On April 1, 1950, amid the Ateneo ruins at Padre Faura, 104 high school graduates, dressed in barong Tagalog, took turns climbing the stage to receive their diploma. That occasion marked the end of four years of attending daily classes in quonset-hut rooms. As early as 1999, some members of HS50 started meeting periodically to plan what legacy the class, on the occasion of its golden jubilee, should leave for posterity. The decision was to honor the man who has had much influence on them, namely: Fr. John P. Delaney.

On December 8, 2000, to honor his memory, HS50 offered a mass and witnessed the unveiling and blessing of his bust. The class also decided to set up the John P. Delaney S.J. Foundation.

Concelebrating the mass, a Missa Recitata, were HS50 co-graduates, Fr. Carlos Abesamis and Fr. Guido Arguelles, and some Jesuit teachers. During the mass, HS50 thanked God for all the blessings He had showered the past 50 years on themselves, their children and grandchildren. The class also remembered in a special way 23 departed classmates, namely:

After the mass, the second memorial to Fr. Delaney – his bust made of brass – was unveiled and blessed. Set up on a pedestal around which will be placed the names of all HS50 graduates, Fr. Delaney’s bust will grace a sunken plaza area to be constructed to one’s right as one enters the high school campus. There it will serve as a constant reminder of a high school teacher’s dedication.

Delaney Plaza groundbreaking rites

As a third memorial to honor Fr. Delaney’s memory, HS50 decided to set up a foundation that will carry on the ideals he strongly advocated, the more significant among them were:

• The Mass as the center of the lives of Christians
• Devotion to Mary, the Mother of God
• Marriage and family life as Christ-centered
• Jesuit education for the poor (Ateneo de Tondo)