A Campus in Prayer

A Campus in Prayer 

“Crown of Roses”. In one of the Blessed Virgin’s apparition, she said that when praying the rosary, each bead was a rose that made her a crown of roses.

October is celebrated as the month of the Holy Rosary. It is a prayer most Catholic prays to ask mediation from the Blessed Virgin to Jesus. The Rosary is also considered a perfect prayer because each mystery let us contemplate on the story of our salvation through Jesus Christ.

Though STI College Balayan is a non-sectarian school, the Rosary rally in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary was held every October. It has been the biggest religious activity in the school since majority of the students is Catholic.

STI College Balayan’s first Rosary Rally was initiated by the School President to be held in the campus in 2006 and then it became a yearly event.

“I would like to advocate spiritual awareness to students. Since we do not offer religion as a subject, engaging in religious activities like holding regular mass and conducting Rosary Rally would help enhance spirituality, strengthen faith, and promote religiosity among students.”, Mrs. Ellen Christy A. Dimaano, STI President stated.

Last October 13, the one-day activity started with the solemn celebration of the Holy Mass. The statue of the Blessed Virgin and a crucifix was placed on the customized altar covered with white cloth. A blue curtain was made as a background with images and titles of the Blessed Virgin. There was also a board of petitions where prayer requests were posted.

The Rosary Rally was done right after the Mass. Students made a short procession in the campus and along the main road of Ermita, Balayan. It was led by the members of the Glee Club praying the rosary while a student carried the statue of the Mama Mary. A long queue of Core Science Academy, STI Senior High School and STI College students holding Marian banners and leaflets followed.

After the procession, students headed back to the campus and formed an assembly to pray the rosary.

The five mysteries of the Rosary were read by representatives from the student organizations, faculty member, administrative staff and the School President. A passage from the bible as meditation for each mystery was read and petition prayers were said before the Our Father.

Unlike the traditional praying of the rosary, all the Our Father was sang while student representatives prayed the Hail Mary, Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer. After each prayer, a balloon was tied to a string to complete each bead of the rosary and a candle is lighted in front of the altar. Before the next mystery was recited, a hymn to the Blessed Virgin was played.

The balloon rosary was flown after the prayers while some burned their prayer requests in the burning incense placed near the altar.

A vigil was also held after the rally. Each section of the Senior High School and college students had a twenty-minute prayer time until 4:30 in the afternoon.

At the end of the day, everyone felt renewed by the experience and Renzo Bagunas expressed that even though it was not his first time to attend a Rosary Rally, he felt ecstatic. He was awed that STI conducted a kind of activity that can bring the students like him closer to God.

by: Terranya M. Tiamson

photo by: Renzo Bagtasos