The balding blue eagles are flying…

Friday, 6 October 2023, Grupo ’58 — an aggrupation of octogenarian graduates of Ateneo grade school ’54, high School ’58, college ’62 + friends — will fly in and descend on the Dumas Hall, Areté of Ateneo de Manila University for a very special occasion. The group will launch their special mission/project in celebration of the 65^th year of their high school graduation in 1958.

Tagged as “Gift a Religious Sister with The Complete Book on the Sacred Heart” – the book authored by Rev. Fr. Manny Flores, SJ, won the award as the Best Book on Homiletics and Spirituality in the recently concluded 17^th Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards – Grupo ’58 initially sponsored the printing and distribution of 5,000 copies to 5,000 religious sisters as a complete reference material in their catechism classes of children and the youth.

The First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heard is one of the pillars of spiritual formation of the group during their school days in Ateneo, which Grupo ’58 revived as the focal point of their monthly reunions which started 18 years ago. The launching ceremony is an outcome of that devotion, but this time the devotion and mission also aim to spread and propagate devotion to the Sacred Heart in a more meaningful manner through The Complete Book on the Sacred Heart. It is Grupo ‘58’s fervent prayer that the other classes of Ateneo and other schools take action to share their own devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The launching ceremonies started at 10 a.m. with a celebration of the 1^st Friday Thanksgiving Mass to the Sacred Heart to be presided by Fr, Manny Flores himself. The occasion was capped by a fellowship lunch. The Grupo ’58 was joined on this occasion by the heads of some congregations of religious sisters, Rev. Fr. Norberto Ma. “Kit” L. Bautista, SJ, Director of the Office of University Development and Alumni Affairs, and our contemporary Rev. Fr. Asandas “Balch” Balchand, SJ, chaplain of the group.