The Loyola School of Theology (LST) will celebrate its Silver Jubilee as an Ecclesiastical Faculty with a momentous visit by the Most Rev. Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi, DD, Secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education (DCE), from January 26 to 30, 2025.
LST was originally established on 12 July 1965 by the Provincial Superior of the Society of Jesus in the Philippines, Fr. Horacio de la Costa, with the authorization of the Jesuit Superior General Fr. Pedro Arrupe, and opened as an institute of philosophy and theology incorporating within it the ecclesiastical studies of San Jose Seminary, founded in 1601. The Vatican’s eventual decree of establishment as an Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology, with the capacity to grant the Baccalaureate, Licentiate, and Doctorate ecclesiastical degrees, was issued on 19 August 1999.
The Dicastery for Culture and Education (DCE) is the Vatican office responsible for overseeing and supporting Catholic schools, universities, and ecclesiastical faculties worldwide. It plays a vital role in promoting the objectives of Catholic education and ecclesiastical studies within the Universal Church. The presence of Archbishop Pagazzi underscores the significance of LST’s contributions to theological education and its alignment with the Church’s mission in the field of formation and academic excellence.
Archbishop Pagazzi’s visit will include several significant activities. On 26 January, Sunday, he will visit the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno in Quiapo and on 27 January, Monday, preside at the Holy Mass at the Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. From there, he will visit the Institute of Consecrated Life for Asia (ICLA).
The following day, 28 January, Archbishop Pagazzi will be the Main Presider at the Holy Eucharist at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila on the occasion of the Solemnity of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Patron of the University. Later in the day, there will be a Liturgical Reception for the Archbishop at the Loyola School of Theology followed by a special liturgical concert, Purihin ang Panginoon, featuring the music of LST Professor, Fr. Fruto Ll. Ramirez, SJ.
On 29 January, Wednesday, Archbishop Pagazzi will meet with the Administrators of Ecclesiastical Faculties, Affiliated Institutions, and Schools of Theology in the Philippines (Luzon) and select countries in the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific, along with the Board of Trustees of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP). A Special Academic Convocation will follow, where he will deliver an address on Theology and Ministry in Asia: Some Insights from the Synod on Synodality. The day will conclude with a solemn Thanksgiving Mass, presided over by Archbishop Pagazzi, bringing together faculty members, students, alumni, and distinguished guests. A cultural showcase will be held during the Alumni Homecoming Dinner-Program, featuring performances by LST’s international students and the Marikina Dance Guild, highlighting the rich diversity of the school’s international community.
LST is one of the most international Jesuit theological institutions in the world, with students coming from 46 countries, truly in the service of the Universal Church. In Asia, LST has the most diverse composition of international students, a vibrant academic community with an enrollment in the current Second Semester of the Academic Year 2024-2025 of 527 seminarians, priests, lay, and religious students.
On 30 January, Thursday, he will preside over the Blessing of the KAAGAPAY Monument and the Opening of Ad Spem Per Artem in celebration of the Holy Year 2025 at the Loyola Retreat House Spirituality and Art Center in Angono. KAAGAPAY is Kublai Millan’s 3D colossal representation of the Angono-Binangonan petroglyphs. Later in the day, he will preside at the Holy Eucharist at the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage National Shrine in Antipolo. The Archbishop will leave for Rome on 31 January 2025.