100 Batches of the St. Scho DWTL

The SSC-DWTL throught the years

Upon hearing that the St. Scholastica’s College Days with the Lord will be holding its 100th Batch, I was quite nostalgic and also happy for the the SSC-DWTL. It was a time for remembering the years that I would rather spend serving for the Lord and enjoyed sleeping on the cold floor and being a kuya to hundreds of Kulasas. One hundred batches in twenty six years only means that amidst all the adversities the SSC-DWTL has faced, it has weathered so many storms and more importantly what it has now is the backbone of a better support team that means it will be there for another one hundred batches.

The Music Crew

I was a teener back in the summer of  April 1987 when the Ateneo High school announced that it will start to support two All-Female High schools in spreading the Days with the Lord to other schools, the two schools were St. Scholastica’s College and Markyknoll (now Miriam) High School. Both weekends were scheduled at the Pollock Renewal Center and both schools will have teacher observers as part participants and around 15-18 female participants. Some of the participants were incoming fourth year high school while the rest just graduated from high school. 

The HT crew

Like any other Days with the Lord weekend the most critical part in sustaining the community is the first ten batches and its support system – the dedicated staffers. The first weekend handled by the St. Scho gals was at the Subiaco Retreat house just across St. Scholastica’s college. After four more batches there was suddenly everyone was busy doing other things that left the DWTL without a rector to sustain the initial efforts. Back then, it was hard to pool each other together since Social Media wasn't in full blast then and having meetings were hard since most of the heads were in different colleges in metro manila so planning a weekend was so hard.

Batch 100

One thing I liked about Scholasticans is their sense of coming in together amidst their many differences. Eventually the sixth batch came in January of 1990 which was again held at the Pollock Renewal Center.  This time, the original batch of St. Scho dazers breathed new life to the program by getting younger participants to be able to pass the DWTL to the new ones. The plan was to guide the new dazers in running the show that would eventually secure the future of the St. Scho days.

Kulasas who Live to Serve 

In the next few batches I never thought that working with the Scholasticans would eventually made them trust me enough to be some kind of an adviser of the DWTL.  I was just lucky I was up to the task and did my best to live the part. Years went by and batch after batch I helped out the core group and rectors on how they can mount the weekend. We tried to put some continuity and predictablity into the days with the lord weekends so that it will remain strong and withstand the problems that might arise specially funds and venue. The St. Scho days with the lord took a lot of my time and unfortunately when I got busy with my work in STI sometime in 2003 I slowly faded and passed on my duties to the elder core members for them to carry on the tradition.  The past years had me come back to play music and just observe as the new generation of St. Scho dazers take turns in serving the lord.

100 Batches and still standing

A few years ago, I was informed that St. Scho management had some run ins with the St. Scho Days with the Lord. I was not surprised since it is really hard to understand the DWTL. As ive said in previous communities that we handled, one cannot understand the DWTL if one has not experienced it. I remember talking to nuns in one community we handled, they asked us to justify the events happening which unfortunately was not in the best interest of the nun’s or the school’s beliefs. In response, the St. Scho days changed its name to Live to Serve.  I am just happy that all these years the St. Scho Days with Lord has adapted and survived every challenge.  One hundred batches is a testament that whatever happens the St. Scho Days with the Lord has helped more Scholasticans become closer to Christ and more importantly a venue where one can renew their spirit and relationship with Christ. Congratulations to the Live to Serve - the St. Scholastica’s College  Days with The Lord.