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Lasallian community remembers the Holy Father

The Lasallian community paid tribute to the Holy Father Pope John Paul II in a requiem mass held on April 6 at the Most Blessed Sacrament Chapel, with University Chaplain Fr. Francis Xavier Salcedo as main celebrant, and De La Salle University System President Br. Armin Luistro FSC as homilist.

In his homily, Br. Armin honored the Holy Father for the 26 years that he served as Shepherd and Pastor.  Br. Armin  expressed his sincere admiration of the Holy Father who remained steadfast in fulfilling his pastoral duties despite his weakening physical health.

Pope John Paul II was likened to St. John Baptist de La Salle who also suffered physical pain before his death.  Yet in their sufferings, he noted, St. La Salle and the Holy Father lived to proclaim God’s goodness by serving other people.
“The challenge for us today is to imitate them in their abandonment to God, their loyalty to the Church, their creative apostolic spirit and their definitive commitment to the evangelization of young people throughout all the stages of their earthly existence.”
Br. Armin reminded members of the Lasallian community to seek God’s will and be guided with the same Holy Spirit who led St. La Salle and John Paul II. The requiem mass was attended by faculty, students, and staff of DLSU-Manila, as well as other community members of the DLSU System.

On April 8, the Lasallian Pastoral Office set up a wide-screen at the Central Plaza showing the funeral rites of the Holy Father in Rome.  Faculty and students gathered to witness as Pope John Paul was laid to final rest.
Pope John Paul II visited the Philippines on two occasions, during the canonization of the first Filipino saint Lorenzo Ruiz in February 1981, and the celebration of World Youth Day in January 1995.