The Seminary of St. Pius X (), or St. Pius X Seminary (SPXS), is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

secondary school and

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

in the Lawaan hills,

Roxas City Roxas (, ), officially the City of Roxas (Capiznon language, Capiznon/; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Capiz, Philippines. According to the 2 ...

Capiz Capiz (), officially the Province of Capiz (Capiznon language, Capiznon/Hiligaynon language, Hiligaynon: ''Kapuoran sang Capiz''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the central part of the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines ...

, in 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 ...

, run by the Catholic priests of the Archdiocese of Capiz. The seminary and its surrounding areas comprise some three hectares of rocky hills. Cardinal Jaime Sin was the first rector of the school. In 1999, the college (

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

) of St. Pius X Seminary transferred to Cagay,

, and named the school Sancta Maria, Mater et Regina, Seminarium (SMMRS) to honor the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. SPXS decided to retain and maintain its high school and pre-college until 2012, pre-college was transferred to SMMRS.

History

The erection of the Diocese of Capiz on 28 May 1951 brought a need to train priests. But the meager financial resources of the young diocese made the proposed project a difficult one, considering that the bishop had no permanent residence yet. However, the late Bishop Antonio Frondosa, remained undaunted. Donors contributed to the bishop's residence, and for the 3.3 hectare lot for the seminary site. The first cornerstone of the Capiz Diocesan Seminary was laid on 13 August 1953, and the bishop's residence was inaugurated on the same day. On 3 September 1953, feast of St. Pius X, the first half of the seminary was blessed by Auxiliary Bishop Teofilo Camomot and Archbishop Jose Ma. Cuenco. Frondosa issued circular No. 3/57 on 31 May 1957 announcing the opening of the new diocesan seminary and appointing Jaime Sin as its first rector. Seven priests staffed the school in its first years with five lay teachers, and 33 seminarians. On completion, the seminary was blessed on 13 June 1959. Its curriculum, Classical Secondary Courses, was recognized by the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

on 21 April 1961. In 1999, the college (

and

) of St. Pius X Seminary transferred to Cagay,

and named the school Sancta Maria, Mater et Regina, Seminarium (SMMRS) to honor the

. SPXS decided to retain and maintain its high school and pre-college.

Naming of batches

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

is the patron saint of the school, but every section is obliged to have a corresponding patron saint. Batches who enter their first year with 36 or more seminarians are divided into two sections, hence, two patron saints per section. Fourth year seminarians are required to name their batch with a unique, notable name which they will carry on until college (SMMRS) or for the rest of their lives. .

Pian Alumni Association

The St. Pius X Seminary Alumni Association, Inc. (Pian Alumni Association), or simply known as PIANS, is a non-profit and non-stock corporation whose membership is composed of all persons who have studied for at least one year in St. Pius X Seminary. It's not an ordinary alumni association because the seminary is not an ordinary educational institution created and incorporated solely under a national law, and regulated by the appropriate government agencies, such as the Philippines' Department of Education (DepED) and Education Service Contracting (ESC), but was also created under the laws of the Catholic Church and regulated by the Vatican, and administered by the bishop through his priests. Further, its purpose is not only to educate but also to train boys and young men for the presbytery and the future leaders of the church. Since the opening of the seminary 61 years ago, there are usually ordinations every year. Six Pians have become bishops. Though the association is composed of Pians (SPXS Alumni), it is not a religious or ecclesiastical organization or corporation like the Children of Mary,

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic Church, Catholic Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney, Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. ...

and Couples for Christ.

Notable alumni

Politics

* Eleandro "Budoy" Madrona – Congressman of Romblon (1992-2001, 2007-2016). * Jocelyn Bolante – Politician who formerly served as an

Undersecretary Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is a ...

of the Department of Agriculture of the Philippines. * Vicente "Vic" Bermejo – Former provincial governor of

and former mayor of

. *Felipe Neri Yap – Mayor of Ivisan, Capiz. * Gideon Ike Patricio – Former Mayor of the Municipality of Pilar * Gerard Montojo – Mayor of the Municipality of Romblon. * Arnold Perez - Mayor of the Municipality of Pilar, Capiz.

Church

* Cardinal Jose F. Advincula Jr. –

Archbishop of Manila The Archdiocese of Manila (; ; ) is the archdiocese of the Latin Church, Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Catholic Church in the Philippines, Philippines, encompassing the cities of Manila, ...

, Former Archbishop of Capiz. * Victor B. Bendico – Archbishop of Capiz, Former Bishop of Baguio. * Jose Corazon Tala-oc – Bishop of

Kalibo Kalibo, officially the Municipality of Kalibo (Aklanon language, Aklanon: ''Banwa it Kalibo''; Hiligaynon language, Hiligaynon: ''Banwa sang Kalibo''; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality and capital of the Philippine Province, ...

* Warlito I. Cajandig – Bishop of Vicar Apostolic of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro. * Mel Rey Uy – Bishop of Lucena * Erno Diaz – first Filipino pastor in the

Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New York (state), State of New York. It encompasses the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York ...

and now director of the Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Others

* Florentino D. Mabasa Jr.- Outstanding Aklanon Awardee (2008) * Geoffrey M. Martinez – President & CEO of CareHealth Plus Systems International Inc. * Dr. Raymund O. Conlu – Nuclear Medicine, St. Luke's Medical Center, BGC. * Capt. Donaldo "Don" Mendoza – Asst. Dir. Gen for CAAP. * Michael Alfred V. Ignacio – Career Commercial Diplomat/ Commercial Counselor and Director. The Philippine Trade and Investment Center, Philippine Consulate General Osaka * Fernando V. Beup Jr. – DFA Director, Office of Strategy Planning and Policy Coordination, Formerly 2nd Secretary and Consul, Philippine Embassy in India. * Melvin Cordenillo Almonguera – 2nd Secretary and Consul, Philippine Embassy in Brunei.

Notable priest formators

* Cardinal Jaime Sin - former

known for his instrumental role in the

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, were a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

, which toppled the regime of

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

and installed

Corazon Aquino María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from Presidency of Corazon ...

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

. He was the first rector of St. Pius X Seminary. * Raul Quimpo Martirez - Bishop-Emeritus of San Jose de Antique and Outstanding Aklanon Awardee (2008) * Vicente Navarra - Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Bacolod

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Pius X Seminary Catholic seminaries Educational institutions established in 1957 Education in Roxas, Capiz Seminaries and theological colleges in the Philippines Catholic secondary schools in the Philippines 1957 establishments in the Philippines