It’s that time of year again when the students have to shake of the dust of their vocal chords which have been placed in cold storage and tune them again to vocal brilliance as its time for “DING DONG MERRILY ON HIGH.” Yes the spirit of Christmas is in the air once again in Davao. As lights and street decorations come alive all over the city, here at SATMI, the students have been busy training and practicing their voices to bring Christmas cheer and joy and happiness and sheer wholesome yuletide goodness to the very people who have been actively supporting and cheering us on in our studies, apostolates and our vocation, the Redemptorist Oblates and Associates. These very important people behind the scenes pray constantly for each aspirant, each seminarian and each brother and priest who walks and passes through the doors our formation houses and seminaries and they also support the formation process materially through very generous donations and gifts. Hence the students each christmas, show their heartfelt appreciation for the invaluable support that has been shown and given to them by going to the homes and houses of our oblates and associates to sing christmas carols.
In addition, the students decided this year, due to greater numbers and also greater confidence in their vocal prowess, to bring christmas cheer through caroling to the inmates of the Davao city jail as well the patients at Davao Medical Center, the local government hospital. However in the end, it was not so much the quality of the singing that mattered, whether the right notes were sung, whether it was sharp or flat. What was important was presence that the seminarians came to visit, to drop by and to talk and chat and laugh. That is the spirit of christmas, Emmanuel, God being born to be with us as one of us. We are hence invited to be with each other, to share in the love that God so freely gives. Merry Christmas!
