the rite of investiture
of the
fifth university president
br. rey e. mejias fsc
arts center, la salle university
friday, 16 august 2024
eucharistic celebration
3:00 pm
Rev. Fr. Edward Tabada
University Chaplain
Commentator
Ms. Kimberly Apostol
Liturgy of the Word
Readings
First Reading
Ms. Eda Jaiana Filipino
Responsorial Psalm
Ms. Jean Baroro
Second Reading
Mr. Aaron Josh Reyes
Gospel Reading
Rev. Fr. Elmo Melo
Homily
Rev. Fr. Edward Tabada
Prayers of the Faithful
Ms. Dane Aljo
Ms. Jhamielle Mahinay
Ms. Khyra Samoranos
Ms. Portia Gamas
Ms. Theresa Mae Indoc
Ms. Christala Cuevas
Offertory Procession
Dr. Wenny Caseros
Mr. Benjiemen Labastin
INTRODUCTORY RITE
INTRODUCTION
Commentator:
Please rise and let us sing the entrance hymn.
ENTRANCE SONG
Greetings
Presider:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All:
Amen.
Presider:
The Lord be with you.
All:
And with your Spirit.
PENITENTIAL RITE
Presider:
Brethren (brothers and sisters), let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
All:
I confess to Almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, (striking the breast) through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore, I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Presider:
May the Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
All:
Amen.
PRAYER FOR MERCY
All:(sung)
Lord, Have mercy.
Christ, Have mercy.
Lord, Have mercy.
Presider:
Glory to God in the highest…
Refrain:
(sung)
Glory to God in the highest…
OPENING PRAYER
Presider:
Let us pray.
We thank you for the gift of Brother Rey, whom you have called to serve as the new president of La Salle University, Ozamiz City.
Grant him wisdom and strength as he assumes this new role. May he lead with integrity and compassion, and may his work foster growth and excellence in this community of faith and learning.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
All:
Amen.
Commentator:
Please be seated.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST READING
A reading from the Book of Numbers.
Numbers 21: 4-9
From Mount Hor they set out by way of the Red Sea, to bypass the land of Edom, but the people’s patience was worn out by the journey; so the people complained against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!”
So the LORD sent among the people seraph serpents, which bite the people so that many of the Israelites died. Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray to the LORD to take the serpents from us.”
So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses: Make a seraph and mount it on a pole, and everyone who has been bitten will look at it and recover.
Accordingly, Moses made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever the serpent bit someone, the person looked at the bronze serpent and recovered.
The Word of the Lord.
Commentator:
Thanks be to God.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Response:
Kini ang adlaw nga gihimo sa Ginoo. Magsadya kita, ug magmaya!
Psalmist:
Pasalamati ninyo ang Ginoo, kalooy N'ya nagalungtad sa kahangturan. Pasultiha ang balay ni Israel, kalooy N'ya way utlanan.
Response:
Kini ang adlaw nga gihimo sa Ginoo. Magsadya kita, ug magmaya!
Psalmist:
Ang Iyang toong kamot sa Ginoo, Iyang gibakyaw uban sa gahum. Dili ako mamatay kundi, mabuhi, Isangyaw ko, Iyang ngalan!
Response:
Kini ang adlaw nga gihimo sa Ginoo. Magsadya kita, ug magmaya!
Psalmist:
Ang bato nga gisalikway sa mga magtutukod, Nahimong bato sa kanto; Sa Ginoo nahimo kining tanan, kahibulungan sa mata!
Response:
Kini ang adlaw nga gihimo sa Ginoo. Magsadya kita, ug magmaya!
KODA
Psalmist:
Kini ang adlaw nga gihimo sa Ginoo. Magsadya kita, ug magmaya!
SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Philippians.
Philippians 2:6-11
Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Word of the Lord.
Commentator:
Thanks be to God
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (sung)
GOSPEL READING
Presider:
The Lord be with you
All:
And with your Spirit.
Presider:
A reading from the Gospel according to St. John.
All:
Glory to you, Lord.
No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
The Gospel of the Lord.
All:
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Commentator:
Please be seated for the Homily.
HOMILY
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
Presider:
By self-denial, we take up the cross each day walking in the footsteps of our master. Let us pray for others and so cast off the selfishness which keeps us apart from God.
All:
Lord, make us your faithful servants.
1. That our Pope and bishops may carry the cross of pastoral care and responsibility with selfless sacrifice. Let us pray to the Lord.
All:
Lord, make us your faithful servants.
2. That we may give wholehearted support in upholding the truth and in opposing the subtle influences of evil. Let us pray to the Lord.
