Memorable Occasions

The Order of St. Augustine Recollect gathered at the Univesity of San Jose Recoletos during the First International Recoletos Education Congress with the theme “Kindling the Heart and Empowering the Mind for Responsible Leadership.” The Prior General from Rome, Rev. Fr. Miguel Miro, OAR, Rev. Fr. Provincial St. Ezekiel Province, Rev. Fr. Remigio Bangcaya, OAR, Convenor and president Recoletos Educational Apostolate in the Philippines Fr. Raul Buhay, OAR; president of host school, USJR Rev. Fr. Enrico Peter Silab, OAR; with guest speaker, His Excellency Reverend Jose S. Palma and other speakers spoke on the truths of evangelization through education formation and community service. The highlights were the Conferment of Hermana General and Hermano General on Dr. Mila Espina; Nellie Dosado, Fulgencio Culaton and Rufus Rodriguez for religious and educational services; and the restaging of a musical documentary on the Healing Spirituality of St. Ezekiel performed by the USJR Dramatics and Cultural Ensemble – Lhuillier scholars with the High School, College of Arts and Sciences and Campus Ministry Office.

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The University of San Carlos Press is proud to announce that the book, Out of Cebu: Essays and Personal Prose by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard was released last February 5.

The book collects 28 essays about the author’s Cebuano ties, including colorful accounts about her mother’s family, the Cuencos, a prominent political family in Cebu. The book also includes writings about the author’s life and travels outside Cebu. The book has received praise from the educator Dr. Edmundo Litton of Loyola Marymount Univeristy who says: “These essays celebrate a pride in a heritage. Brainard is clearly proud of her Cebuana heritage and this pride shows in this magnificent collection of essays.”

Likewise, Dr. Susan Evangelista of Palawan State University comments: “I knew Cecilia Manguerra Brainard first as a fiction writer, writing from the UA, but grounded in the physicality of Ubec, Cebu, of course. Later when I got to know her as a friend, I discovered another layer which involved her deep interest, research in and thinking about Filipino history, particularly Magellan, who died of course in Cebu.

Cecilia “Baby” Brainard, a true-blue Cebuana, has written nine books, including the internationally acclaimed novel, When the Rainbow Goddess Wept…which chronicles the coming of age of a young girl in Ubec (Cebu backwards) during World War II…a novel inspired by her own parents’ experiences during the war. Brainard first coined the mythical place “Ubec” in her first short story collection, Women with Horns and other stories, and she continued to use this setting in her other works of fiction Magdalena, Acapulco at Sunset and other Stories, Vigan and Other Stories.

Get a copy of Baby Brainard’s book…Out of Cebu: Essays and Personal Prose from the University of San Carlos library.