The Varsitarian

TILA isang lumang bahay lamang kung papansinin ang gusaling nakatayo sa kanto ng Taft at Escobal sa Maynila. Ngunit sa kabila ng makalumang imahe nito, nagbibigay ito ng panibagong pag-asa sa mga kabataang nakaranas ng malupit na kahapon.

Sa loob ng dalawampu’t isang taon, nagbibigay serbisyo sa mga batang lansangan ang Pangarap Foundation. Sa pamamagitan ng kanilang kanlungan, binibigyan nila ng libreng pagkain, edukasyon, at matutuluyan ang mga batang nakaranas ng mga pang-aabuso, adiksyon, at pag-abandona mula sa kani-kanilang mga pamilya.  read more »

ANG KAWALAN ng paniniwala ng mga tao sa paligid nina Lucia, Francisco at Jacinta ay hindi sapat para mawalan siya ng pananampalataya.

Ang The 13th Day, isang pelikulang gawa ng mga tanyag na direktor na sina Ian at Dominic Higgins, ay hango sa tunay na pagsasalaysay ng kuwento ng tatlong bata, si Lucia Dos Santos at ang mga pinsan niyang sina Francisco at Jacinta Marto, sa Aljustrel, Fatima kung saan naganap ang mga aparisyon ng Mahal na Birhen.

Ayon sa kasaysayan ng Simbahan na siyang naipakita sa pelikula, nagsimula ang kwento noong tagsibol ng 1916 sa Portugal. Sa mga panahong iyon, lumaganap ang komunismo sa bansa at sinimulang patumbahin ang Simbahang Katoliko sa bansa. read more »

MANY people migrate to other countries to seek greener pastures. But for one particular person, spreading His word has become a goal.

Fr. Narciso Estrella, O.P. is one of the few Filipino Dominican priests who ventured into foreign lands, evangelizing in a non-Catholic country like Taiwan.

Occupying only 1.3 percent of Taiwan’s population, the pea-size fraction of Catholics is overshadowed by the rest of the country’s population of over 20 million, consisting mainly of people practicing Buddhism and Taoism. The lack of vocation and minimal number of people wanting to enter the Dominican order in Taiwan, prompted Estrella to be ordained, and settle there. read more »

IN RECOGNITION of St. Dominic de Guzman’s apostolic deeds, the Campus Ministry Chapel at the Tan Yan Kee Student Center will be officially named after the founder of the Order of Preachers to commemorate his feast on August 8.

The Center for Campus Ministry (CCM) will lead the rededication rites of the chapel at the third floor of the Student Center on August 5, starting with a Mass to be celebrated by the Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy Rev. Fr. Norberto Castillo, O.P.

“We find it right and proper to name the chapel after him because there is yet no place in UST named after him,” Richard Pazcoguin, Campus Ministry assistant director, said.

Pazcoguin said St. Dominic de Guzman, is a model for his undying passion for learning. read more »

CHURCH groups and art aficionados alike have been left bereaved over the death of religious painter Joey Velasco after a five-year struggle with kidney cancer.

The businessman-painter succumbed to heart attack and seizures due to his kidney ailment at the age of 43 last July 20.

Velasco, best known for his religious and humanitarian paintings, made the famous “Hapag ng Pag-asa”, which recreates the Last Supper by depicting Christ breaking the bread with street children. He painted children suffering from poverty, elderly who have been abandoned, and people suffering from Down syndrome and cancer.

Marie Puno-Sunga, widow of Velasco, remembered Velasco as a painter who gave his heart and soul to his paintings. read more »

THE COUNTRY’S youngest archbishop received the “pallium” from Pope Benedict XVI along with 37 others at the Vatican last June 29.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, 49, was the only Filipino conferred with the pallium during a concelebrated mass at the St. Peter’s Basilica.

The pallium, a white, narrow, circular band worn around the neck and shoulders, is given to a new archbishop, symbolizing his authority in guiding the faithful at his archdiocese. It is bestowed annually to new metropolitan archbishops and principal bishops during the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.  read more »

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 »