By God’s Grace: An unequivocal destiny

©Dela Cruz and Santos

There is a sacred community which is home to many students, teachers, and staffers all driven by the persistent cultivation of God’s grace. This place is Colegio San Agustin - Makati. Here, students arose followed by a chance to lead, while teachers like Mr. Vicxen De Ramos were endowed with a divine opportunity to educate and spread the teachings of God.

Twelve years ago, in June 2010, De Ramos officially became an Augustinian. “I was led here because one of my former classmates was hired first in CSA. He told me that there’s another vacancy for the CLE teacher position. I applied; initially, it didn’t yield a good result but by the grace of God and the help of my former coordinator, I managed to be part of the Augustinian community.” The process to which this occurred was partly accidental, and the rest was out of pure inevitability. He conferred he was able to abundantly grow and mature in his profession along with the support of the friends he gained during his time in the institution.

Indubitably, there were obvious hindrances to teaching due to a rough predicament, but De Ramos elaborated how he endured the weight of the shock which the pandemic brought upon our country.

“It was really difficult at first because everything came as a shock—to all of us—for both teachers and students. But as Augustinians, we rely not only on God’s help but by the help of the community, and that’s something I can really be proud of. That’s why I honestly believe that how CSA coped with the situation, the success is because of our communal efforts.”

He accredits the school of its perpetual faith and trust in God, and through this, not only was he able to cope during these trying times, he was also given the prospect to be with his family while also being blessed with the gratification of new opportunities.

It would be an understatement to say the attainment of his current position in CSA-Makati was merely out of coincidence. To him, it was a “very defining moment of my life.” It changed the whole trajectory of his career and he was rewarded with the greatest blessings an educator, a father, and a friend could ever wish for. His story—his journey of being an Augustinian is not just a matter of chance, accident, or even part of an odd. By God’s grace, it was a sense of outright certainty and transcendent destiny.