SPANISH Dominican friar Fr. Guillermo Tejón, O.P., a former parish priest of the Santisimo Rosario Parish who founded the UST Medical Missions Inc., died in the morning of Oct. 25. He was 94.
UST announced his death in a Facebook post.
In 1961, Tejón founded the UST Medical Missions Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides free social, medical, and surgical services to indigent Filipinos. The organization’s office in the San Martin de Porres Building is named in his honor.
UST Medical Missions Inc. paid tribute to its founder in a Facebook post.
“Ikaw po ay nagsilbing liwanag sa napakaraming misyonero sa ating bansa, upang gumamot at magmahal ng kapwa nang walang hinihiling na kapalit,” it said. “Pangakong ipagpapatuloy namin ang iyong nasimulan.”
Born on March 16, 1930, in Asturias, Spain, Tejón entered the Order of Preachers and completed his ecclesiastical studies, earning the degree of lector of theology.
He was ordained a priest before pursuing further studies at the University of Oxford, where he obtained a B. Litt. degree in modern history. He later earned his doctorate in history from UST.
Tejón taught history at UST from 1957 to 1971. He assumed various administrative positions, including head of the Academic Affairs Office, prefect of libraries (1966-1968), regent of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, and administrator of the UST Hospital.
From 1969 to 1970, he served as the fifth parish priest of the UST Santisimo Rosario Parish.
A dedicated missionary and advocate for the poor, he also served as the spiritual director of the School of Leaders of Cursillos de Cristianidad and secretary of the Episcopal Commission for Relations with Non-Christian Religions.
Tejón authored several notable works, including “The Fourth Day: You and Your Post Cursillo” and “Simon, Are You Asleep? A Retreat for Priests and Religious.”
In 1983, Tejón won the Catholic Mass Media Award for his work, “Juan Villaverde OP, Missionary and Road Builder, 1841-1897.” He was also a recipient of the Catholic Authors Award in 1992.
Tejón served as editor of the Life Today magazine, which was used as supplementary material in theology classes at UST for several years.
In 1993, he became the inaugural recipient of the prestigious The Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Award, the highest honor UST confers upon its graduates, for his contributions to community service.
Tejón’s wake is being held at the Replica Chapel of Santuario del Santo Cristo Parish in San Juan. A funeral Mass will be held on Oct. 28, followed by his inurnment. Sydney Venice V. Berba
