The Pontifical Filipino College, officially named Pontificio Collegio Filippino in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, Dalubhasaang Pilipinong Pontipikal in Filipino and Pontificio Collegio Seminario de Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje in

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(

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

: ''Pontifical College Seminary of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage'';

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Seminarii Sanctae Mariae de Pace, et in Collegio s. Bon Voyage''), is a college for

diocesan priest In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

s from the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

studying at

pontifical universities A pontifical university or athenaeum is an ecclesiastical university established or approved directly by the Holy See, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties (Theology, Philosophy and canon law (Catholic Church), Canon Law) and at least o ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It was formally established as an institution with pontifical rights by

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

on June 29, 1961, through the

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

''Sancta Mater Ecclesia''. The current rector is the Rev. Fr. Gregory Ramon D. Gaston, S.Th.D, a priest of the

Archdiocese of Manila In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

History

In response to the tense conflict on the Catholic Church in the Philippines, in 1903, Pope

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the A ...

promulgated the Apostolic Constitution ''Quae Mari Sinico.'' This document, apart from recommending the establishment of new dioceses in the Philippines, also encouraged the increase of the numbers of Filipino priests and alignment of seminary formation to the intents of the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most ...

. It likewise envisioned the establishment of a formation house for Filipino priests and seminarians who would go to

for advanced studies. Decades later, during the meeting of the Philippine bishops on January 26–31, 1959,

Rufino Cardinal Santos Rufino Jiao Santos (August 26, 1908 – September 3, 1973) was the 29th Archbishop of Manila from February 10, 1953, until his death on September 3, 1973, and was the first Filipino elevated to the rank of cardinal. Early life and education Bo ...

proposed a resolution that establishes a Pontifical Philippine College in Rome. His plan was supported by the Philippine bishops and approved by the Vatican. After obtaining the permission of the Vatican authorities, the Catholic Hierarchy of the Phiilippines selected a site at Via Aurelia, of which with the chosen lot was owned by the Generalate of the

De La Salle Brothers The De La Salle Brothers, officially named the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (; ; ) abbreviated FSC, is a Catholic lay religious congregation of pontifical right for men founded in France by Jean-Baptiste de La Salle ( ...

. After negotiations with the LaSallian Superior General, the Catholic Hierarchy of the Philippines bought the property for 120,000 Italian lire. On August 8, 1959, Pope John XXIII personally blessed the cornerstone for the building in the private study of his summer residence at

Castel Gandolfo Castel Gandolfo (, , ; ), colloquially known as Castello in the '' Castelli Romani'' dialects, is a town located southeast of Rome, in the Italian region of Lazio. Situated on a hilltop in the Alban Hills with panoramic views of Lake Albano, Cast ...

. Cardinal Santos and Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See,

José María Delgado Dr. José María Delgado (June 20, 1887, Malolos - December 24, 1978) was the first Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican. He was the cousin of Francisco Afan Delgado, descendant of General Martín Teófilo Delgado. Early life Delgado was born on 1 ...

, witnessed the event. The following day, August 9, 1959, Cardinal

Giuseppe Pizzardo Giuseppe Pizzardo (13 July 1877 – 1 August 1970) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as prefect of the Congregation for Seminaries and Universities from 1939 to 1968, and secretary of the Holy Office from 1951 to 195 ...

laid the cornerstone on the site of the edifice in the presence of 70 cardinals, diplomats, superiors general, seminary and university rectors and other distinguished personalities. Pope John XXIII blessed and inaugurated the modern edifice on October 7, 1961, the

Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary Our Lady of the Rosary (), also known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, is a Marian title. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, formerly known as Feast of Our Lady of Victory and Feast of the Holy Rosary is celebrated on 7 October in the General R ...

