UST Marks Quadricentennial Anniversary On January 28

Jan. 23, 2011 - PRLog -- The University of Santo Tomas (UST), the oldest university in the Philippines and in Asia, commemorates its Quadricentennial Anniversary on January 28, 2011 with “ONE@400: The UST Quadricentennial Thanksgiving Mass and Grand Alumni Homecoming” at 4:30 in the afternoon at the Plaza Mayor and Plaza Benavides, UST Campus, España, Manila.  

ONE@400 gathers the alumni, bishops and priests, Dominican brethren, members of the Diplomatic Corps, UST officials, faculty members, support staff, other stakeholders, and friends of the University in a Concelebrated Thanksgiving Mass whose main celebrant is Archbishop Zenon Cardinal Grocholewski, Papal Legate (special representative of the Holy Father) and Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education.  His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will deliver his pre-recorded Quadricentennial message to guests and participants during the Mass.  Concelebrating with Archbishop Grocholewski are Archbishop of Manila Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, Master of the Order of Preachers Fr. Bruno Cadoré, O.P. Provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines Fr. Quirico Pedregosa, O.P., UST Rector Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, O.P. and St. Thomas Aquinas Prior Fr. Rodel Aligan, O.P.  In a related development, Rome has approved the request of the University to grant apostolic blessing and special indulgence to those who will take part in the Thanksgiving Mass.  The Grand Dinner as well as a program will follow shortly after the Mass.  The UST Singers (Choir of the World), the UST Symphony Orchestra, and alumni artists and personalities will perform during the program.

ONE@400 is the culminating activity of the Quadricentennial Week which begins on January 24.  Other major highlights during the week are the Quadricentennial Parade on January 26 and the Quadricentennial Grand Program and Countdown to 400 Years on January 27.

Tickets to the Grand Dinner “ONE@400”, is priced at P1,590, and are available at all TicketNet outlets located at the SM Department Store Customer Service Area and at the Araneta Coliseum ticket booths.  A limited number of tickets are also available at the Office for Alumni Relations, Ground Floor, Benavides (HS) Building, UST, España, Manila.  For inquiries and reservations, please call TicketNet at 63-2-911-5555 or visit www.ticketnet.com.ph. Proceeds of the ticket sale will go to the SIMBAHAYAN project, the centerpiece project of the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Celebration. It is a holistic community development project that encapsulizes the 400-year activities of the University for the building of the Church, the home and the nation.