The Eucharist at the Heart of Catholic Education

(An excerpt of the Homily of the Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D. during Baccalaureate and Thanksgiving Mass of San Lorenzo College of Davao, Inc. at San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish, Talomo, Davao City, March 26, 2026.)

My role is somehow to inspire us, to remind us, I’ll try. What is the meaning of today’s nagmisa kita? This Holy sacrificial mass for a Catholic school. The mass that we have just started the holy sacrificial mass, the Holy Eucharist there from this mass is the meaning of the school. Lisod nimo bulagon. You can think of the school San Lorenzo and the mass as intertwined. Ang mission, ang power, ang inspiration sa school. Deeply right ang iyang kinabuhi, ang iyang meaning comes from the mass. From the Holy Eucharist. Which is not only to the school but very central, at the core, a very center of our Roman Catholic faith.

Why is it as a Catholic school and for us, very important to make this connection today. Simply because at the core of it, everything, my dear teachers, parents that you do in the school, everything. Everything that we do, we do with the spirit of the Eucharist. And what is that? In the Eucharist — Santos nga Misa, our dear God we call him the God of Love, our creator. He is invisible kay divine. Para ma gets nato, divine human eyes, he sent his son to be like us. So therefore if we see Jesus, we see God. Unsay gibuhat ni Jesus that’s the intention of the Father. In this mass we know we have Jesus, who gave his life for us, meaning niana iyang gisugat ang atong prinsipal nga kalaban nga mao ang kamatayon.

In Catholic school, we teach hope and trust in the Lord. If ang mga bata will face storms in life, and they will be, but when you face rough waters but you are taught in San Lorenzo sagot ka ng Diyos. And the ambition of God for you and the promise. It will be fulfilled. Catholic school na, very vital. Another ambition, another dream, to dream with Jesus. He tells us, strive for life everlasting, di lang pang ugma, high-quality dreams, to attain everlasting life. That is not taught in many schools but here sa San Lorenzo, day in day out. Trust in his promise of life. And when seemingly the promise of life, on earth is shaken by the crosses, mga crosses na atong gipas-an— matarantar ta, again go back to the Eucharist he carried his own cross. And he said, you also carry a cross, seemingly pildi, crucified on the third day he rose again. My dear parents, bottom line that is what is taught to your children.

And again I will end my homily by saying the patron of the school said, “If I have a thousand lives, I will offer it to God again and again,” very strong, very confident, nahimong supernatural ang kalag ni San Lorenzo. Ang basis sa life niya lig-on tungod kay kini life coming from the Lord. Big or small the church would always maningkamot to propagate Catholicism like our school here in Talomo, so that your children slowly year after year may appreciate the promise of the Lord.