Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines (AHN) – The University of Santo Tomas in Manila celebrated the 400th anniversary of its founding Friday. The school is the oldest university in Asia and has been recognized by the Vatican as a royal and pontifical university.
Pope Benedict XVI greeted the university on its quadricentennial with a taped video message played during a mass that marked the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, the patron saint of Catholic schools. The mass was held at the UST Grandstand and Open Ground, where two other popes had celebrated masses.
The university, which counts among its alumni national hero Dr. Jose Rizal and several Philippine presidents and bishops, holds the distinction of being the only educational institution visited three times by two popes – Paul VI in 1970 and John Paul II in 1981 and 1995.
Pope Leo XIII declared UST in 1902 a pontifical university, while Pope Pius XII gave the educational institution the title The Catholic University of the Philippines in 1947.
Aside from the video message, Pope Benedict sent a representative to join UST in its celebration, Polish Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, the prefect of Vatican’s Sacred Congregation of Catholic Education, who led the concelebrated mass.
The university made a Thursday night countdown at the Quirino Grandstand with a program and fireworks display.
There are several alumni homecomings scheduled throughout the week, with graduates coming home from abroad to attend reunions. UST unveiled on Thursday a 10-meter bronze and glass sculpture to mark its quadricentennial. The sculpture has four figures – a priest, a teacher, and a male and female student.
The university is known for its academic excellence with its medical and nursing graduates topping government board examinations. It is considered one of the top four universities in the country.
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