Manila Meets Mindanao: Thomasians welcome the new AY with UST GenSan
By: Stephanie Vargas
The University marked another historic milestone by officially opening the new academic year at both UST General Santos and UST Manila with the customary Misa y Discurso de Apertura last August 2, 2024.
The Misa de Apertura was simultaneously presided over in UST Manila by Most Rev. Napoleon B. Sipalay, Jr., O.P., D.D. of the Diocese of Alaminos and in UST GenSan by Rev. Fr. Roberto L. Luanzon, Jr., O.P., SThD, DL, officer-in-charge for the Office of the Associate Vice Rector for Finance.
With the opening of the newest UST campus this year, Bishop Sipalay, in his homily, reflected on how administrators should manage schools. He emphasized that school authorities should allow the Word of God to guide their actions.
“As Dominican administrators, we allow the Word of God to form us, to be the mirror of our direction in terms of doing our apostolate in our Catholic schools,” Bishop Sipalay said.
He also shared his personal experiences in the seminary, illustrating how the Holy Spirit can ignite courage and passion among administrators in serving the Lord.
“When they are not intoxicated by the Spirit, they are timid, quiet, and shy. In the seminary, I found one, but after being possessed by the Spirit, the person was transformed — becoming very courageous, speaking out his heart, and wearing his emotions on his sleeve,” he stated.
In light of the recent flooding caused by Typhoon Carina, Bishop Sipalay reminded the Thomasian community to proactively take care of the environment.
“We’re not even exempted in UST. We had waist-deep floods recently, and this may be the kind of flood we will face in the future. It hurts to see our environment degrading, but our role is to raise awareness and hopefully, to take action,” he added.
Following the mass was the inaugural lecture, Discurso de Apertura, which was livestreamed to the Mindanao campus. In her lecture titled “Imbued with Unending Grace: A History and Legacy of the University of Santo Tomas,” Faculty of Arts and Letters Dean Melanie D. Turingan, PhD, reflected on the rich history of the University, from its establishment in 1611 in Intramuros to its expansion and the opening of General Santos.
Misa de Apertura, or the Mass of the Holy Spirit, is a traditional mass attended by the Thomasian community to signify the beginning of the new academic year. This is followed by the Discurso de Apertura, a University tradition where an appointed faculty member delivers an inaugural lecture for the school year.
