Colegio de San Juan de Letran

We are COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN. We area a Catholic School committed to Dominican Preaching through Education towards the integral formation of the Human Person in the noble tradition of knightly excellence with a special devotion to Mary according to the ideal of DEUS, PATRIA, LETRAN.Filled with the ARRIBA spirit towards 2022, we shall RAISE the awareness ,efforts, and standards of LETRAN MANILA as a REPUTABLE SCHOOL OF QUALITY EDUCATION.

The ideal of a Letranite is nobility, generosity and discipline of the Knight of Old. It draws its inspiration from God himself who guides his conduct and orients it towards Himself. The Letranite is also man-for-others. His relationship with other people is marked by fairness and generosity that flows from the nobility of his heart.A Letranite is a faithful witness to the gospel message empowered by his strong relationship with the Lord and the teachings of his alma mater. He lives his faith based on sound catholic doctrines.Inspired by love of God and love of neighbor, he practices charity and justice to promote peace. Called to share in the prophetic role of Christ, he continuously propagates and defends the tenets and traditions of the church.The Letranite is devoted to the Mother of God, whom he reveres and honors. His devotion to Our Lady is manifested in more ways than one, the more popular being the Rosary. Following a long standing tradition, the Letranite always carries the rosary, which he prays alone, with his peers and with his family at home.The Letranite is stirred by constant search for truth. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, he possesses the ability to think critically, analyze, synthesize and form right judgment. He has uncompromising passion for truth. Instilled with the Dominican spirit, he acts with reason and insight.The Letranite is a dynamic leader imbued with a strong desire to be of service to humanity.

Inspired by the example of St. Dominic as “light of the world and salt of the earth”, he is formed to be a “catalyst of change”—one whose actions are always directed towards the betterment of the lives of others, and whose aspirations are meant for the building of progressive Christ-centered communities.The successful Letranite excels and is recognized in his chosen field of endeavor. He is armed with professional competence to advance the national interest and global competitiveness. In his dealings, he practices fairness at all times. He maintains high dignity and integrity in the exercise of his profession.

Colegio de San Juan de Letran emerged from the fusion of two similar institutions both located in Intramuros. The first was founded in 1620 by Don Juan Geronimo Guerrero, a retired Spanish Officer, who transformed his hermitage home into an orphanage called the Colegio de Niños Huerfanos de San Juan de Letran. Its purpose was to educate and mold orphans into good Christian citizens.

At about the same time, another institution by the name of Colegio de Huerfanos de San Pedro y San Pablo was established by the Dominican brother Diego de Santa Maria at the Convent of Santo Domingo. The founders of these two institutions with identical origin and purpose did not only share a common concern for the children of Intramuros but they were also linked by strong bonds of friendship. It was not surprising therefore that their institutions were merged into one even in their lifetime in 1630 and became known simply as the Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

The name San Juan de Letran was inspired from the major basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, mother of all Christian churches. Early in the history of the College, its chapel was granted many of the privileges enjoyed by the major Basilica. Saint John the Baptist for whom the Basilica is named, is also the patron saint of the College.

In 1690, Letran was declared as an ecclesiastical college. In 1738, six scholarships were granted by the King of Spain for Chinese, Japanese, and Tongkinese (Vietnamese) students. St. Vicente Liem de la Paz was among the students who enjoyed this scholarship.

A royal decree of May 1865 pronounced Letran as a College of the First Class. The school’s curriculum was reviewed and revised according to European and American patterns in 1886. Further expansion took place in 1894 and adjustments were made with the arrival of the Americans in 1900.In 1937, a three-storey building replaced the old structure. The growth of the Colegio was temporarily arrested when the building was bombed in 1941 and then turned into a garrison by the Japanese army in 1944. The Colegio was temporarily housed in the Dominican church and convent of San Juan del Monte.After the war in 1946, Letran returned to its home in Intramuros.

In a span of more than three centuries, Letran produced alumni who became the builders of the Filipino nation. The names of Manuel Quezon, Sergio Osmena, Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo del Pilar, Padre Mariano Gomez, Francisco Baltazar, Emilio Aguinaldo, and many others are enshrined in the hearts of every Filipino.Colegio de San Juan de Letran has faithfully lived up to her mission. No revolution nor earthquakes, no world war nor man-made disasters have broken or changed the resolve of our Dominican administrators to continue this noble task of providing excellent christian education. Countless great men have passed and will continue to pass through the portals of this old venerable institution - revolutionaries, heroes and patriots, presidents, leader of the church and most notable of all, a saint.In its long history, there will always be the successes as well as challenges for Letran. But for years and generations beyond, in the end, Letran will remain standing as a cut above the rest - proud of its heritage and sure of the time - honored and enshrined ideals of DEUS, PATRIA, LETRAN.

The Colegio's Motto: Deus, Patria, Letran (for God, for Country, for Letran) Her motto is embodied in the triune ideal of God, country, and alma mater first, God, as God cannot but be first... then the fatherland, as all the bounties of God are rooted deeply in the land upon which she stands... then finally, the school... she is the mother who takes the plastic minds in her hands and fashion them in accord with her supreme ideal... her magnificence is measured by this supreme ideal.