THE 2nd SFC BROTHER’S CONFERENCE
“More than a Man’s Conference, let this be a Brother’s Conference, because that is what we are, brothers to one another.” Sir Lawrence Quintero, SFC Metro Manila Head put it so correctly in his talk during the Brother’s Conference entitled “A Knight’s Tale” held at the San Juan Gym last April 27, 2008.
But that is going ahead of the story. On that fateful Sunday morning, around 550 SFC knights trooped to the gym to attend the 2nd SFC Brother’s conference, a follow up of last year’s “You’re the Man”. The creative handle involving the imagery of knights was inspired by the Spirit in one of the meetings of the team. This complemented the Women’s Conference aptly entitled “Princess Diaries” which took place at the same time in Miriam College.
The event started with a mass celebrated by Fr. Bogey Cabrera of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. The gospel reading for the day where Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit which will come after Him provided a glimpse of the same Spirit which would fill the venue later that day.
Sir Rommel Gojo led the morning worship which set the tone for the proceedings of the conference. The music ministry, composed of all brothers provided the harmonious melody that determined the mood of the activities. Sir Bob Lasala and Sir Denmark Dimapilis acted as the emcees for the day.
A CALL TO KNIGHTHOOD
Sir Beeboy Arguelles, Sector Coordinator for Central A gave the first talk entitled “A Call to Knighthood”. He spoke of the process a man undergoes before he becomes a knight, that first he must be a page, then a squire, before he can become a knight. He related this to the life of the SFC who goes through KFC and YFC first. He also reminded us of the core values of the community, Pro-God, Pro-Life, Pro-Family and Pro-Poor as it relates to our daily lives. He spoke of the basic differences between man and woman, and the challenges that result because of these.
A KNIGHT’S TALE
The afternoon session began with a powerful worship by Sir April Dionela. Sir Rob Escano, Cluster Head of South B was tasked to deliver the second talk “A Knight’s Tale”. He began with a survey on how the SFC women viewed the SFC brothers. He followed this up with a check on how men are generally viewed, rightfully or wrongfully by society as well as the community. He went onto discuss the fall of man, way back during the time of Adam, and how this continues to affect us to the point that man remains wounded up to this day. He further described the heart of man, based on the book of John Elredge, “Wild at Heart” which is a heart designed for battle, for adventure and to fight for beauty. He ends with the secret to restoring man’s heart or reclaiming his knighthood in search of the true heart of the knight.
In between the talk, Sir Ritsard Espanola shared on his struggles with his relationship with his father during his younger days and while he was starting out as a fulltime pastoral worker. He ends victoriously as he expounded on how his father has now transformed into the primary supporter of his chosen vocation.
THE BROTHERHOOD OF KNIGHTS
Sir Lawrence Quintero gave the final talk “The Brotherhood of Knights”. He clarified who the real SFC brother is in the various roles he has in the family, community and the workplace. He emphasized the code of chivalry which bonded the earlier knights through the duties each one was expected to perform. Taking off from this, the SFC Brother’s crest, which highlighted the traits each SFC brother must have: Courage, Integrity and Humility, was unveiled as the mark of the SFC brother.
The third session was highlighted by a “Dubbing Session” where each SFC brother voluntarily chose to abide the by oath to live the traits symbolized by the SFC crest. The ceremony was patterned after the real knighting process where a sword was gently placed on top of each shoulder of the kneeling knight. Sir Aldy Katigbak, SFC International Coordinator, started the process by dubbing the full-time pastoral workers. In turn, Sir Lawrence dubbed the twelve sector coordinators or their representatives who then knighted the leaders in their respective areas until all the members had been dubbed. All through-out the SFC knights were all kneeling, and rose together on the signal given by Sir Lawrence. The solemn ceremony ended with a praisefest led by Sir Norman Santos, just like the celebration that followed the knighthood ceremonies during the olden days.
LET THE KNIGHTS MOVE ON
It was truly a knight’s tale with each one having his own story to share. It was amazing how so many brothers can gather together at the same time worshipping our God, yet knowing so well that each knight has a wounded heart to nurture back to health. The company of brothers provided the strength to accept this woundedness a move on to fulfilling the heart of man.
Somewhere, across the battlefields, are the SFC Princesses, waiting for their knights in shining armor to sweep them of their feet. The SFC Knights, aware of their desire to battle and to live for adventure, are on their way to winning their princesses.
This is our tale. This is the SFC Brother’s tale.