Three Faith Traditions Bless the New Museum Study Gallery at Arrupe Hall

The University Archives and the Davao Museum of History and Ethnography held a blessing of the Museum Study Gallery on 27 October 2026 at the Ground Floor of Arrupe Hall, Ateneo de Davao University, Jacinto Campus.

Rev. Fr. Karel San Juan, SJ, University President, led the blessing and prayers. Dr. Pamela Castrillo, University Archivist and Museum Curator of the Davao Museum of History and Ethnography, led the program and the guided viewing of the artifacts.

The ceremony brought together three traditions that have long shared the land. Mr. Jun Mark E. Amban represented the Obu Manuvu, Sultan Ubpon represented the Muslim community, and Fr. San Juan represented the Catholic Church, in whose name the University was founded.

An interfaith blessing

The program began outdoors, where Fr. San Juan sprinkled holy water on the gallery’s two doorways and outer walls, from the Pool doors to the Arrupe doors. Indoors, Mr. Amban, Sultan Ubpon, and Fr. San Juan each offered a short prayer for the room and its contents. Sultan Ubpon recited Ayatul Kursi and the closing verses of Surah Al-Baqarah, and offered a du’a for the gallery. Dr. Castrillo then led a guided viewing of the cataloged artifacts.

A home for the collection

The collection came to the University through a formal turnover. On 28 August 2025, at Rodriguez Hall in the CCFC Building, the Zonta Club of Davao City, the Davao Museum Foundation, Inc., and Ateneo de Davao University held a ceremonial turnover of the Davao Museum collection and signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The Zonta Club had opened the museum in 1977 and managed the collection until the transfer.

The Study Gallery is the first permanent-quality space for the collection since the turnover. The 84-square-meter, climate-controlled gallery was designed by students of the Architecture Department in collaboration with the Facilities Management Office (FMO). It will keep the collection safe until the new Davao Museum is built. Four students from Holy Cross also cataloged the items.

Beyond preservation, the gallery is a place of study. Researchers, students, and visitors can engage with the stories and heritage of the peoples of Mindanao.

Expressions of gratitude

In her closing remarks, Dr. Castrillo thanked Mr. Amban, Sultan Ubpon, and Fr. San Juan for their prayers. She also thanked Dr. Tender Grace Ferolin, Director of the Facilities Management Office (FMO), and the many hands that moved the collection: those who deinstalled the artifacts at the Davao Museum, wrapped each piece, transported them to the Jacinto Campus, and carried them between storage facilities until they found a place in Arrupe Hall. She extended her thanks to the designers and builders who shaped the gallery, and to Fr. San Juan and Vice President for Finance and Treasurer, Mr. Jimmy E. Delgado, CPA, MBA, for making the facility possible.