The Thomasian identity is rooted in Catholic faith. This section presents the Catholic faith and inspiration that the University of Santo Tomas leans on—the Virgin Mary, the saints and martyrs, the Pope, the clergy, as well as the modern-day Christians who try every day to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
Birth of the Dominican Province of the Philippines
Fr. Rolando V. de la Rosa, O.P. (2016)
The year 1970 marked the eighth centenary of the birth of St. Dominic. On April 30, 1970, the Master of the Order, Fr. Aniceto Fernandez, O.P., sent a circular to all Dominican Provinces, convents, monasteries, and sisters’ congregations, inviting all Dominicans to observe with due solemnity and fervor that significant occasion. In the Philippines, the celebrations were inaugurated on August 4, 1970, and were to end on December 31, 1971. Within this yearlong festival, two important events in the Order happened: the declaration of St. Catherine of Siena as Doctor of the Church on October 4, 1970, and the establishment of the forty-first Province of the Dominican Order, which would climax the celebrations.
On December 8, 1971, at about 9:30 in the morning, the Mass began with the Master of the Order himself as the main celebrant. Dominicans from all over the Philippines, as well as from other countries, graced the solemn occasion. In his homily, the Master of the Order recommended two things which he believed would guarantee the success of the new Province in continuing the glorious history of the Mother Province:
i – a great fidelity to the Church, to the Pope, to the hierarchy, to the Master of the Order, as had been exemplified in St. Dominic himself, our Founder, and;
ii – a great fidelity to the new constitution of the Order and to the decrees of the Second Vatican Council.
The ceremony proper for the inauguration of the new Province began immediately after the Mass. First came the reading of the Decree of Establishment of the Dominican Province of the Philippines. This decree provides information about the new Province:
1. At the time of its establishment, the new Province had forty-six Filipino priests, seven Spanish priests by reason of assignment, thirty-two professed clerical brothers, and fifteen professed cooperator-brothers.
2. The following convents (and institutions attached to these) and mission territory were given to the new Province: Sto. Domingo Convent, Convent of San Juan de Letran and Letran College, Holy Rosary Convent in Manaoag, Holy Rosary Convent in Jaro, Iloilo, Convent of St. Raymond de Peñafort and Aquinas University in Legazpi, and Babuyanes Islands of the Prelature Nullius of Batanes-Babuyanes.
3. The Province of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary retained the following: Holy Rosary Convent in San Juan del Monte, Holy Rosary House in Baguio City, St. Dominic House in Basco, Batanes Island, Binondo Parish, and other mission outposts in Batanes Island of the Prelature Nullius of Batanes-Babuyanes.
4. The Province of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary may establish a convent within the territory of the new Province without the necessity of obtaining the previous consent of the latter, although there is need to inform first the Prior Provincial about it, and provided it will not interfere with the ministry of the new Province.
5. The University of Santo Tomas shall be subject of a special statute approved by the Master of the Order.
After the reading of the decree, the Master of the Order announced the appointment of Fr. Rogelio Alarcon, O.P. as the first Provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines. Father Alarcon accepted his appointment in public, as provided for by custom, after which he made the Profession of Faith before the Master of the Order, as a manifestation of his trust in Divine Providence. After the Credo, all the brethren of the new Province approached the altar, and in one impressive expression of their allegiance to the new Provincial, they made the venia, the traditional sign of obedience to the Dominican superior. The Provincial then went on to deliver his inaugural address. After his talk, both the Spanish and Filipino Dominicans sang the triumphant hymn, Te Deum, and the ageless Marian antiphon Salve Regina, their voices blending into a melody of hope and intercession.
Birth of the Dominican Province of the Philippines
Fr. Rolando V. de la Rosa, O.P. (2016)
The year 1970 marked the eighth centenary of the birth of St. Dominic. On April 30, 1970, the Master of the Order, Fr. Aniceto Fernandez, O.P., sent a circular to all Dominican Provinces, convents, monasteries, and sisters’ congregations, inviting all Dominicans to observe with due solemnity and fervor that significant occasion. In the Philippines, the celebrations were inaugurated on August 4, 1970, and were to end on December 31, 1971. Within this yearlong festival, two important events in the Order happened: the declaration of St. Catherine of Siena as Doctor of the Church on October 4, 1970, and the establishment of the forty-first Province of the Dominican Order, which would climax the celebrations.
On December 8, 1971, at about 9:30 in the morning, the Mass began with the Master of the Order himself as the main celebrant. Dominicans from all over the Philippines, as well as from other countries, graced the solemn occasion. In his homily, the Master of the Order recommended two things which he believed would guarantee the success of the new Province in continuing the glorious history of the Mother Province:
i – a great fidelity to the Church, to the Pope, to the hierarchy, to the Master of the Order, as had been exemplified in St. Dominic himself, our Founder, and;
ii – a great fidelity to the new constitution of the Order and to the decrees of the Second Vatican Council.
The ceremony proper for the inauguration of the new Province began immediately after the Mass. First came the reading of the Decree of Establishment of the Dominican Province of the Philippines. This decree provides information about the new Province:
1. At the time of its establishment, the new Province had forty-six Filipino priests, seven Spanish priests by reason of assignment, thirty-two professed clerical brothers, and fifteen professed cooperator-brothers.
2. The following convents (and institutions attached to these) and mission territory were given to the new Province: Sto. Domingo Convent, Convent of San Juan de Letran and Letran College, Holy Rosary Convent in Manaoag, Holy Rosary Convent in Jaro, Iloilo, Convent of St. Raymond de Peñafort and Aquinas University in Legazpi, and Babuyanes Islands of the Prelature Nullius of Batanes-Babuyanes.
3. The Province of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary retained the following: Holy Rosary Convent in San Juan del Monte, Holy Rosary House in Baguio City, St. Dominic House in Basco, Batanes Island, Binondo Parish, and other mission outposts in Batanes Island of the Prelature Nullius of Batanes-Babuyanes.
4. The Province of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary may establish a convent within the territory of the new Province without the necessity of obtaining the previous consent of the latter, although there is need to inform first the Prior Provincial about it, and provided it will not interfere with the ministry of the new Province.
5. The University of Santo Tomas shall be subject of a special statute approved by the Master of the Order.
After the reading of the decree, the Master of the Order announced the appointment of Fr. Rogelio Alarcon, O.P. as the first Provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines. Father Alarcon accepted his appointment in public, as provided for by custom, after which he made the Profession of Faith before the Master of the Order, as a manifestation of his trust in Divine Providence. After the Credo, all the brethren of the new Province approached the altar, and in one impressive expression of their allegiance to the new Provincial, they made the venia, the traditional sign of obedience to the Dominican superior. The Provincial then went on to deliver his inaugural address. After his talk, both the Spanish and Filipino Dominicans sang the triumphant hymn, Te Deum, and the ageless Marian antiphon Salve Regina, their voices blending into a melody of hope and intercession.
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