𝗜𝗡 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗧

Rosary beads over pens and pencils, the scent of burning wicks and soft footsteps rather than rushed feet marked an inaugural milestone in the College of Medicine. The bright motes of fire from the vigil candles sparkled in the darkened hall, as for once, time warped into stillness and silence presided the space. In their shrouds of clean white cloth, the six silent mentors lay in their beds as celebrants. Tables bedecked with fresh flowers laid at the foot of each bed. At the center of the room, a box cradled letters that would never be read: messages from the living to those past the veil who nevertheless served as mentors.

The first-year medical students of the University of St. La Salle – College of Medicine transformed the Anatomy Laboratory into a solemn gathering ground for the inaugural Responsorio for the Silent Mentors held today, October 29, 2025, at the University of St. La Salle, Bacolod City, in honor of the six donors who served as their first teachers in anatomy.

The tribute featured a candlelit vigil, offerings of flowers and handwritten messages. Each student paid their respects to the silent mentors who continue to teach through their final act of generosity.

“They may not be professors in medicine, but they offered themselves to be a learning experience. In truth, they’re the ones teaching us. We owe a great deal of gratitude to them for lending their bodies so you can be future great leaders in medicine.”

– Dr. Cynthia Manalili, Head, Anatomy Department

This Responsorio marks three months since the first-year students of the College of Medicine began their anatomical study. Faculty members remark on how the vigil strengthened humanism as a foundational virtue in being a healer.

“It is true that we develop desensitization, but it is a conscious decision to respect our dead, no matter who it is, when you see someone dying in the hospital or elsewhere. Our role as physicians doesn’t end with the living–we also have to respect those who are already beyond.”

– Dr. Kevin Moises, Anatomy Professor, Lay Minister

Many MD1 students note how the experience served as a new defining moment in their relationship with their silent mentors. “We’re reminded that the cadavers who once walked and lived are not merely part of our learning–they are our first teachers in compassion, humility, and respect for life,” said Class Mayor, Hazel Guay.

“This rite reinforced our reverence to our cadavers.”

– Vohn Archie Edjan, Dissection Group 3 Leader

With the advent of the first Responsorio, Dr. Manalili hopes that it continues with the succeeding batches. “What is being taught by our professors and consultants, we now see them here. I hope that in the next [batch], it will be a tradition.”

Silence can be loud, and our silent mentors are the greatest examples of this. To ingrain the courage of understanding the sacred design of the human body through a bridge between curiosity and compassion is a selfless gift — one that is passed on to generations of healers.. And though without words, in silence they teach, they shape futures, and change the world, one patient at a time.

LCM || Wynzel L. Desuyo and Krishyra So

Photos: Lyrah Mae Enoc