From the Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion

BAGUIO CITY, PHILIPPINES—Easter College, one of the Philippine’s two institutions of higher education, celebrated its 107th anniversary on February 8-9, 2013 with its annual Charter Day festivities marking its founding in 1906 as an Anglican school. The observance, anchored on Gospel and Culture, focused on the theme “Must they become Jews in order to become Christians?” (Acts 15:1-35).

The two-day celebration opened with a Mass on campus, and subsequent events highlighted the cultural heritage of the Cordilleras and its neighboring Ilocandia region. Students and staff wore traditional attire, display cases on campus were filled with informative exhibits, and community dances accompanied by the playing of Cordilleras gongs encouraged the college community and visitors to participate and learn more about the rich culture of this region.

Being very much a community-oriented institution, Easter College invited residents of the neighboring barangays to be part of the celebration, particularly West Quirino Hill, the community “adopted” by the school’s extension work programme. This was also an opportunity to recognize the partner communities, institutions, and private individuals who have supported the College’s activities and helped it achieve its vision, mission, and objectives. Dr Brigitt Santiago, Easter College President, challenged staff awardees to live up to the calling of “service” to students, the community, and society.

One of those organizations, with whom Easter College enjoys a long association, is the Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion (CUAC), whose General Secretary, the Revd Canon James G Callaway, was on hand for the festivities. His visit marked the first time that a General Secretary of CUAC had been to Baguio City. After visiting a community daycare programme where Easter students assist the sole teacher as interns, Canon Callaway noted: “Service Learning engages students and faculty to take their skills into communities of need and bring about change, while discovering what their learning is really about.”

Easter College was founded by Bishop Charles Henry Brent on Easter Sunday of 1906. Originally a school for boys, it began accommodating girls in 1909. Today, the student body is a mix of various ethnicities and nationalities, spanning the Elementary, High School, Special Education, and College Departments. Located in Guisad, Baguio City, Easter College is one of the two Anglican institutions of tertiary education in the Philippines, the other being Trinity University of Asia.

CUAC is a network of the Anglican Communion that seeks to support the mission and identity of some 130 Anglican-affiliated institutions of higher learning around the globe. By encouraging exchanges of faculty, students, and ideas, and promoting opportunities for learning and fellowship—particularly the Triennial Conference, hosted by members in each global region on a rotating basis—CUAC helps its members see how their common Anglican identity and ethos is lived out within the various cultures in which it has taken root. In 2012 CUAC also launched the Dr Rowan Williams Annual CUAC Lecture, which each year selects an Anglican luminary to address issues concerning religion, society, and higher education in the context of Anglican thought and praxis. More information on CUAC can be found at www.cuac.org.