Magistri Christi: Letter to the Faculty of the UST College of Science (15 January 2021)

Second Letter to the Faculty of the UST College of Science

before the Opening of Classes for the Second Term (AY 2020-2021)

during the COVID-19 Pandemic

15 January 2021

Dearly Beloved Dean Emeritus Carmen G. Kanapi, PhD; Dean Fortunato B. Sevilla III, PhD, Academician and Professor Emeritus; Dean Maribel G. Nonato, PhD, UST Vice Rector for Research and Innovation; Dean John Donnie A. Ramos, PhD; Dean Rey Donne S. Papa, PhD, our incumbent Dean; Prof. Ma. Claudette M. Álvarez-Agnes, PhD, Assistant Dean; Prof. Cecilia A. Banag-Morán, PhD, College Secretary; members of the Faculty Council and Executive Committee; Department Chairs; officials of the Faculty Association of the College of Science; Faculty Members of the UST College of Science; Brothers and Sisters: 

Teachers of Christ, greetings of Joy and Peace! It is my hope and prayer that this letter finds you and your loved ones well and at peace. At the start of the new year 2021, I have been thinking about all of you. By means of this pastoral letter, I take the liberty to communicate to you directly my message of love and support, at the threshold of another academic term. I congratulate you for your dedication and resilience in this time of the pandemic.

As your fellow teacher, who is also affiliated with the UST Ecclesiastical Faculties, I fully appreciate and understand the immensity of your work as we prepare for the opening of classes. Last term, some of my students in Medieval Church History were not able to beat the deadline for the submission of requirements, and some did not even seem to bother while the teacher is very much worried about them. I also experienced having some students in our Masteral program just disappear without any trace, so to speak. We really exerted tremendous efforts to be creative in delivering our lessons and administering our examinations, over and above our other obligations. In my class in Latin III, we translated Latin paragraphs into English, and that really took me literally an entire week just to check the students’ answers, to the point that I found myself translating Latin even in my dreams! What more, in your case, who handle far greater numbers of students! I hope we can open more avenues to share experiences. I am looking forward to having a conversation with you.

Indeed, the teaching profession is not just a career but also a vocation. Even though we have already a taste of the new digital mode of education, the preparation and delivery of lessons this coming term are still, admittedly, very challenging and time-consuming! Our faith and values have really been tested this past year, and will surely be tested further in the coming weeks. With God’s help, and with the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary whom we invoke as the Seat of all Wisdom, may we all emerge with deeper faith, and continuously develop a more authentic human and Christian values!

A teacher, especially from the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomás, the Catholic University of the Philippines, is a magister Christi—a teacher of Christ, a teacher who belongs to Christ. We are chosen by Christ, my dear faculty, and we are sent by Christ in a mission (cf. Mk 16:15). It is also Christ who helps us to be good teachers amidst our shortcomings and weaknesses. As a teaching servant of UST, our authority to teach does not only come from our diplomas or from our certificates, or from the results of our board exams. Our authority to teach comes from the one Teacher who is our Lord Jesus Christ. We may be a teacher of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, or any General Education course, but our main lesson must be Christ. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), who visited UST, said: “Give Jesus, only Jesus, always Jesus.”

Most Rev. Socrates B. Villegas, DD, Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, reiterates that “[t]he first responsibility of a teacher is to be ‘a pupil of Christ.’” The true magistri Christi are fundamentally discipuli Christi (students of Christ), for we learn from the supreme Teacher Himself (cf. Jn 3:1-36). We must never allow ourselves to be separated from Him. 

I know that many of you have become influencers, in the true sense of the word, to our young Science students. In as much as our students look up to us, our path to heaven, in turn, are our students. We are accountable to the Lord for everything that we impart to our students; and through them, we are sanctified. Furthermore, “do not be afraid, do not be discouraged” (cf. Dt 31:8) because of the immensity of our task, for our Lord Jesus Christ, who has called us to this vocation, will be the One to sustain us. Therefore, we are all magistri Christi (teachers of Christ).

May you remain strong in faith and in health. May we nurture our gift of teaching through constant, humble, and sincere prayer; through the Most Holy Eucharist, and our devotion to the holy Rosary. May we never let a day pass without uttering a prayer, no matter how short, as long as it comes from the heart. 

Thank you for your gift, which is teaching your students competence, commitment and compassion. 

With love and support for each other, we shall be ready to face another academic term. Thank you and God bless you!

In Sanctis Thoma et Alberto Magno,

Rev. Fr. Louie R. Coronel, OP

Regent, UST College of Science