Student-representatives from different departments and divisions shared their reflections about Cor Jesu College’s pillars and core value during the Alumni Acceptance Ceremony held at the school gymnasium last March 28, 2016.
Six students from the college departments, representing different programs, talked about the pillars of Excellence, Community, and Apostleship. From the graduate school, Jason Peter Senarillos spoke about Compassion, the core value of Cor Jesu College.
Mr. Senarillos is a graduating student under the Master in Public Administration (MPA) Program. In sharing his thoughts about compassion, he used a metaphor about compassion by narrating a movie entitled “Kung Fu Panda 3”, specifically citing the conversation between Master Oogway and General Kai. He said that one of their conversations underscores the importance of giving.
He also mentioned that students who study in the graduate school are envisioning themselves to become experts or specialists. However, he threw the question, “but why Cor Jesu College?” Answering his own question, Mr. Senarillos said, “Cor Jesu does not only train the mind and the hands, it also trains the heart.”
“It is because Cor Jesu Graduate School provides the transformational environment which turns us not only into men and women of intellect, but also of compassion. Cor Jesu provides training of the mind, as well as, of the heart,” he added.
In closing, he challenged all graduating students to not only be beautiful/handsome with a heart but as men and women of compassion.
See below the full transcript of Mr. Senarillo’s speech.
——————————————————————————-On Compassion
Message during the Cor Jesu College Graduate School Alumni Acceptance Program
March 28, 2016
Peter-Jason C. Senarillos, MPA
___________________________________________________________________
Good morning everyone!
First, I’d like to thank Dr. Randy A. Tudy, Dean of Graduate School, Madam Virgie C. Castillon, the Secretary to the Dean, and Engr. Nelson Tandug, Alumni Affairs Coordinator, for the opportunity to address you on this occasion of the Alumni Acceptance Program.
Last week, I was informed that I was to give a brief message today regarding the topic of Compassion”. Although last week was Holy Week, which would have been an opportunity to reflect on the subject, I’d be honest with you that I had to bring home work. There are a lot of things that’s going on in my office under the Department of Education which required me to do work at home during the Holy Week. Reflecting on the subject however, I found myself unable to proceed with my work without being bothered by the concern on how to talk about compassion with you guys.
It’s a good thing that my kids, non-negotiable in their resolve to watch over and over again the movie “Kung Fu Panda 3”, provided me the inspiration. If you happen to follow the Kung Fu Panda movie series, you will get to know, Master Oogway, the turtle who mentored Po, who is the protagonist in the story, the Panda himself, in the ways of Kung Fu. In Kung Fu Panda 3, a scene between Master Oogway and General Kai underscores the importance of giving and not just getting by saying, “the more you take, the less you have”. During this scene, General Kai was being admonished by Master Oogway in his being selfish and revealed Kai’s greed by taking people’s “Chi” for his own.
As I watched the scene, and thought about compassion, and putting this into the context of the graduate school, I get to ask myself, “Why do we go to Cor Jesu for graduate school?”
Under normal circumstances, people go to graduate school to become experts, acquire additional skills, become specialists, and advance themselves academically and professionally to gain a competitive edge in their respective careers. But why in Cor Jesu?
To answer the question, and to share my own personal experience, Cor Jesu does not only train the mind and the hands, it also trains the heart. Dean Koontz, author and inspirational speaker captures my thoughts so well in saying, “Some people think only intellect counts: knowing how to solve problems, knowing how to get by, knowing how to identify an advantage and seize it. But the functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship, compassion, and empathy.”
Why Cor Jesu? It is because Cor Jesu Graduate School provides the transformational environment which turns us not only into men and women of intellect, but also of compassion. Cor Jesu provides training of the mind, as well as, of the heart. The courses, programs, and activities provide the necessary stimuli to turn us into men and women of knowledge and compassion. In our MPA class for example, we had the opportunity to render community service through our course in CRM (Community Resource Mobilization) and by engaging the IP community in Binaton, Digos City through Cor Jesu’s extension services office.
To emphasize, let me quote the 14th Dalai Lama’s words on compassion. “Whether one believes in a religion or not and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion.”
As we all come out of the halls of Cor Jesu, there is no doubt that the world will recognize sooner or later that we are experts in our particular fields. On a daily basis, your expertise will be manifested in your being managers, planners, financial analysts, master teachers, public administrators, information and technology specialists, and so on. These are roles that your organizations will expect you to readily perform and do your best. Let us remember however that these organizations are made up of men and women who are fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters – all human and vulnerable to pain, injury, and suffering. The world will be a better place because you are there, men and women of compassion when your organizations need you to play this unique role.
In closing, it is my prayer that as we come out of the halls of Cor Jesu, we walk as men and women who are not only “beautiful/handsome with a heart”, but as men and women of compassion. Ametur Cor Jesu, Ametur Cor Mariae! Thank you.