A proud servant of God and in serving Bahay Pag-Asa Youth Center, 17-year-old Jonathan Abutal shares his story of faith, service, and devotion this #PassionWednesday.
His path to faithful service started long before his Liceo days. During his Junior High School years, Jonathan served as Religious Coordinator and an altar server of Bahay Pag-asa, where he discovered his passion for serving under the guidance of Lasallian Brother, Br. Dan Fenton.
After graduating from St. Joseph School - La Salle, he entered Liceo De La Salle in Senior High School and took up the HUMSS strand. Invited by Ms. Anna Salvador of the Center for Lasallian Ministries (CELAM), Jonathan joined the University’s altar server ministry in 2023. Balancing studies and service wasn't always easy. He would serve at Mass during vacant hours, always making sure that his academics remained a priority.
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Jonathan's service to the community comes in various forms, from tending to the altar to participating as a server in masses and recollections; he goes beyond his primary duties. His passion for service and volunteerism has brought him to Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, where he assists Marian priests in administering the Sacraments. Working with the Marian priests has taught him humility, responsibility, and a deeper understanding of his faith. These are the parts of his life that he would not change.
As gratitude to the center that helped him develop his passion for faith and service, Jonathan returns to Bahay Pag-asa every Sunday to serve Mass for the residents. For him, this is more than service. “In my own way, I’m giving back to the place that gave me so much,” he shares.
The Bahay Pag-asa Youth Center operates as a transformational facility exclusively for Children-in-Conflict with the Law (CICL) and Children-at-Risk (CAR) from Negros Occidental and surrounding areas. Through the center, they aim to administer a holistic formation and transformational program; provide competent and committed legal services, and provide an interfaced support system.
Jonathan graduated from Liceo on April 29, 2025, and he plans to follow in the footsteps of the Lasallian Brothers, who inspired him, and take up a course in Education. His reason for choosing this course was that he wanted to be a compassionate teacher who would teach hearts and touch minds.
Preparing for a new chapter of his life as a college student, he reflects that many things would be different from what he was used to, but one thing he knows for sure is that, “I will continue to serve”.
As a part of the recently graduated Liceo Batch of 2025, Jonathan shares this message to his fellow batchmates, “Let us always carry with us the values that we learned from this University. Whatever colleges or universities you’re all entering, remember that you are a Lasallian.”
Jonathan’s life proves that when a person chooses to serve God, everything else follows: purpose, strength, and a heart that continues to serve.