. The Philippine bishops then solicited funds for the construction of the College. Two years later, on October 7, 1961, Pope

John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

inaugurated the College, of which at its culmination, he gave a white stole, the insignia of the Office of the Rector, and three commemorative coins in gold, silver, and bronze of his pontificate, all of which are displayed in the Rector's Office. In its inauguration, it accommodated 18 student-priests and four seminarians Rev. Fr. Reginald Arliss, CP served as the first Rector, with Rev. Fr. Alfredo Rodriguez of the Archdiocese of Manila serving as its first Vice-Rector and Prefect of Discipline. Rev. Fr. Jesus Ma. Cavanna, CM served as their Spiritual Director, and Rev. Fr.

Carmelo Morelos Carmelo Dominador Flores Morelos (December 12, 1930 – September 17, 2016) was a Filipino Roman Catholic archbishop. Ordained to the priesthood in 1954, Morelos was appointed as the first bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Butuan in t ...

became the Collegio's first Economus. The Servants of Mary Sisters sent a number of their sisters to handle the upkeep, the food and the clothes of the Collegio community. In 1967, following the recommendation of the Collegio staff, the Filipino bishops decided to stop the sending of seminarians to Rome, and to only send there Filipino priests for higher studies. Due to manpower shortage, in 1973, the Servants of Mary Sisters terminated their services to the Collegio and were replaced by the Dominican Missionary Sisters, who then assigned Filipino sisters in their new mission. Since its establishment, some of the priest-alumni of the Collegio became bishops of the Philippines.

List of Rectors

Building

The Collegio is located at 490 Via Aurelia on a lot between the Collegio Pio-Brasiliano and the Villa Pacelli, in a suburb of

. The four-story building was designed by Edoardo Cherubini in a 1960s contemporary design.

Design of the crypt chapel altar

In celebration of the canonization of

Pedro Calungsod Pedro Calungsod ( or archaically ; July 21, 1654 – April 2, 1672), also known as Peter Calungsod and Pedro Calonsor, was a Catholic Filipino- Visayan migrant, sacristan and missionary catechist who, along with the Spanish Jesuit missionary ...

, the second Filipino saint, on October 21, 2012, a commemorative

retablo A retablo is a devotional painting, especially a small popular or folk art one using iconography derived from traditional Catholic church art. More generally ''retablo'' is also the Spanish term for a retable or reredos above an altar, whether ...

was made by Filipino sculptor Wilfredo Layug from Betis,

Guagua, Pampanga Guagua, officially the Municipality of Guagua (; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 128,893 people. Etymol ...

for the chapel at the

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

of the Collegio. It depicts both Calungsod and the first Filipino saint,

Lorenzo Ruiz Lorenzo Ruiz (; zh, link=no, 李樂倫; ; November 28, 1594 – September 29, 1637), also called Saint Lorenzo of Manila, was a Filipino Catholic layman and a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic. A Chinese Filipino, he became his cou ...

. Ruiz was executed in

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

in 1637, while Calungsod was killed together with Blessed

Diego Luis de San Vitores Diego Luis de San Vitores, SJ (November 12, 1627 – April 2, 1672) was a Spanish Jesuit missionary who founded the first Catholic church on the island of Guam. He is responsible for establishing the Christian presence in the Mariana Islands. H ...

in 1672 in Tumhon,

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

. In the mural of Calungsod, Layug carved the image of the

Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage (; ) also known as Our Lady of Antipolo and the Virgin of Antipolo (), is a seventeenth-century Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a wooden image of the Virgin that is venerated in ma ...

, Patroness of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino. Both ''relleba'' (relief murals) of the retablo depict both saints being tortured by pagans to force them to renounce their faith. The angels are Filipina women garbed in ''baro'' and ''saya'' (native Filipino blouse and skirt), done in ''estofado'', a detailed carving style that gives the image the look of real clothes. Bamboo is a constant motif in the retablo.

Older coats of arms

File:PCF Coat of Arms 2015 version.jpg File:Pontificio Collegio Filippino.svg

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Roman Colleges Catholic seminaries Universities and colleges established in 1961 Catholic Church in the Philippines Seminaries and theological colleges in the Philippines 1961 establishments in Italy