The so-called "Batang Delaney" whose lives were shaped 51 years ago in Ateneo de Manila High School (ADMHS) and who will live by the words of wisdom of their English teacher, Fr. John Patrick Delaney, S.J., had a joyful time reliving high school last Dec. 7.

The blessing of the John Patrick Delaney, S.J., Plaza at the ADMHS grounds began with a Missa Recitata. The batch of 1950 reminisced the good ‘ol days they had with the Jesuit priest as they gathered around his monument at the Delaney quadrangle.

Fr. Delaney arrived in the Philippines in 1928 as a scholastic. He left for Rome and the US, but returned in 1945 to become a teacher, as principal and Dean of Studies of the high school in Padre Faura.

The priest was sent to the country by the Jesuit Provincial Superior when the Rector of the Ateneo de Manila University requested for a chemistry teacher. It happened that there were three persons named John P. Delaney. The youngest Delaney was sent to the country. The oldest Delaney, who happened to be the chemistry teacher, was left in the province of Maryland, New York.

The Rector excitedly welcomed the young John P. Delaney. At the pier, he handed Delaney the chemistry books and told the young man that his class would start the next morning. The young Delaney was, of course, shocked by the Rector’s words, saying that chemistry is the only thing he could not teach. Though there were already a lot of English teachers at the Ateneo high school, Delaney was fortunately still accepted to teach in his subject of expertise. The people of Ateneo never imagined how he would influence their lives.

"I remember Fr. Delaney best when he made me lie down on my stomach on a long table while he performed what today would definitely be considered child abuse," Reynaldo de Jesus says in an e-mail sent to his classmates. "But, hey," says Ding, "spare the rod and spoil the child. Maybe that’s how I turned out not to be a spoiled brat."

Francis Arcenas of Section A, who is also the architect of the plaza, saw the soft spot in their teacher’s heart. He was also a friend outside the class, he relates. "I remember one day in the intramurals, (when) I was playing. I was a catcher. One of my classmates, before I knew it, swung his bat and hit me in the head. I fell from where I stood. I was in deep pain and I didn’t know who would help me. But Fr. Delaney was there. He picked me up, took out his handkerchief, tied it on my head and brought me into the infirmary. From then on, I was no longer afraid of Fr. Delaney, but I still respected him."

A teacher like no other

The priest authored two books, both of which they used in their class. Alberto Romulo of Section B, now the executive secretary to the Philippine president, still remembers the days when Fr. Delaney kept them in his English class. "He was a perfectionist," Romulo recalls. To improve their grasp of the language, they were not allowed to speak Tagalog in school. He made English the campus language.

Edmundo Miranda of Section C remembers the contests held regularly in their class. Spelling, pronunciation, reading and debates were some of Delaney’s favorite activities. One time, the priest surprised them with some tricky questions in sentence construction. "We were asked to choose the correct sentence: ‘Are you chewing gum?’ or ‘Are you chewing a gum?’ "My answer was the latter, which turned out to be the incorrect choice. But because of that mistake, a summer job was awarded to me. Submitting one book report for every week of the entire summer vacation. Summer break meant breaking free from school work, but I was doing overtime," Miranda share. "I learned to be more careful in the use of the language. To this day I am still reaping the rewards of that summer job."

Fr. Delaney was often described by the boys as demanding, a strict disciplinarian. What they often thought then as punishment they now appreciate for the virtues it taught them.

The priest was unbending about punctuality. "When Fr. Delaney was the mentor, the bell was the enforcer. Loudest bell was the signal that everybody should be totally, physically inside his classroom. There was no reason for tardiness even if it was rain, flood, storm, traffic or other excuses for not coming in. Late was late. If you were, you will get marching orders," Miranda says.

The virtue of honesty was always emphasized. When Father Delaney gave his first exam, he told them that he was not a policeman to guard them when they were cheating, he was a professor. "If you cheat, you will only cheat yourself," Fr. James Reuter, S.J., a close friend and associate of Fr. Delaney, utters the words often said by the priest. So he stepped out of the room. When he came back, Reuters narrates, Fr. Delaney corrected the papers. All the students got low marks. "Later, one of the students came and said, "Father, I want to take that exam again. None of us cheated. None of us cheated!"

The priest told the boy, "No, gentleman. That’s the second lesson you must learn. Whenever you’re honest, you have to pay for it."

Justice Ricardo Puno still holds on to the priest’s words of wisdom about the meaning of priesthood. Puno was a member of the university’s Lay Faculty (1946 to 1950). All of us who were married, he required to meet once in a while and he would share his thoughts with us. Amongst our wives, amongst ourselves, and we listened to his gems of wisdom," he recalls.

Delaney was also called Tanda in the campus because of his old age. He got old teaching in the school, a man of virtue, a disciplinarian, and a guide for future leaders.

The priest, who was also chaplain and spiritual adviser to the UP Students for Catholic Action at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, in 1949 passed away on Jan, 12, 1956, at the age of 49. He died of coronary thrombosis – a condition in his heart he had always complained of – at the Mirador Villa in Baguio City, where he had gone for vacation.

Today, his monument standing prominently in the very heart of Fr. Delaney Plaza will continue to stir those precious memories – a perfect spot for all the "Batang Delaney" to reflect on the man who influenced their lives and to find a focus on their faith.

"We are very lucky to have this beautiful site here. ….We can just come here and meditate and establish our bearings, where we came from, who are we right now, where are we going," says Emerito Ramos, president of John P. Delaney S.J. Foundation Inc.