02 Sep UA Observes Founder’s Day
University of the Assumption celebrated the birthday of its founder Archbishop Emilio A. Cinense through a Holy Mass officiated by the University President Fr. Joselito C. Henson.
Archbishop Cinense was born on September 2, 1911 in Guimba, Nueva Ecija. He was the 2nd bishop of the diocese of San Fernando and was appointed as its first archbishop when it was established into an archdiocese in 1975.
Archbishop Cinense founded the Assumption Junior College on January 12, 1963 in response to the prevailing social injustices at that time. In his homily during the Mass, Fr. Henson said that the good bishop must have “thought that a good education was the biggest long-term solution that could break the cycle of poverty, transform the social landscape of Pampanga and improve the quality of life of its people”.
Assumption Junior College was granted university status in 1981 and renamed as University of the Assumption, a testament to its continuing quest for excellence in the formation of young men and women through quality Catholic education as envisioned by its founder.
According to Fr. Henson, Archbishop Cinense must have envisioned UA as an institution that offers good education informed by Catholic values. “Excellence not only in learning, but excellence in virtue and communal responsibility as well,” he said.
At the opening of the Holy Mass, presidents of the student councils for Grade School, Junior High School, Senior High School and College; representatives of the alumni, parents and employees union; and Dean Joey Suba of the College of Computing Sciences and Information Technology (CCSIT) representing the university management committee and Vice President for Finance Ms. Belina Katigbak for the Executive Council led the community in the ceremonial wreath laying.
Earlier, several students, together with the Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Mediatriz D. Martin and the Campus Ministry Director Sr. Marissa Figueroa, OP, offered flowers and prayers at the tomb of Apu Lakay at the Carmel Monastery in Angeles City.