I am Brother Dennis Martin Zaulda-Dela Cruz Vince- San Juan-Marquez. For now, let me leave the explanation behind such a long name. As of now, my friends fondly call me Den Mar. Only those who are dear to me know my teen-age nick-name. Perhaps, it's already long forgotten now, but I always wish, it is not.
I'm a seminarian. I belong to a religious congregation founded by St. Peter Julian Eymard. Our congregation is known as the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. In our congregation, I am called as a "Scholastic." A Scholastic is a "religious" who is usually in the stage of studying. A Religious, by the way, is a consecrated person. A Consecrated person is a person who publicly professed his vows. I vowed to God Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience.
In the outside world, people like me are called Religious-Seminarian. As a seminarian, I am studying theology. Theology is four-year study after studying Philosophy. It is an attempt to understand God based on his revelations to us.
I am studying in a Theological School where my classmates are mostly "diocesan." They are called, on the other hand, Diocesan-Seminarians. They are Diocesan-Seminarians because each of them belongs to a certain Catholic diocese. Some of our classmates also came from abroad. From the other country, they are also sent by their diocese to pursue their theological study here in the Philippines.
As seminarians, both of us-- Religious-Seminarians and Diocesan-Seminarians are praying that after our studies, we will serve God by becoming priests. All of our formations are aimed towards our priestly preparations.
Being a Religious, in our congregation-- aside from 'Priesthood' as a vocation, we also have a vocation for 'Brotherhood.' Religious-Brothers are also consecrated persons. They also profess publicly the vows of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience. In our congregation, we call each other as "Brothers" because, together, we celebrate the mass and share the Eucharist with other people. We also have our female-counterpart, there are also nuns in our congregation. Our founder, St. Peter Julian Eymard, also founded a congregation for nuns known as the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament.
As a Religious-Seminarian, I just completed my second year study of Theology. This school year, I won't yet proceed to third-year theology. I need first to undergo into a Pastoral Exposure, where I will (like my batchmates-- Brothers Joseph, Leo, Ronald, Renoir, Mark and Robert who were all assigned to the different communities of our congregation here and abroad) apply what I have learned from our first two-years from our Theological School and, at the same time, experience actual Pastoral conditions that we would discuss and evaluate in the near future in our two more remaining years of theological studies.
My Pastoral Year could be a year of breaking and sharing myself. I am always praying for a smooth sailing journey but I am not setting aside the challenges that I would encounter in the long run. It has been a feeling of nervousness and excitement.
Nervousness because I will be assigned to Cagayan de Oro City. Culture and language could be a barrier for me, but I see it as a challenge to adapt with the people. Besides, my father is still in the hospital. I have been praying so hard that he would feel well before I leave Manila. Tomorrow, for the last time this year, I will visit him... and maybe, I would see personally if I could go. I will just cross my finger as of now. I could not leave my father so easily, with his poor condition, being paralyzed in the hospital, I will surely miss him a lot.
Excitement because this would be a new experience. I always know that there would be God's graces which lie ahead. I always trust God that he would guide me whether I would do a wrong or a right decision... anyway, everything is in the hands of God.
I always pray to the Blessed Sacrament. I ask Jesus to be with my family. I pray to the Virgin Mary, my mother to take care of my sick father. I ask the Mericiful Heart of Jesus to take care of my nieces and nephews. Into God's loving hands, I entrust my entire family.
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