ASIA/TAIWAN-Nearly 7,000 students of Fu Jen Catholic University, have completed their course of studies

Tai Pei (Agenzia Fides) - 6,861 students of Ben Fu Jen Catholic University have concluded in recent days their course of studies. Among them 15 have obtained a doctorate, 1,138 a school-leaving exam, 5,708 the baccalaureate; in addition the group of 23 students of the Faculty of Theology composed of priests, religious men and women and lay people from all the dioceses in Taiwan and also from Malaysia, as well as some brothers of the Anglican Church of Taiwan. According to information gathered by Fides, at the solemn closing ceremony of the academic year, the spiritual director guided the prayer invoking God's protection upon all students who completed their course of studies, and are about to face society and the working world. Finally, the students also received the mandate of the Dean, with the delivery of the light that symbolizes the new life. The lay graduates of the Faculty of Theology form a particular aspect of this school year, and are mainly catechists.
Fu Jen Catholic University, under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for Catholic Education, was founded in 1925 by the American Benedictines, in Beijing. In 1952 it was temporarily associated with the Normal University in Beijing. In 1959 the Regional Episcopal Conference of Taiwan, along with the Divine Word missionaries and Jesuits present in Taiwan, decided to reopen the University in Tai Pei, getting approval from local authorities the following year. Today, since its foundation 86 years ago and half a century after reopening in Taiwan, Fu Jen University has over 150 000 graduates, 11 institutes, 47 faculties, 66 school-leaving classes, 11 PhD classes, 16 classes of permanent formation, with a total of 27,000 students. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 04/07/2011)