Johnny P. Decena | Batch 1996 from BIGA | OFW

I am Johnny Decena from Paracale , Camarines Norte (Bicol), a  7th Batch of the Sisters of Mary School Boystown-Silang. I had 2 brothers who also studied at our beloved school but only one was able to graduate and he is now a policeman. Presently, I am an OFW here in Canada.  I arrived here on April of 2009. I really want to share my story here to show my gratefulness to God, to Fr. Al - our beloved Founder, to all the Sisters who took care of us and taught me virtues, to the faculty who taught us knowledge, and to our school - this is my opportunity to say, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 

How was your life before you entered SMS? Why did you choose SMS?

My life before I entered SMS was good. I had good parents who molded us to be God- fearing.  Ours was a happy family but one thing was hard that time..how my parents would be able to send us to school. For my parents, it was really hard to earn money that time.  I used to join them doing house to house selling of fishes and vegetables.  I had to wake up early & helped them before going to school.  If I had no classes, at my very young age, I also went down a small mining camp just to earn money.  The big  opportunity came when the sisters from the Sisters of Mary School conducted an entrance examination at our place in Bicol.  Fortunately, I passed. The feeling then was that "I am already a certified SMS Scholar!".  

 

What was your most memorable experience inside the SMS?

I love remembering my days inside the SMS: The song practice.. you can distinguish the voice from 1st year to fourth year level.  That really made me smile; The catechism - I really miss this especially when our sister-in-charge was telling stories of saints.  I really love that part.  Somehow, in my mind, I would want to be like them.  I love going to confession because through it, I felt peace and contentment in my life.  I had time to pray a lot that my knees even got marks.  I still do it until now.  Prayer has become a routine in my daily life.  I learned how to be concerned with my brothers in the family I handled that until now I used to do this brotherly love. The study time - it really helped me a lot during my college years...The discipline in studying...The teamwork, the duties & responsibilities made me smile because I realized how important these are to my work.   It made me not to be choosy in work.  The rules and regulations - these really helped me a lot to discipline myself and respect others. It somehow molded me into what I am now, It made me stronger to face the world.

What did you do right after graduation? Did you work or study? How was it?

After graduation, I studied right away at PUP Manila, the school beside SMS Girlstown.  I took up and later got my diploma in B.S Mechanical Engineering by being a working-student.  I always come to the Boystown in Biga during Foundation event.

How is your life now? Tell us about your work? studies?

I am very blessed with my life. My prayers when I was inside the SMS were answered. A dream of giving a house to my parents came to a reality.  I was able to helped financially my brothers and a sister to study.  Today I have a good, healthy, happy, peaceful and God fearing family blessed with one baby.  I still continue supporting my parents. About my work, I worked as an Area Supervisor at Ayala South Vale Village, Madrigal Business Park, and Ayala Life-FGU at Alabang.  I then worked at  Japan for 3 years as a trainee to one of the ship building companies in Hiroshima (2005-2008), then I worked here at New Holland Canada.  I'm working here up to now.  I used all virtues I gained inside the SMS as a tool to step up and show the world that I am a graduate of the SMS. Sometimes they asked me, why I wasn't getting tired at work. I wasn't fighting back or never getting impatient. How did I develop that attitude? I simply said that  I got it all from the Sisters of Mary School.  I carry those virtues wherever I go & apply them always in my life..

What can you say about SMS? About Fr. Al?

To the Sisters of Mary, you really helped me a lot and still helping me to become who I am right now - Thank you very much. To Fr. Al - Thank you very much to your kindness. God chose you as an instrument to give blessings to the poor and helped the poor to know Jesus, and you gave hope to the poor like me.  I became a good Christian.  Thank you very much,  Fr. Al!

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