THE UST Faculty of Theology signed an agreement with the Dominican Center for Institutional Studies (DCIS) of the Vietnam Dominican Province that would allow the latters’ students to study at the University last Jan. 14 at the Rector’s Hall.
Rector Fr. Tamerlane Lana, O.P. said the affiliation would greatly help DCIS students, including the Province’s religious and clerics, in their theological formation because of the Faculty’s rich resources.
“(This endeavor is) also an affirmation of the greater responsibility University is expected to assume in extending its service to the greater region of Asia,” Fr. Lana said.
However, Theology Dean Fr. Fausto Gomez, O.P. said the affiliation is still subject to the Vatican’s approval. He said they would be forwarding to Rome documents this month including the curriculum, which the UST Dominicans and their Vietnamese counterparts had prepared.
Aside from Fr. Lana and Fr. Gomez, Vietnam Dominican Prior Provincial Fr. Joseph Nguyen Cao Luat, O.P. also signed the agreement
At present, the Vietnam Province has close to 100 Theology students including 23 novices. There are at least 6 million Roman Catholics in Vietnam, which has a population of at least 85 million. Teodoro Lorenzo A. Fernandez