All:
Lord, make us your faithful servants.
3. For the Lasallian community, we may celebrate and welcome the diverse faces of Christ in our worship, our ministries, and our leaders. Let us pray to the Lord.
All:
Lord, make us your faithful servants.
4. Gracious Lord, we humbly seek Your guidance for Br. Rey Erezare Mejias FSC and his administration. May the Holy Spirit's Divine Wisdom illuminate his path, enabling decisions that nurture the well-being of the Lasallian community. Let us pray to the Lord.
All:
Lord, make us your faithful servants.
5. For the solidarity of the Lasallian community, we may work together to protect those who are most vulnerable and most in need. Let us pray to the Lord.
All:
Lord, make us your faithful servants.
6. For all the faithful departed, especially our relatives, friends, alumni, and members of La Salle University community, that Christ may have mercy on their soul, grant them full pardon of their sins, and enjoy the promise of eternal happiness. Let us pray to the Lord.
All:
Lord, make us your faithful servants.
Presider:
Lord, guide our conscience so that we will hold firmly to Your truth and love. Give us the confidence to open our lives to all men and women so that they may know as Christians, a free people who have chosen Your path, through Christ our Lord.
All:
Amen.
Commentator:
Please be seated.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
OFFERTORY PROCESSION
OFFERTORY SONG
Commentator:
Please rise.
(The Priest, standing at the altar, takes the paten with the bread and holds it slightly raised above the altar with both hands, saying in a low voice:)
Presider:
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.
(Then he places the paten with the bread on the corporal.)
(If, however, the Offertory Chant is not sung, the Priest may speak these words aloud; at the end, the people may acclaim:)
All:
Blessed be God forever.
(The Deacon, or the Priest, pours wine and a little water into the chalice, saying quietly:)
Presider:
By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.
(The Priest then takes the chalice and holds it slightly raised above the altar with both hands, saying in a low voice:)
Presider:
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you: fruit of the vine and work of human hands, it will become our spiritual drink.
(Then he places the chalice on the corporal.)
(If, however, the Offertory Chant is not sung, the Priest may speak these words aloud; at the end, the people may acclaim:)
All:
Blessed be God forever.
(After this, the Priest, bowing profoundly, says quietly:)
Presider:
With humble spirit and contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord, and may our sacrifice in your sight this day be pleasing to you, Lord God.
(If appropriate, he also incenses the offerings, the cross, and the altar. A Deacon or other minister then incenses the Priest and the people.)
(Then the Priest, standing at the side of the altar, washes his hands, saying quietly:)
Presider:
Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
(Standing at the middle of the altar, facing the people, extending and then joining his hands, he says:)
Presider:
Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.
(The people rise and reply:)
Commentator:
Please rise.
All:
May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.
(Then the Priest, with hands extended, says the Prayer over the Offerings, at the end of which the people acclaim:)
All:
Amen.
PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS
Presider:
Lord, receive our offering, which we present to you in honor of Brother Rey's installation as president. May the sacrament we celebrate bring about unity and peace in the university community, and may it strengthen all who serve in leadership roles to seek your guidance and support. Through Christ our Lord.
All:
Amen.
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER III
Presider:
The Lord be with you.
All:
And with your Spirit.
Presider:
Lift up your hearts.
All:
We lift them up to the Lord.
Presider:
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All:
It is right to give you thanks and praise.
PREFACE
Presider:
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, Holy Father, Almighty and eternal God.
For in the Saints who consecrated themselves to Christ for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven, it is right to celebrate the wonders of your providence, by which you call human nature back to its original holiness and bring it to experience on this earth the gifts you promise in the new world to come.
And so, with all the Angels and Saints, we praise you, as without end we acclaim:
HOLY, HOLY(sung)
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory,
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Presider:
You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all you have created rightly gives you praise, for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power and working of the Holy Spirit, you give life to all things and make them holy, and you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.
Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you:
by the same Spirit graciously make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration, that they may become the Body and + Blood of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we celebrate these mysteries.
For on the night he was betrayed, he himself took bread, and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying:
TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT,
FOR THIS IS MY BODY,
WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.
In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice, and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing, and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:
TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT,
FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD,
THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT,
WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY FOR THE
FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.
Let us proclaim the mystery of our faith.
MEMORIAL ACCLAMATION(sung)
When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,
we proclaim your Death, O Lord,
until you come again.
Presider:
Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the saving Passion of your Son, his wondrous Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, and as we look forward to his second coming, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice.
Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church and, recognizing the sacrificial Victim by whose death you willed to reconcile us to yourself, grant that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ.
