Thousands of UNO-Rians gathered in the newly-renovated gymnasium June 21, 8 am, for the celebration of the Mass of the Holy Spirit. The Main Celebrant and Homilist was Rev. Fr. Lauro Larlar, OAR, Prior Provincial of the OAR Province of St. Ezekiel Moreno. He was joined by the members of the OAR –Bacolod. Community. In his Homily, he inquired from everyone the reason why we are invoking the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the Earth and the benefits of celebrating the Mass of the Holy Spirit. He also reminded the faithful that this academic year is significant for it falls with the two great celebrations of the Church – the Year of Faith and the centennial of the papal brief “Religiosas Familias” that created the Recoletos as a Religious Order of the Church. He also shared that unity and love should always go together and the word of God should be in our daily lives.
Commenting on the slogan of the University as “Cradle of Excellence”, Fr. Larlar cited the OAR constitution on the redefinition of Excellence. He said that excellence is proclamation of the truth and the love of God. One must recognize the root of success. One must always bear in mind that success is when the person has faith in God. If one fails to recognize the relationship of Faith and success, then it will be detrimental to his person, community, parents, school and even God. The Prior Provincial also shared that “being productive is the passion of every member of the community. He said that trust in God, parents, professors and friends should be equated with being productive. He queried, “How could we be prosperous,
when others are hungry, imprisoned, naked, thirsty for love, etc.?” The third point that he shared with the faithful is about charity. Talents and abilities should be attached to love and charity. He reminded the faculty to mould the students in charity – intellectual charity. Lastly, he gave the answer to his inquiries by saying that the Holy Spirit is the light of the Word of God. The Word of God is above reason and knowledge. The Holy Spirit is the root of our communion with God and the Holy Spirit unites us with the realities of the life. There is a need for all of us to base our lives in fidelity (faith), trust, and charity. It is only there and then, where we can reach our desire to make the University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos as a Cradle of Excellence. The Holy Mass ended with rev. Fr. Emeterio Buñao,OAR , UNO-R President to declare a holiday for all UNO-rians.