A Eulogy for Fr. Angelo "Boboy" Silerio, SJ (24 March 1973 - 30 April 2019) during the Necrological Services on Saturday 4 May 2019 at the Christ the King Church, AdNU
It is an honor to be asked to speak about Fr. Boboy. Allow me to reminisce more than a year that I have known him, working side by side with him at the Human Resource Management Office (HRMO) as a colleague before he was appointed as OIC Principal of the Junior High School and as a friend.
2015 – Fr. Boboy was assigned for a brief period to
Ateneo de Naga University before being stationed somewhere else for a longer
period. Being in the HRMO then tasked with the Orientation Seminar (ORSEM) for
new employees, I told him, “Sayang Fr., madali lang stay ninyo dito” to which
he replied with a serious and timid smile, “Ay oo nga, sayang.” Lo and behold,
a few years later, he was reassigned back to Ateneo this time as the Leadership
Development and Succession Program or LDSP Officer at our office then later as
SHS Campus Minister as well. That is how I got to work closely with him,
assisting him in his training sessions while working in the same office along
with eleven more colleagues.
Like most Jesuits I know, I have heard or seen his own
peculiar characteristics. He like to fish. He likes to plant and do all sorts of
thing related to farming. He looks younger than his age but has ailments that
are that of an old man’s. Strangely enough, his ailments became one of the
things that led me to know him better because I got so sick just before he moved
in our office. When I came back from my sick leave, he gave me this
improvised crystal stress ball. It struck me how resourceful he can be, and how
he thoughtful he was to try and help me in his signature “little” ways.
If time and health had not been a challenge, I can hardly
think of a time he said “no” to people who asked for his help. “We do what we
can!” sabi niya nga. If he was in no capacity to aid them, he would consult
others or ask favors from friends on behalf of friends. When it comes to
counseling, he would try to grasp the situations his counselees would face. For
example: there was this time when we were busy preparing for his training and
he asked me about my opinion on a certain situation. He asked me, “Ms. Trish, kung idto nangyari saimo, anong
magiging reaction mo?” To which I candidly replied, “Well, depende po, Fr. Kasi po para sa mga lalake, dae man po yan big
deal. Pero siguro para sa kadaklan na babae, big deal po idto!” “Oh, talaga?” he answered back surprised
while scratching his bald head. Indeed we had a good laugh at such dilemmas. But
he truly takes into account people’s concerns, whether they are mundane or
complex, to be able to help. His simple yet genuine concern endears him to
others everywhere he goes.
One might be fooled into thinking that his calmness stems
from naivety on things that are happening around him. Actually, he knows, he
knows them too well. Magaling din siya sa
pakiramdaman. In fact, he listens to all sides of the story yet he does not
immediately casts the stone towards the erring side. I remember him saying that
indeed, words, when spoken harshly or haphazardly, can never be taken back.
When he airs his sentiments or when he does reprimand, he speaks with such
firmness you can’t help but be embarrassed.
He was not without a few funny words of course. He was
also a jester, occasionally filling in punch lines to jokes Kuya Lej may be
more comfortable telling. He likes to sing! He is also great with the kids.
Waiting patiently for them to kiss the Baby Jesus without fear. Carrying them
until they stop crying. Listening patiently to their baby talk. Bringing them
sweet treats. Coming up with baby names with significant meanings.
Apart from words, he is also mindful of caring for the
environment. He would not want to put anything to waste. He would recycle cups
that would serve as pots for his seedlings. He does not mind the inconvenience
as long as the practice was ecologically sustainable.
We had one of our lengthy conversations right before
March ended. He learned that I was leaving and chanced upon me when I was duty
in Pacol. So I told him of my reasons, the personal circumstances I faced and how
I came to my decisions. And of course, he also asked about me and my fellow
colleague’s love lives, ala-Boy Abunda style: He mentions a name (on the top of
his head, as he would describe it), and I would only air my take on them. Some
of you may probably be victims of his match making. Even when he was
recuperating at the Jesuit Infirmary, he was on the lookout for “referrals”. Thank
you, Fr., for continually praying for our future partners. May they be as kind
and loving as you are. In turn, we will also pray for more people to respond to
the priestly vocation.
Speaking of marriage and other sacraments, he was also
often invited to preside in funerals. Whenever we mention about superstitions
when we attend services like this, he would disregard them, saying that when his
time is up, it is up. Sa Diyoys tayo
manalig! I remember thinking how kind and holy this man was and what he was
saying was not far off. But Fr, I did not realize how soon this moment would
come.
But I also realized that indeed your life was a
testament of God’s love for people from all walks of life and for his creation.
I still remember him recounting the many instances people told him that they
love him (romantically). So I jokingly said, “Ikaw na Fr, ikaw na ang maraming
nagmamahal!” But I also told him that that is no surprise. As Fr. James Martin,
S.J. wrote in his book, “The more loving you are..the more likely it is that
others will fall in love with you.”
Let’s not lose this moment to tell our loved ones how
much we love them. Let’s not lose hope and faith in people and in the work that
Fr. Boboy has sown, because his true legacy shall only grow when we are able to
love others selflessly as he did.
In our fb conversation just last Sunday April 26, I
shared with him this song that kept on playing in my head that day: Huwag kang
Mangaba by the Himig Heswita. His reply was this: salamat sa prayers! magandang
kanta nga yan para sa mga dadaanan ng transitions sa buhay.
How I wish in the next chapters of our
lives you would still be there to accompany us. Your days were numbered but it
was multiplied by the people you have so ardently served. We lost a dear
friend, close confidant, and an ally in the pursuit of God’s mission. Farewell
our match-maker, our favourite Indian, a travel companion, our to-go-to priest and most of all, our
beloved friend. I bet the Lord will greet you at the gates of heaven with these
words: “Well done, my good and faithful servant and friend!”
Photos by Trish Arana, Myllan Toledana & Jerico Lejano
