No one expected him to enter the priesthood. He was a studious pupil sure, used to getting straight A’s in Science and Math exams, but people close to him know him more as the class comedian, the carefree boy often seen clowning around with his classmates. No one, least of all himself, could ever imagine he would be where he is now: an ordained priest and the Parochial Vicar of Sts. Peter and St. Paul Parish in Ormoc City.
As STEFTI celebrates its 20th Foundation Anniversary, Emerge grabbed the chance to squeeze into Rev. Fr. Gerardo Jose Y. San Gabriel‘s busy schedule and get updated about his life twenty years after he graduated from STEFTI.
St. John the Evangelist School of Theology, Palo, Leyte
Emerge: What have you been up to since you graduated from elementary?
Fr. Gerard: I enrolled at the Philippine Science High School – EVC then I became a DOST Scholar and studied at the University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban College (UPVTC) a Biology course. However, I did not finish my studies there since I transferred to the Sacred Heart Seminary in Palo. I had my Masters in Theology at St. John the Evangelist School of Theology, also in Palo, which I finished after five years as Cum Laude. I was ordained to the priesthood last December 27, 2021. Now I am assigned as Parochial Vicar in Sts. Peter and St. Paul Parish, Ormoc City.
St. John the Evangelist School of Theology, Palo, Leyte
Emerge: You studied in non-sectarian schools during high school and college. When did you realize that you had a calling for priesthood? Was it your childhood dream to become a priest?
Fr. Gerard: I come from a family of devout Catholics. Back in elementary, I served as an acolyte at the Sto. Nino Parish in Tacloban City. I wanted to enter the seminary early on. I took the entrance exams for the Sacred Heart Seminary right after graduating from STEFTI, but just as when my parents prepared to enroll me there, I received a call from my adviser that I passed the Phi-Sci exams. For practical reasons, my family and I chose the latter. I call that my first calling which I fleetingly ignored.
When I finished high school, I took the entrance examination again for Pre-College at the Sacred Heart Seminary and the same thing happened. At the last minute, the UPCAT results came out and I passed for university studies at UP Diliman as a DOST (Department of Science and Technology) scholar. I chose to study at UP Tacloban. And I call that my second calling which fell on deaf ears.
Two years into college, I felt that life was meaningless. I longed for a sense of personal fulfillment I couldn’t find in the places and schools I went to. As a teenage boy, I had my share of frolics and addiction to computer games with the ephemeral happiness they offered but after that I sought for something else. Finally, I decided to leave the university and entered the seminary finishing the degree in AB Philosophy and here I am now.
I responded to this vocation which further gave me this sense of personal fulfillment I was longing for. Indeed, God works in His perfect timing.
Emerge: Did you have a hard time adjusting to the structured seminary life? How did your time in STEFTI prepare you for that life?
Fr. Gerard: Prayer life in the seminary wasn’t new to me, either. We prayed together as a family as early in my childhood as I could remember. In STEFTI we also said the Daily Holy Rosary in October. There wasn’t any difficult adjustment in that area.
Emerge: As you think back to your STEFTI experience what stands out as the most compelling aspect?
Fr. Gerard: The spiritual formation in STEFTI helped me to appreciate the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist which we celebrated every first Friday of the month. It first taught me to be Christ-like and allowed me to discern for the vocation to the priesthood. It was also in STEFTI where my love for books started. Because of it, the seminary life wasn’t hard for me to live by. I always looked forward to study periods when I could read volumes of novels by my favorite authors David Baldacci, James Patterson, Nlcolas Sparks, Paulo Coelho, JRR Tolkien, CS lewis and Stephen Covey, to name a few.
The quality of education is what stands out in my STEFTI experience. The teachers were well equipped veterans in the field of education and were competent to form students who would be later on become successful in their respective fields. Our communication skills were honed during the formative years of schooling, too. I have STEFTI to thank for the language facility imbibed in me, which I carried when I went through high school and college and even now when I am already in this mission.
Emerge: As a young priest, what do you consider is the most challenging at the moment?
Fr. Gerard: Language barrier. During my apostolate in communities, I have to deal with parishioners of all ages. I have to learn communicating to them in the Cebuano dialect which I am not fluent at. During homilies, I struggle translating my notes to Cebuano in order for me to be understood and for the message to come across clearly. I know there are still a lot more challenges that I have to confront with. I have a different calling to the faithful, I have to lead the community with whom I am entrusted to serve. That is a lot of challenge.
Emerge: What is a piece of advice you could give to STEFTI Theresian boys who wish to follow in your footsteps?
