"We were born from the Eucharist and we must live by the Eucharist." - Blessed James Alberione
The Paulines
The Society of Saint Paul is a religious congregation which was founded in 1914 at Alba, in Italy, province of Cuneo, by Fr. Giacomo Alberione.
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Its members are known as the Paulines. Faithful to the mission assigned them by their founder, they communicate the Christian message with the use of all means that technology put at the disposition of modern man. They are present in 32 countries around the world. They are active in many fields: editorial and bookstores, journalism, cinematography, television, radio, audiovisual, multimedia, telematics; centres of studies, research, formation, animation.
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The SSP was approved officially by the Holy See on 27 June 1949. Its mission is to "evangelize with the modern tools of communications". It is made up of religious priests and lay consecrated (called Disciples of the Divine Master). They are present in five continents. The Society of St. Paul makes use of magazines, books, cinema, radio, television, discs, casette tapes, compact disc, internet and all technological means of communication to announce Christ and speak of everything in a Christ like manner to all those away from the parish life. The models of the mission are: Master Jesus, Saint Paul, the apostle who became one to all, and Mary Queen of Apostles who gave life to Christ, communicator of the Father.
The objective of the mission is to put the totality of Christ in contact (as expressed in the title "Christ Divine Master of Life, Truth and Way") with all human faculties (mind, heart and will) through the communication which is realized with the modern means. The metodology used includes the proposal of the Christian experience (dogma, moral and cult) and the presentation of all human realties in the Christian perspective.
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The historical development of the Society of St. Paul follows the evolution of the media of communication. Initially, Fr. Alberione adopted the printed press; then he added cinema, radio, television and LPs. Presently, the Paulines are involved in the world of communication, preparing themselves to incarnate Christ Divine Master of the Way, the Truth and the Life in the "culture" created by the communications.
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Following the indications of Fr. Alberione to always "put yourself forward", the Paulines wish to be in the Church of the next millenium among the pioneers of a complete evangelical spirituality that knows to inculturate itself in global communications and multimedia. In fact, for Fr. Alberione and the Paulines, communication is not a simple aid to evangelization, but an original way of preaching, that reaches the masses which are far away from the parishes.
Society of St Paul in the Philippines
The first Pauline missionaries arrived in the Philippines on July 7, 1935, and set up the first formation and apostolic house in Lipa City, Batangas. From Batangas, the Paulines transferred to Pasay City in 1941. Formal studies in sede started in the 1950s. Academic formation was affiliated with the Rizal City College, Pasay City. In 1960,Saint Paul Seminary moved to Makati. In 1965, the seminary received recognition from the government to offer the General and Classical Secondary courses. In1968, Saint Paul Seminary was given government recognition to offer the four-year Liberal Arts course, with major in Philosophy and minor in either History, English, or Graphic Arts. The year 1988 saw the revision of the seminary’s four-year Liberal Arts course which offered Bachelor of Arts, with major in Philosophy and with minor in Mass Communication. Due to high cost of operation sand maintenance, the High School Department was phased out in 1989.
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Saint Paul Seminary transferred to Silang, Cavite in June 1993. It opened to bona fide seminarians who wish to pursue a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Communication. The Philosophy program is primarily a preparation for the theological studies, which the seminarians would undertake after graduation from college, while the Communications study program prepares particularly the Pauline seminarians in view of the apostolate within the culture of communications. Men and women religious as well as the lay people also avail of the seminary’s degree offerings. For latest revision of the curricula, CHED Certification issued on 13th of July 2017 gives this government recognition: Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication (GR 030, s. 1993), and Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (GR 030, s. 1993).
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Post graduate studies in advanced theology as immediate preparation for priesthood and religious life for SSP Juniors(temporary professed) are done in the theological schools: Loyola School of Theology, Quezon City; San Carlos Graduate School of Theology, Makati City; Maryhill School of Theology, Quezon City; University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Theology, Manila; and the Divine Word School of Theology, Tagaytay City.