Every year, hundreds of boys enter the premises of a school that has touched so many lives. They are the children who, after suffering so much hardships at home, are forced to leave their families for four long years, in order to build a future that their respective families can hardly provide. That school is no other than The Sisters of Mary School Boystown in Minglanilla, Cebu.

The Sisters of Mary School is a stay-in secondary school run by nuns that take in students from the poorest of the poor families of the country. Its roots started in Busan, South Korea where the first campus was built last August 15, 1964 by Venerable Aloysius Schwartz, who students call 'Fr. Al', a diocesan priest from Washington D.C. to help the unfortunate children plagued by the Korean Civil War.

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Upon the request of His Eminence Jaime Cardinal Sin, the first campus in the Philippines was built in 1985 in Sta. Mesa, Manila and later on, compounds in Cavite and Cebu were constructed to serve more deserving students of the country.

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These young boys are the new additions to the Sister of Mary family. The smile on each freshman’s face clearly manifested the joy of being loved and the feeling of security to belong to a family. They forget the longing to go back home, the worries for the family they have left behind, and the miseries that they used to grow with while still outside.

I'm blessed to be one of these boys when I first entered the institution back in April 2006. The photo below (I'm the boy in slippers) is one of the rarest pictures, that I ever had when I was still there, as digital devices are strictly prohibited. Even calculators are not allowed - we do manual computations in our Mathematics class.

The best thing about this school is that everything is provided for free - food, shelter, clothing, and most especially, a secondary education that is of outstanding quality. It was in here that I discovered my potential as a student, and my math skills were honed to a great extent. From a mediocre student, I didn't expect that I'd become the top of the class. I was a consistent top 2 for my entire four years of stay and finished school as Salutatorian of our batch.

Life Inside

My first days at the Sisters of Mary were truly hard. I found myself weeping bitterly in our bedroom during my first day. I was a total stranger there. I could not keep my tears from falling knowing that it would be taking a long time before I get to see my family again.

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It took me two weeks to find myself enjoying my stay there. Emotionally, I grew strong and overcame loneliness just as my other brothers did. Who would not feel at home with these loving nuns we call mother-sisters who treat us as though we're biological children of their own?

They keep us well-geared with spiritual lessons through routinary bible readings, daily Holy Rosary praying, Holy Mass celebrations, and spiritual catechisms about twice a week.

The school is equipped with wide range of facilities for sports, such as soccer, volleyball, sepak takraw, and most especially basketball - as there are 22 standard basketball courts contained in the 10.4-hectare compound. So the fun is really there.

On Sundays, we do two rounds of jogging around the compound to build our physical stamina.

(Man, I could not even make a round, but I had to, because if I can't cope up with the group, it would be a shame on me for being weak lol)

Placing me in this wonderful institution is, perhaps, the greatest gift that God has ever bestowed upon me in my life. My personality, principles and ambitions had a major turnaround. They taught me the values of simplicity, humility, kindness, compassion, discipline and hardwork.

It's no wonder why leaving the school wasn't easy to bear. It had been my constant guide through those years. So before I left the congregation, I promised to fulfill the wishes of our founder, Fr. Al when he said, "My children, you are not created to be fat little ducks waddling in the mud, but to be eagles destined to rise above. to explore the kingdom of God."

After Highschool

I didn't have the difficulty to excel in college as I took my bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering at Cebu Technological University, as I was still carrying the study habit I once had in the Sisters of Mary. All the times when I made an achievement, I never failed to attribute my success to the intensive academic training I have undergone in my amazing highschool.

Then, one day, I just made my high school Alma Mater very proud when I finished 7th in the Mechanical Engineer Licensure Exam. My story from being a simple son of a fisherman evolving into a topnotch mechanical engineer because of the Sisters of Mary reached a broad range of audience that time. For that, the school summoned me to be given recognition. There was never a feeling more fulfilling than the one I had when I delivered my impromptu inspirational speech before my younger brothers, as I see myself in each and every one of them. And I still have that feeling now, this satisfaction of having fulfilled my promise to our beloved Fr. Al.

It has been my lifelong dream to become one of the major donors and benefactors of this charitable institution someday. I'll work hard for it and I will never stop. When one's dream is unselfish, I know God will help me in marvelous ways to achieve it.

"Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil." - James Allen

Thank you for taking your time to read my post. More power to the Steemit Community!

Yours Truly,

ENGR. RIZALINO S. CARATAO

Duty Engineer, Marco Polo Hotel - Davao