university chaplain Fr Richard V Ella SJ, with the permission of Monsignor Perseus Cabunoc SSJV, parish rector of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral. As an outreach activity of the XU lay ministers, the couples were given assistance to process all the needed documents and seminars, which included financial aid. The newly-wed couples were also treated to a free reception at the satellite canteen in the Engineering Building.
At 5:30PM, the school community had a high mass presided by Xu president Fr Roberto C Yap SJ. A group of street kids offered flowers to our Blessed Mother. Right after the mass, the crowd gathered for the blessing of the newly-constructed grotto of the Blessed Virgin Mary financed entirely out of donation from the worshipping community of the University Church. Devotees are now able to light candles on the candle stand area beside the grotto.
The highlight of the evening celebration was a concert titled “Mary and the Music.” Various performing arts groups, namely the Singing Angels of God of Tibasak, XU High School Glee Club, XU United Religious Organization, XCCA Artists, Friends and Music, XU College Glee Club and XU Philharmonia serenaded the audience with Broadway and Marian songs.
The concert was under the helm of musical director Rexur Sabuga-a and artistic director Hobart Savior. The concert ended with the performers and the crowd singing a birthday song to the Blessed Mother.
XU continues to live-up to its mission as a Jesuit and Catholic university and as one of the centers of Catholic culture in the country as recently proclaimed by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) - Commission on Culture.