Manatili Ka: Embracing Advent with Ignatian Prayer and Reflection

On December 13, 2025, the Ateneo community gathered at The Hive, Areté, for an Ignatian Advent recollection titled "Manatili Ka: A Morning of Prayer and Song.”

Led by the Office of the University Development and Alumni Affairs (OUDAA) Director Fr RB Hizon, SJ, Mr. Oliver Quintana from the Political Science Department, and the Department of Fine Arts Chairperson Ms. Smile Indias, the event invited participants to enter into Advent with hearts attuned to prayer, music, and Ignatian reflection.

The opening song, "Manatili Ka," set the tone for creating an interior space where participants could encounter God intimately, drawing deeply from the wisdom of the Spiritual Exercises—inviting all to find God in the silence and reverence of their own lives.

The morning's reflections invited the participants to pause in contemplative stillness, listening for God's gentle invitations amid the buzzing life. The recollection then concluded with a prayer "Patient Trust" by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ, echoing the Ignatian call to trust in God's loving providence and to remain faithful, even in times of uncertainty.

Participants expressed deep gratitude for the grace to step away from daily routines and to savor moments of spiritual consolation, reconnecting with their faith and God's abiding presence.

Many found the atmosphere warm and inviting, noting that the blend of music and reflection fostered a sense of hope, calm, and spiritual renewal. One attendee remarked, “Fr RB’s calming voice and the songs were especially helpful because they brought me into the proper state of interior stillness, allowing me to examine myself and listen more attentively to God as I constantly seek His guidance.”

Some highlighted how the songs and reflections felt like God speaking directly to them. Meanwhile others valued the chance to attend with loved ones, like how another attendee lauded, “I'm very grateful for the opportunity to attend it, especially to experience it together with my daughters. Amid the busyness of life, we need days like this, moments to pause, reflect, and reconnect with God and with what truly matters.”

The recollection ultimately invited everyone to carry the spirit of Advent into their daily lives, nurturing patient trust in God's loving designs and renewing their commitment to ongoing spiritual growth—living out the Ignatian call to be contemplatives in action.

Building on these insights, the OUDAA warmly invites you to the upcoming Alumni Holy Week Triduum Retreat on April 2 to 4! It’s a special opportunity for our Ateneo community and friends to deepen their spiritual journey, and observe Holy Week together on campus. You may check the full details here.