More than twenty-five years after the death of Fr. James J. O’Brien, SJ, on May 26, 1994, his influence is still profoundly felt everywhere, from how his former students talk about the positive effects of his corporal method of discipline to his prophetic challenge to his students to take up agriculture and come back to Bicol to help the region’s agricultural and economic transformation.

But what stands out among Fr. O’Brien’s many accomplishments is his advocacy to promote the richness of the Bicol culture by encouraging the Bicolanos to do the same. This is his legacy that changed us, his students, forever.

Before the time of Fr. O’Brien, Ateneans in general were not conscious of the importance of knowing and appreciating one’s culture. In fact, there was an English rule at the Ateneo during our time where students caught speaking Bicol were punished by running around the field fronting the old faculty house.

New York-based Nicol Miraflores, a classmate, made this observation: “Back in my high school days, the first time I became aware of the interesting aspects of Bicol culture was through   Fr. James O’Brien. It was a time when the Bicol language was not supposed to be spoken or heard on campus because of the enforced English rule. Ironically though, it was a native English speaker who encouraged us to speak our language and talk about mundane things we considered trivial and took for granted.”

Something significant changed in 1953 when Fr. O’Brien, fondly called O’B by his students, came into the scene as a young teacher, and, later in 1961, when he came back after his theological studies in New York.

As a teacher, O’B wanted to instill in his students love for Bicol – its language, songs, riddles, history, places and people.  He did this by practicing what he preached.  He patiently learned the Bicol language. He sang Bicol songs.  He solved Bicol riddles with ease. He studied the history of the Bicol Region on his own.  He visited selected towns in the Bicol Region with his students in tow and would, at the end, ask them to write about the places they visited.  Many of these articles would later be included in the collection of readings that O’B compiled to teach Bicol History and Culture at the Ateneo de Naga.

Along the way, he raised his students’ cultural awareness, emphasized the importance and significance of the Bicol culture, and inspired a generation of Ateneans to view the Bicol culture as rich and dynamic. Truly, he was a trailblazer, a gem – though he would probably not like this characterization – and a Bicolano in his full humanity.

In recognition of O’B’s contribution in the field of cultural awareness and appreciation, the Ateneo de Naga High School Class of 1966 launched O’Bikoliana in 2016 as its Golden Legacy Project.

O’Bikoliana is a repository of Bicol books and other related materials like maps, Bicol songs, old Bicol newspapers, educational videos in Bicol, etc. It’s located on the second floor of the Ateneo de Naga James O’Brien Library. O’Bikoliana strives to reinforce the connection between the Ateneo and the community by attracting students from other colleges and universities, cultural workers, scholars and researchers to use O’Bikoliana as an educational resource.

The word “O’Bikoliana” was coined by veteran media personality, Ernie Verdadero, a member of AdeN High School Batch ‘66. It is derived from three words: O’B, Fr. O’Brien’s moniker; Bikol, the geographical place that Fr. O’Brien loved so dearly; and “aniana” whose etymology in Spanish translates to “selected items of information.”

The Annual James J. O’Brien Memorial Lecture Series is a project of O’Bikoliana to immortalize the vision and advocacy of O’B who, in his lifetime, didn’t only tirelessly promote love for the Bicol culture, but also encourage his students to work for social justice, teaching them the Catholic social encyclicals. The lecture series brings scholarly examination of some aspects of the Bicol culture as they relate to what O’B stood for.  Through lecturers of the highest caliber from various professions, O’Bikoliana hopes to inspire, provoke healthy discussions among Bicolanos, and instill in their consciousness cultural and social awareness, leading to viable programs and action for the development of Bicol.

The inaugural lecture in 2017 was given by Dr. Danny Gerona, renowned Bicolano historian, who discussed the role played by Fr. O’Brien in the birth of Bikol studies.

The succeeding lectures during the last six years had the following speakers and topics: Gemma Mendoza, The Role of Social Media in Social Change (2018); Jesus Federico Hernandez, The Bikol Languages: Notes on Scholarship, Variations and Descent (2019); Jaime Jesus Borlagdan and Joey Vargas, Ano Daw Idtong sa Gogon: Original Bikol Music from Folk Songs to Contemporary (2020); Noli Ayo, Peace Building and Social Development through Sports (2021); Luis Ruben General, Marne Kilates, Rebecca Torres, Remembering the Martial Law Years in the Bikol Region (2022); Ronald Rodriguez, Bicol Rural Economy: The Challenges of Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, and Social Development (2023).

Through The Annual James J. O’Brien Memorial Lecture Series, it is hoped that Fr. O’B will continue to resonate especially with thousands of Bicolanos and will continue to touch people, even non-Bicolanos, for many more years to come.