SANTIAGO.- The Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) held the One Hundred and Eighth Graduation Ceremony at its Santiago campus, In said ceremony, a special congratulatory letter was released from His Holiness Pope Francis, for the 60th anniversary of the academy’s foundation.
The Holy Father’s congratulatory letter was read by the Reverend Father Dr. Secilio Espinal, Rector of the PUCMM, in which he recalled that the Church and the University are institutions that give birth, cultivate and promote, referring to their commitment as Mother and Master.
“This helps us understand that faith and reason go hand in hand, they are not dissociated or opposed. Well, within the ecclesial community, the university is a channel for science to shine like a light, radiating goodness, justice and truth.expressed Pope Francis in his letter.
The Supreme Pontiff invited the university community to “always cultivate your interior life so that your studies may be fruitful” and to imitate the testimony of faith and piety of Saint Thomas Aquinas.
The invocation of the act of investiture was in charge of Monsignor Hector Rafael Rodriguez, bishop of the Diocese of La Vega, who thanked God for the dedication of these new professionals to society and encouraging them to be excellent in their work always supported by the truth and science.
The guest speaker was Dr. Daniel Rivera, Minister of Public Health and Social Assistance, who highlighted “everyone who is sitting here had to experience a pandemic that shook the world during their studies and, even so, in the midst of uncertainty, thanks to the Mother and Teacher, who is always innovating and taking a step forward, they were able to create the necessary conditions to continue training the professionals they are today”.
In his speech, the minister specified that having gone through difficult circumstances, and in which “many doors were closed, but I opened the right ones, with the excellent training provided by the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), fostering good relations and maintaining the principles of ethics and transparency”.
Dr. Rivera highlighted the role of women in society and the high percentage that have graduated from academia. In addition, he thanked the educational credit offered by the Mother and Teacher for her training.
He encouraged the graduates to open the doors to personal and professional growth because “today, all of you have opened a new door, and we are proud, the country is celebrating, because here is the new generation, Z and Millennial, fulfilling their dreams and demonstrating that what is proposed can be achieved.
Dr. Esmeralda Carvajal Espejo, graduated from the Dentistry degree, was the honor graduate, she was responsible for the words of gratitude on behalf of her classmates and hers, who expressed “Allow yourself to live the processes, make friends with uncertainty and enjoy the wait. Because God’s timing is perfect and so is his purpose, even though we don’t understand it at the time.
Likewise, with a cheerful voice, he said: “We congratulate ourselves on this step that today leads us to remember that these titles are more than a label, they are a responsibility that we must carry with honor and pride.”
At the ceremony, the first group of graduates of Higher Technicians in Microfinance and the Executive Master’s program in Project Management, a double degree with the School of Industrial Organization (EOI) Spain, stood out.
The academy granted university degrees to 625 new professionals in different areas of knowledge. Of these graduates, 54.25 percent belong to undergraduate programs, 45.44 percent to postgraduate, and 0.35 percent are from the technical area, who completed their studies at the Center for Technology and Permanent Education (TEP). 69.12 percent of the graduates are female, and 30.88 percent, male.
Of the recent graduates, 360 belong to the Faculty of Health Sciences, 111 from the Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, 109 from the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences and 43 from the Faculty of Sciences and Engineering. Since its foundation, the Mother and Teacher has granted 96,519 university degrees.
Present at the graduation ceremony were Dr. Sánchez Campos, vice president of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (FUIC) and the Organization of Catholic Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean (ODUCAL) and rector of the Catholic University of Costa Rica, ecclesiastical authorities, representatives of sister universities and academic and administrative authorities, it took place on Saturday, June 24, in the multipurpose room of the university campus.
