THE RECTOR urged the new batch of Thomasians to discern the “truth of God” through Catholic education offered by the Pontifical University.
Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. emphasized the University’s Catholic identity, which, he said, aims to “transform the hearts” of its students in the process of educating them.
“At the heart of Catholic education is Jesus, and everything that we do [in UST] leads to an encounter with the living God,” Dagohoy said.
Dagohoy encouraged the first-year students to “transform and transfigure” themselves as they journey into their lives in UST, echoing the story of Jesus’ transfiguration before his disciples in the Gospel of Mark.
Vice Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. said faith and prayer bolster the “undying spirit” of the Thomasian identity founded on the principles of Catholic education.
“Your Thomasian identity as students is now one of your most valuable possessions, though it will take years to form and to shape it into perfection, thereby do your best to protect it, to nourish it and to develop it,” Ang said.
The Eucharistic Celebrations followed the traditional Thomasian Welcome Walk or the passing through the historic Arch of the Centuries.
The traditional rite of passage was divided into two batches to accommodate all incoming Thomasians.
The Arch of the Centuries once served as the entrance of the old building of the Pontifical University in Intramuros, Manila before it was destroyed by World War II.
It was in 2002 when the tradition of the Thomasian Welcome Walk was first launched as the welcoming rites for freshmen.
