Belen Jesuit Preparatory School

Class of 2020 Banner: The ‘MMXX Essentials’ Playlist Explained

Nicholas Oyarzun ‘20 & Sebastian Alonso ‘20
 
(The following explanation of the Senior Banner was presented by Nicholas Oyarzun ‘20 and Sebastian Alonso ‘20 during the Offertory of the Class of 2020 Baccalaureate Mass on June 15, 2020, at Our Lady of Guadalupe. Francisco Paredes ‘20 approached the altar with the Senior Banner alongside the gifts of bread and wine. Click here to view the banner.) 

We offer on this altar the work of our Peer Ministry Class and are proud to present “MMXX Essentials.” On this banner, we have condensed seven years of our Belen experience into one display featuring a series of songs that make up the playlist of our life’s music. Each song represents an event or theme that has been central to our development as “Men for Others.” 

Starting off the songs in the queue we have:
  • “Locked In” by the Barq Ballers, which represents our introduction to the Belen brotherhood and the years that would soon change our lives. 
  • “Another Brick In My Wall” by The Encounterites recalls the impactful encounters that have touched our spiritual development through retreats such as the Cardoner, Junior Encounter, and the Spiritual Exercises.
  • “Viva Vaca Gorda” by B.Y.M. stands for the village we once made a home for 10 days as well as the call to serve during our time there. 
  • “Bonding Lights” by The Wolverines playfully represents the inaugural games under the lights where brotherly bonds were formed while cheering on our Wolverines—not to mention the bonds formed by our student-athletes on the field. 
  • “La Vida Es Una Tombola” by The Times of Our Lives reminds us of the sweet smell of churrasco and the thrilling rides which draw nostalgia toward the years we have spent growing into adulthood. 
  • “Zoomin’” by The Distant Era calls back to the two months of online study during which we faced the unique challenge of ending our senior year through distance learning. 
Looking past the song titles, the interface of the playlist is also littered with references to the values cultivated by our Belen experience. 
 
  • The menu options located at the bottom of the banner represent the values of the “Grad at Grad” (or “the Graduate at Graduation”). ‘The Grad at Grad’ are five aspects those who graduate from a Jesuit institution are called to embody upon graduation. The tabs correspond to each pillar: “learn,” being intellectually competent; “love,” being loving and compassionate; “serve,” being committed to a faith that does justice; “grow,” being open to growth; and “discern,” being religious.
  • The play option is titled Kronos, which refers to our human view of time, which we perceive as linear. The shuffle option is titled Kairos, which refers to the real, non-linear perspective of time as God sees it.
  • The biography of the banner contains the verse “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” from Proverbs 27:17. This verse mirrors how we’ve grown as a class by building off of one another.
The only song we haven’t addressed is the one playing right now: “Future Remastered”. This song proudly displays the original logo of the Colegio de Belen which serves as a reminder of our past as we take our steps into the future. This song shall be constantly “playing” as we move through our lives as proud Belen educated men. Thank you all—and especially our mothers—for embarking on this journey with us. May Our Lady of Belen inspire us to continue creating life’s music for the greater glory of God. A.M.D.G.

Click here to see the photo album from the Baccalaureate Mass. 
 
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BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain.  The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline.  In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty.  The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow.  Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.