Norberto Mendiola Castillo, O.P. (born November 20, 1943) was the 91st

Rector Magnificus of the University of Santo Tomas The of the University of Santo Tomas (pl. ) is the highest-ranking officer and chief administrator of the University of Santo Tomas (UST), the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines. The rector typically sits as chief ...

(UST), the oldest and the largest

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

university in Asia, from 1982–1990.

Biography

Castillo was born on November 20, 1943 in

Tacloban City Tacloban ( ; ), officially the City of Tacloban (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city on Leyte island in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, Tacloban has a popu ...

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

. He was ordained to the priesthood on September 8, 1973. From 1978 to 1982, he was the director and principal of

UST Angelicum College The UST Angelicum College, officially the University of Santo Tomas - Angelicum College is a private Catholic basic and higher education institution run by the Philippine Dominican Province of the Order of Preachers located in Quezon City, Metr ...

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

and became its academic consultant from 1994 to 2002. From 1976 to 1980, he was vice president and dean of the

Colegio de San Juan de Letran The Colegio de San Juan de Letran (), also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. I ...

. In the Dominican Province of the Philippines, he was appointed the socius or assistant to the prior provincial from 1977 to 1980. He served as the

for two consecutive terms from 1982 to 1990. At the university, he was elected as dean of the Faculty of Philosophy from 1994 to 1996 and 2008 to 2012, and became the vice rector for religious affairs in 2010. In January 2025, the UST Ecclesiastical Faculties conferred upon him the title of professor emeritus.

Awards and honors

In December 2021,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

conferred Castillo the

Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice ''Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice'' ("For Church and Pope" in Latin) is a decoration of the Holy See. It is currently conferred for distinguished service to the Catholic Church by lay people and clergy. History The medal was established by Leo XII ...

for his exemplary service and contribution to the Church.

Publications

Books

* ''Timeless Thoughts and Timely Reflections'' (UST Press, 1986) * ''Nature, Science and Values: Readings'' (UST Press, 1988)

Articles

Some published articles in Philippiniana Sacra, the official publication of UST Ecclesiastical Faculties. * "Visuals and Visualizablity as Scientific Themata" (May 1988) * "Socrates: Prophet or King?" (January 1990) * "Unique Obsessions: Behind Scientific Discoveries" (January 1991) * "On Scanning Scientific Discovering: Plastic Control, Substitutionality and the Bootstrap Problematic" (January 1992) * "Aristotle's Open Society" (May 1996) * "A Rereading of Scientific Objectivity. Scientific Truth as Subjectivity" (September 1996)

References

Living people People from Tacloban Filipino Dominicans Academic staff of the University of Santo Tomas University of Santo Tomas alumni Filipino non-fiction writers Year of birth missing (living people) Rector Magnificus of the University of Santo Tomas Recipients of the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice {{theologian-stub