(1350-1419), priest   

Patron of the UST College of Information and Computing Sciences

Feast Day: May 5

In 1350, Vincent was born in Valencia, Spain to William Ferrer and Constancia Miguel, both nobles.  He was educated in Valencia and at the age of 17 received the habit of the Order of Preachers, and was sent to Barcelona for further studies. Later, he taught philosophy at Lérida and in three years returned once more to Barcelona.  He proceeded to continue his studies at Toulouse,  where, in his own words, “study followed prayer, and prayer  succeeded study”.

In 1398, Vincent was recovering from a serious illness when he had a vision of Christ accompanied by St. Dominic and St. Francis directing him to teach penance. In the troubled times in which he lived, he was an ‘angel of peace’, a messenger of penance sent to prepare men and women for the judgment. For twenty years, he traversed Spain, France, and Italy, preaching penance and awakening the dormant consciences of sinners by his wondrous eloquence. His austere life was but the living expression of his preaching. Although he preached in his own native tongue to people who spoke different languages, he was clearly understood by all because of his extraordinary ‘gift of tongues’.  He was also outstanding for the ‘gift of prophecy’, worked astonishing miracles and brought back thousands, including Jews and Moors, to the faith.  His authority helped to bring the Great Schism to an end. He spent the last three years of his life in France and died in 1419. Pope Calixtus III canonized him in 1455.

St. Vincent Ferrer endeavored to inform the people of his time about penance to prepare them for judgment, which he simply yet extraordinarily carried out through spiritual algorithms so to speak:  the ‘gift of tongues’ and the ‘gift of prophecy’. Under the inspiration of its patron, the UST Institute of Information and Computing Sciences declares its commitment to the pursuit of truth and the formation of technically competent Information Technology Education professionals endowed with a strong commitment to lifelong learning, social responsibility and a desire for leadership in the spirit of service.

Sources:

• Reinhart, Albert. “St. Vincent Ferrer.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 19 Apr. 2021.
• www.ust.edu.ph/information-and-computing-sciences/