Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas Prior Rev. fr. Rodel E. Aligan, O.P., SThD celebrated the last Triduum Mass in honor of St. Dominic de Guzman on August 7, 2024, at the SantÃsimo Rosario Parish.
In his homily, fr. Aligan referred to the Olympic motto, a brainchild of a French Dominican, Louie Henry Didon, O.P.. He then dubbed St. Dominic as an ‘athlete of Christ’ whose conditioning doesn’t go beyond the physical training and conditioning but the total conditioning of the whole person.
“To be an athlete of Christ is to seek always new ways to express God’s touch in our whole life that include a holistic attitude toward life, body and soul, the physical and the spiritual, and even in our care in creation and biodiversity,” fr. Aligan said.
The re-elected head of UST Dominicans also mentioned that prayer is the core of spiritual life. “Through prayer, everything is seen in a new light. And a powerful community like the Thomasian community help us to see everything, everybody that surrounds us, including what is often overlooked,” he said.
St. Dominic de Guzman’s feast day is celebrated on August 8. Prior to the August 7 Mass, Rev. frs. Art Vincent Pangan, O.P. and Felix F. delos Reyes, O.P. celebrated the August 5 and 6 Masses, focusing on Laudare (to laud) and Benedicere (to bless), respectively.
