CELINA BELLA REMEMBERS
Celine is a dear friend and classmate of Sr. RegiVic. She was a eulogist in the mass for Sr. RegiVic.
Good evening, dear Sisters, dear classmates, dear Friends! I am Celine Hilado Bella, a classmate of Sr Regivic from Grade School to High School to College in Assumption Iloilo! I am here to represent our Classes 63 & 67 and myself!
The last few days and especially yesterday were days of very anxious waiting , waiting, waiting for news on how our dear friend was.
It was a day of mixed prayers, for a miracle of healing … at the same time a brave attempt to renew complete trust in the Lord’s loving plan for Vic! In the end the 2nd prayer WON and our voices were raised as one to heaven saying “Thy will be done, Lord”!
In FEBRUARY last year, our High School Class 63 celebrated our HIGH SCHOOL DIAMOND JUBILEE IN AC Iloilo.
It was a special time for all of us! In our Velada dance number we wore various shades of purple, with very good taste small diamond tiaras from Shopee to celebrate the Jubilee!
We were so proud to declare to the world that our class had the most number of purples, 4 RAs!! Sr Marie Eml, Sr Clare Cecilia, Sr Rose Peter and of course Sr Regina Victoria! That’s not all, while 4 are/were our RAs, 8 in total from our Class entered and joined the Novitiate in Herran! Of course the other 4 now live other lives, all the better for the special time spent there believe me.
So we hold the undisputed record of purples, right?
Now we have our first RA classmate in heaven and even with deeply broken hearts we celebrate her!
Regivic and I go back a looong way and yes her sisters and Butch here and Prandy will remember how I was always saling pusa in their home on weekends that Vic would go home to Bacolod ! I was tailing behind her! Wonderful days always followed in Prudencia, THANK YOU, dear Family of Lolo Felix, Lola Teresa, Tito Nene and Tita Pilaring, boys and girls! Vice versa, Vic was always in our home in Iloilo!
I’ll let you in on a little secret on Vic and my favorite thing on those weekends. Before finally going to sleep, we first run through the WHOLE Sound of Music movie! Not just the songs but the script which we memorized from beginning to end. So just so the whole movie is played out we each would sometimes be the Captain, Maria, Liesl, Fedrick, Sr Bertha, the Countess who we hated and when the movie ended we would say good night and sleep! Bet you didn’t know that!
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My classmates and I would recall how Vic was a “chief delegator, par exellence”! Whenever the class had something to prepare for, Vic was always very very quick to gather us and rah rah us to plan and prepare for the event, very effectively raising our enthusiasm and energies to put together a succesful project! However, we would notice that while we became busy bees working, working, working, Vic was nowhere around! The question we would hear from one another was “Diin na ya si Regivic”!! Where is Regivic! Well, she would and did calmly walk in on us on some days with a big smile on her face saying “Te, kamusta na kamo?” She would see the rolling eyes around and always, she gave her trade mark chuckle and giggle and would disappear again!!
Oh, Vic, how we will long for your “delegation” days. We know how much you cared for each of us, how you generously gave talks on our various class Jubilee celebrations, talks on Mother Foundress, St Marie Eugenie, who you knew SO WELL, you made her REAL to us, we grew in our love for her and we are forever in thanksgiving for the education she gifted us!
On my part, I thank you for relentlessly inviting me to join MEI, the Marie Eugenie Institute and your Pre-Track team and I have forgiven you for throwing me into the deep end of giving your talk in your place after just 1 demo from you!
Today, being in MEI and the sessions with the teachers are my great joy and grace and blessing! Thank you, dear Friend!
May I take this chance to thank the Sisters who understood our need to know how our friend is. Shout out to Peachy, Vic’s sister who patiently answered my sometimes twice a day questions on how Vic was.
How is she? How is she? How is she?
THANK YOU, Peachy!
Life is such that goodbyes are as present as hellos and now it is time for the first. Just as our prayers these past days were mixed, our goodbye is also mixed! It is very hard for all of us your classmates and friends to see you go and leave us but, albeit with broken hearts, we bid you a-dieu, fly with angels to your eternal home, to Jesus and Mary and bring our love with you!
Can we delegate you now to pray for us as we pray for you? We love you, todo todo, Sr Reg 