THOMASIANS joined Pope Benedict XVI in a global recitation of the rosary via satellite last March 10.
Holding a vigil at Plaza Mayor in front of the UST Main Bldg., UST students led Catholic schools in the rosary prayer in which several points across the world were hooked up by satellite to the Pope in the Vatican.
The rosary was part of the annual Day of European Universities, a celebration started by the late Pope John Paul II in 2003 and organized annually by the Vicariate of Rome’s Office of University Pastoral Care.
The rosary brought together Catholic European students from Germany, France, Portugal, and Poland in a vigil for the Blessed Virgin Mary. Last year, the European students prayed together with Africa. This year, they prayed with students in Asia in pursuit of the theme of the celebration, “The Intellectual Love (La Carita Intelletuale) – New Ways of Europe-Asia Cooperation.”
“While living very far away from one another, the youth can be united through a force of the human spirit capable of bringing together the formation processes of the new generations called intellectual charity,” Pope Benedict XVI said in Italian. “Through La Carita Intelletuale, the youth will succeed in feeling bound to one another on the level of interior inquiry and witness.”
The Thomasian community, led by Father Rector Ernesto Arceo. O.P., and Papal Nuncio Archbishop. Fernando Filoni was joined by other schools in praying the third Luminous Mystery, The Proclamation of the Kingdom, in Tagalog.
Earlier, Jaro Archbishop. Angel Lagdameo, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president, led a concelebrated Mass three hours before the recitation of the rosary at 12 midnight.
It was the second time that UST prayed the rosary with the Pope via satellite. In 2002, UST was chosen to pray the rosary with Pope John Paul II during the World Meeting of Families. Pope Benedict was then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. Marc Laurenze C.Celis
