BISHOP Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr. urged the University to remain a “spirit-filled” institution in the face of modern challenges to education, during his homily at the Misa de Apertura on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
“May I remind UST to continue to be a spirit-filled University – where learning should lead to service, where Theology and Science must always remain in dialogue, where every discipline is always open and faithful to the truth, and where every graduate becomes a light in this world,’ Maralit, the bishop of San Pablo, Laguna, said.
The prelate also said the University should remain a space not just for learning, but also for meaning.
He challenged UST to join the collective vocation to fight against the new challenges of the world where “cultures question absolute truths.”
“We are now in a world where the truth is battered (and) violated, but if we want to truly be a Catholic university, we need to stand for the truth — truth in charity. A truth that is objective, universal, and divine,” he said.
Maralit also reminded the University faculty and administrators of their mission to not just educate, but create “moments of encounter” among the students.
“Beyond your books, what you have in the classroom is an opportunity to encounter with people because remember, you are a person, and the ones you teach are also persons,” he said.
“In a fragmented world, your classrooms can become sanctuaries of dialogue and critical thinking because outside of this University, my goodness, I think everybody has lost the ability to think critically,” he added.
Maralit was previously assigned to Marinduque before being transferred to the Diocese of San Pablo in 2024.
He was installed as bishop in charge of the Laguna territory on Nov. 21 of the same year.
Maralit pursued philosophical studies at the St. Francis de Sales Major Seminary in Lipa City and obtained a licentiate in sacred theology from the Universidad de Navarra in Spain.
He then acquired a licentiate in church history from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome and was ordained priest in 1995.
Maralit presided over the Mass of the Holy Spirit, the customary Eucharistic celebration in UST meant to signal the beginning of a new academic year, along with Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P., Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel O.P., Vice Rector Fr. Isaias Antonio Tiongco, O.P., and other Dominican fathers.
Simultaneous with the Manila campus, Fr. Edmund Nantes, O.P., UST GenSan associate vice rector for finance and administration, led the celebration of the Holy Mass in the Mindanao campus.The Eucharistic celebration was followed by the Discurso de Apertura, or the inaugural lecture, which was delivered by Accountancy Dean Patricia Empleo. With reports from Micah G. Pascua and Mary Dawn S. Santos
