Divine Word College of Urdaneta

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Divine Word College of Urdaneta
Motto	Verbo Veritatis, Verbo Vitae (To the Word of Truth, to the Word of Life)
Established	1966
Type	Private, Catholic College
Religious Affiliation	DWEA, CEAP
Director	Fr. Randolph D. Botial ,SVD
Location	Urdaneta City, Pangasinan, Philippines
Hymn	DWCU Hymn
Colors	Blue and Gold
Nickname	DWCU

The Divine Word College of Urdaneta is a Catholic institution of higher learning run by the Society of the Divine Word or SVD in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan, Philippines.

Contents 1 History 2 Administration 3 Objectives 4 The School Seal, Motto and Colors 5 The DWCU Hymn 6 External Links

[edit] History

The Divine Word College of Urdaneta is the one of the youngest of the universities and colleges owned and managed by the Society of the Divine Word, popularly known as the Divine Word Missionaries. It has evolved from a small educational institution in Urdaneta to being one of the pillars of quality Catholic education in the region.

Early in 1963, the Society of the Divine Word decided to open a seminary of its own in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan. Later, the idea of adding a high school and college was also approved. Father Augustine Herbers, SVD was in charge of the big project. A lot consisting of since and one half hectares was bought from the Sison family in 1964. To find funds for the building, Father Herbers went to Germany and sought the help of his generous friends. On March 20, 1966 the Most Reverend Archbishop Mariano Madriaga, D.D, blessed the cornerstone of the building with great solemnity. By the school year 1967-1968, the modernistic three-story building was ready to open its doors to the first students. Records show that there were 8 seminarians, 165 high school and 72 college students enrolled. Father Herbers was the first seminary Rector and Father George Harwardt, the first college Director. At the end of that same school year the first secretarial students graduated and the first high school graduation took place in 1970. From the very first year of its existence the Divine Word College offered High School, Secretarial, Commerce, Liberal Arts and Education degrees.

Father Harwardt was transferred to Manila in 1970 and Father Herbers became Director with Father Francis Cuylen and Father Cecil Floresca as his assistants. Due to the very urgent need for a new building to accommodate the growing student population, Father Herbers had to go to Germany again to seek funds for the new construction. He left at the beginning of the school year 1972-1973. In his absence, Father Panfilo Gianan, a Filipino, became Director with Father Gregorio Fabia, also a Filipino, as Prefect of the seminarians and treasurer of the College.

The Divine Word College of Urdaneta opened its Pre-Elementary Department in 2003 and its Elementary Department in 2005.

[edit] Administration

The Divine Word College of Urdaneta is under the administration and spiritual direction of the Society of the Divine Word. The SVD (Latin for Societas Verbi Divini) is a Roman Catholic international organization of Religious Priests and Brothers founded in 1875 by a German priest, Saint Arnold Janssen. Its members, over 6,000 strong, are working in 35 different countries as missionaries and educators. In the Philippines, the Central House of the Divine Word Missionaries is the Divine Word Seminary in E. Rodriguez Boulevard, Quezon City. In Urdaneta, a minor seminary is attached to the Divine Word College where young aspirants to the Society are studying together with the high school boys and girls. More than 60 institutions of learning in the Philippines are owned or directed by the Divine Word Missionaries.

[edit] Objectives

The main objective of the Divine Word College of Urdaneta is the Formation of the Whole Man, the true and perfect Christian and the patriotic and democratic Filipino, by harmoniously developing the physical, intellectual, and moral capacities of its students.

This objective embodies the educational aim of the Catholic Church, namely, "To prepare a man for what he must be, and for what he must do here below, in order to obtain the sublime end for which he was created and that of the Philippine Constitution to develop moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience and vocational efficiency, and to teach the duties of citizenship".

[edit] The School Seal, Motto and Colors

A seal is the school emblem used for authentication, decoration and identification. In the seal of the Divine Word College of Urdaneta, the fortress or castle stands for the town of Urdaneta where our college is located. According to history, Fray Andres Urdaneta, after whom this town is named, had a fortress in his coat-of-arms or seal. The orb surmounted by a cross represents the Society of the Divine Word, a missionary organization, whose members run the college. The cross is also used to symbolize the Divine Word College itself because, being a Catholic institution of learning, it contributes to the spiritual and moral upliftment of the community.

What appears as rays emanating from the cross are actually the four letter Vs of the college motto: "Verbo Veritatis, Verbo Vitae" - To the Word of Truth, to the Word of Life. This is a dedication of the school to Christ who calls Himself the Truth and the Life. The motto is also an avowal of the aims of the school, namely, to bring the truth and the Christian way of life to its students. Saint Joseph Freinademetz, the first SVD missionary to China, is the patron saint and model of the school.

[edit] The DWCU Hymn

Join friends our hearty cheer
Shout it with voices clear
Divine Word College, hail!
Our love will never fail!

Sing out a lively song
Sing it sincere and strong,
Beloved school, our guide,
True Urdaneta's pride!

[edit] External Links