last saturday, the diocesan seminarians network of the philippines (semnet) gathered together in divine word school of theology in tagaytay for kapatiran 2012, with the theme "amare et servire: diocesan spirituality and mission."
according to the semnet core group, it was attended by more than 600 theology seminarians from 22 of 26 members seminaries in the philippines. the attendance in the annual gathering has actually increased since my time as coordinator of the semnet secretariat. besides, tagaytay is a nice place to be and the seminarians from the tagaytay cluster (mission society of philippines, san pablo theological formation house, saint augustine major seminary, and tahanan ng mabuting pastol) really did their best to make this kapatiran a fun and memorable one.
the day started with breakfast, opening ceremonies, and the mass presided by his excellency archbishop luis antonio tagle of manila. his morning homily was superb as he reflected on the theme of this year's gathering as well as looked into pressing issues within seminary communities.
the mass was followed by merienda and sharing among batches into small groups. lunch was served after. the seminarians went to terra moy center of the focolare movement for a series of talks about the spirituality of love and unity in the community.
after the seminarians returned to their respective seminaries, they had their lauds and benediction in the evening. the evening program begun with cavite's famous dance called "karakol" which was actively participated by the seminarians of every participating seminary. over dinner, the delegates were rendered with songs by the band "moonflowers" which brought most of them to dance and party the night away. seminarians from the military ordinate of the philippines, san carlos seminary, saint alphonsus regional seminary, and the tagaytay cluster of seminaries showcased their talents in the program.
next year's kapatiran will be hosted by mother of good counsel seminary in pampanga. it will surely be something to look forward to, as it will not only be my last kapatiran but also because of pampanga's good food, sights, and hospitality.
congratulations to semnet core group, tagaytay cluster of seminaries, and the rest of the semianrians of semnet! see you next year in pampanga!
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