May he make of us an eternal offering to you, so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect, especially with the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, her Spouse, with your blessed Apostles and glorious Martyrs (with St. Rock and St. John Baptist de La Salle) and with all the Saints, on whose constant intercession in your presence we rely for unfailing help
May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation, we pray, O Lord, advance the peace and salvation of all the world. Be pleased to confirm in faith and charity your pilgrim Church on earth, with your servant Francis our Pope and Martin, our Archbishop, the Order of Bishops, all the clergy, and the entire people you have gained for your own.
Listen graciously to the prayers of this family, whom you have summoned before you: in your compassion, O merciful Father, gather to yourself all your children scattered throughout the world.
† To our departed brothers and sisters and to all who were pleasing to you at their passing from this life, give kind admittance to your kingdom. There we hope to enjoy for ever the fullness of your glory through Christ our Lord, through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.
DOXOLOGY
Presider:
Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever.
All:
AMEN, AMEN, AMEN (sung)
COMMUNION RITE
Presider:
Let us pray for the coming of the kingdom in the words our Lord himself has taught us.
THE LORD’S PRAYER(sung)
Our Father who art in heaven. Hollowed be Thy Name Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us, from evil.
Presider:
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil and grant us today Your peace. Peace with You and with one another, peace in our divided society, peace in our wounded world.
Keep us free from sin and protect us from all fears, as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.
All:
For the kingdom the power and the glory are Yours, now and forever. Amen. (sung)
SIGN OF PEACE
Presider:
Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you; look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will.
All:
Amen.
Presider:
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
All:
And with your Spirit.
Presider:
Let us offer each other the sign of peace.
BREAKING OF THE BREAD
LAMB OF GOD(sung)
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy, have mercy on us. (2x)
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,
grant us peace, grant us peace.
(Then the Priest, with hands joined, says quietly:)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,
who, by the will of the Father
and the work of the Holy Spirit,
through your Death gave life to the world,
free me by this, your most holy Body and Blood,
from all my sins and from every evil;
keep me always faithful to your commandments,
and never let me be parted from you.
Presider:
Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
All:
Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
(The Priest, facing the altar, says quietly:)
May the Body of Christ
keep me safe for eternal life.
(And he reverently consumes the Body of Christ.)
(Then he takes the chalice and says quietly:)
May the Blood of Christ
keep me safe for eternal life.
(And he reverently consumes the Blood of Christ.)
(After this, he takes the paten or ciborium and approaches the communicants. The Priest raises a host slightly and shows it to each of the communicants, saying:)
COMMUNION SONGS
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Presider:
Lord, receive our offering, which we present to you in honor of Brother Rey's installation as president. May the sacrament we celebrate bring about unity and peace in the university community, and may it strengthen all who serve in leadership roles to seek your guidance and support. Through Christ our Lord.
All:
Amen.
BENEDICTION FOR THE FIFTH university PRESIDENT
Br. Rey kneels before the presider
Presider:
Almighty and ever-living God, we gather today to celebrate and bless Brother Rey, FSC, as he takes on the important role of the fifth university President of La Salle University, Ozamiz City. We thank you for his commitment to education and his dedication to serving this vibrant academic community with his passion for mission by association.
Lord, we ask you to pour out your abundant blessings upon Brother Rey. Grant him wisdom to lead with discernment, courage to face the challenges ahead, and compassion to guide with understanding and love. May his leadership inspire and uplift the students, faculty, and staff, and may his work be a reflection of your grace and truth.
Bless this university and all who are part of it. Strengthen the bonds of community, foster a spirit of unity, and guide all in their efforts to create an environment of learning and growth that honors you and your mission.
May Brother Rey, through his service, be an instrument of your peace and a beacon of hope. Enkindle in him a deep commitment to the values of the Lasallian tradition, and help him to lead with integrity, humility, and joy.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All:
Amen.
FINAL BLESSING
Presider:
The Lord be with you.
All:
And with your Spirit.
SOLEMN BLESSING
Presider:
Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessing. May the almighty God keep you from all harm and bless you with every good gift.
All:
Amen.
Presider:
May He set his Word in your heart and fill you with lasting joy.
All:
Amen.
Presider:
May you walk in His ways, always knowing what is right and good, until you enter your heavenly inheritance.
All:
Amen.
Presider:
May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.
All:
Amen.
DISMISSAL
(Then the Deacon, or the Priest himself, with hands joined and facing the people, says:)
Presider:
Go forth, the Mass is ended. /
Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord. /
Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life. /
Go in peace.
All:
Thanks be to God.
FINAL SONG