FACULTY of Arts and Letters dean Belen Tangco Ph.D. was recently appointed as the worldwide president of the Dominican Third Order.
“It is an honor for us (Dominican Laity of the Philippines) because she is the first Filipino woman to hold the position,” Fr. Regino Cortes O.P., the spiritual adviser of the Dominican Laity of the Philippines, told the Varsitarian.
The appointment was made when she represented the Asia-Pacific region during a Dominican Family assembly in Paris late April. Tangco was chosen from dozens of Dominican Laity region representatives.
During her tenure as its president, the Dominican Laity of the Philippines conducted medical missions in remote areas and held spiritual meetings.
Tangco also represented the Asia-Pacific Dominican Laity in Dominican Family meetings in Washington last year, and in Multan, Pakistan last January.
She authored two religious books “A Pilgrim’s Way of the Cross” in 2003 and “In His Presence” in 2002, both published by the UST Publishing House.
Tangco became Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Letters last 2003. Before that, she was assistant to the vice-rector for Academic affairs.
Saint Dominic founded the Third Order of Preachers (TOP) for lay men and women and non-religious priests to deepen their faith by living their Christian lives according to the Dominican spirituality in the secular world. Some famous members of the Third Order are St. Catherine of Siena and Rufino Cardinal Santos, the first Filipino cardinal. Raymond Jude Dumaual with reports from www.3op.org.
