The Varsitarian

FOLLOWING the uproar over the Reproductive Health Bill, the teaching of sex education among elementary and high school students has drawn staunch opposition from Catholic Church and pro-life advocates.

With the issuance of Memorandum No. 261, implementing the “Adolescent Reproductive Health Project” (ADR Project), the Department of Education (DepEd) is conducting a pilotest on teaching sex education in 80 public elementary schools and 79 public high schools this school year, despite objections from the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has stressed that parents are responsible for teaching their children about this matter, not their school teachers. read more »

AIMING to strengthen the spirituality of the Catholic clergy through a year of prayer dedicated to them, the Church celebrated the Year of Priests for the first time, acknowledging the crucial role of priests in the Catholic Church.

With the theme Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests, the feast was concluded with an International Meeting of Priests held in Rome, Italy last June 9 to 11. read more »

DESPITE strong opposition from the Catholic Church, the Department of Education (DepEd) is pushing through with the pilot testing of sex education in elementary and secondary public schools, aiming to prevent premarital sex and educate the youth about sexually transmitted diseases (STD). The Varsitarian asks some Thomasians for their opinions on this controversial issue.

What is your stand on sex education in public schools?

Personally, I agree with its implementation in public schools. I believe sex education would be beneficial. It can reduce the number of early pregnancy cases in the country. – Jan Vincent Arafiles, third year, Biochemistry read more »

WHO WOULD’VE thought that “faith” and “facebook” would go hand in hand in preaching the Good News?

The 44th World Communications Day, with the theme, “The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word,” focused on the “new vistas for dialogue, evangelization and catechesis” offered by modern technology such as blogs and social networking sites. The event kicked off with worldwide thanksgiving masses last May 16, which also commemorated the Pope’s declaration of 2009 as the Year of the Priests. read more »

AUTOMATION was a historic first for Philippines elections last May 10, but the problems remain the same, such as vote-buying amd personality-oriented politics.

This was the the main observation of poll volunteers from the UST Santisimo Rosario Parish, who took part in the country’s first automated polls.

Fourty-three Thomasians — composed students, faculty members, and University officials — volunteered with the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and were assigned in three polling precincts - Ramon Magsaysay High School, Juan Luna High School, and the Mormon chapel on Morayta Street - of District Four in Manila. read more »

ISSUES of moral deterioration, rapid globalization, and materialism have tested the spirituality of the Catholic laity over the years. Now, adding to the list are the unresolved controversies in the priesthood, which could topple their waning faith.

This year’s UST Theology Week with the theme “The Catholic Priesthood: Then and Now,” primarily focused on the loss of the priesthood’s “natural esteem” and “ecclesial conscience” brought about by the different controversies that haunt it, as well as the great influence of contemporary philosophies of new age religion. The week-long celebration ran from April 12 to 16 at the UST Martyr’s Hall. read more »

IN MATTERS of faith, technology can go hand-in-hand with tradition.

The Catholic faithful have recently put technology to good use and provided an avenue for evangelization with the increasing number of religious online services that aim to deepen the faith. This recent Holy Week, Filipino Catholics saw the advent of a new technological transformation—the birth of an online Visita Iglesia.

Launched last March 29 by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in their official website www.cbcponline.net Visita Iglesia Online gives the visitor a virtual tour of some of the seven famous churches in Metro Manila, enabling them to carry out the age-old tradition of visiting the fourteen Stations of the Cross with the click of a button. read more »

FINALLY, the Thomasian priests have come home.

Aiming to rekindle the camaraderie between Thomasian bishops, priests, and ex-seminarians, the Alumni Priests Association (Alpa) celebrated its 75th homecoming last January 29 and 30, at the UST Central Seminary.

With the purpose of going back to their roots, 264 registered alumni graced the two-day event, 12 of whom are bishops from various dioceses throughout the country.

“This serves as a coming-home, where the priests started and formed the gift of priesthood,” Alpa president Fr. Alfredo Guerrero said.

The event also recognized the Silver Jubilarians for 25 years of service to their parishioners, and the Golden Jubilarians who have spent half-a-century of service to the Church.  read more »

POPE JOHN Paul II once wrote that faith and reason were the wings which the soul used to fly to the light of the infinite. But these seemingly different faculties need not contradict each other but rather work harmoniously, as proven by St. Thomas Aquinas.

Graduate School Regent Fr. Jose Antonio Aureada, O.P. argued that contrary to wrong impressions, St. Thomas was “not through and through Aristotelian.” His works were attached to Aristotle’s concept of man as a rational animal, but he was able to reconcile faith and reason in his works. In fact, Aureada described St. Thomas as someone who used Philosophy to help him understand the Christian faith. read more »

A TITLE revered by the Dominicans and held by St. Dominic de Guzman himself has been bestowed on UST’s renowned historian, Rev. Fr. Fidel Villarroel, O.P., last December 2009.

Villarroel was dubbed Master of Sacred Theology, a second-level professional degree granted by seminaries and theological colleges. For the Dominicans, it is an honorary title given to its most distinguished scholars.

“It is a rare honor, especially nowadays,” Faculty of Sacred Theology Dean Fr. Rodel Aligan, O.P. said. “In order to be a recipient, one must have shown exemplary performance in scholarly pursuits.” read more »