‘My heart aches when I think about and experience the absence of José Luis’, but ‘at the same time, faith fills me with hope for eternal life (...). It is up to all of us to pick up the baton and move forward in the conviction that the Lord is leading us, preceding us and calling us to follow in his footsteps.’ With these moving words María Dolores García, UCAM president, remembered the founder of the institution, José Luis Mendoza, whose memory marked the commemorative acts of Saint Anthony, patron saint of the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia and of the Foundation which holds its title. 

María Dolores García presided over what was undoubtedly the most touching Saint Anthony's Day in UCAM history, with the church of the Los Jerónimos Monastery filled with colour due to the caps of the hundreds of doctors who attended the event. The photograph of the UCAM founder and the gold medal of the Region of Murcia, which was posthumously awarded to him last week, were in the centre of the presidential table. Josefina García, Rector of the UCAM; Monsignor José Manuel Lorca Planes, Bishop of the Diocese of Cartagena; Juan María Vázquez, Regional Minister for the Environment, Mar Menor, Universities and Research, and Antonio Montoro, Honorary Rector of the University, were also sitting at this table.  

María Dolores García, President of the University, began her speech, as her husband, José Luis Mendoza, always did: ‘Today is a day of grace and blessings, as we all gather in this beautiful baroque temple of the Monastery of San Pedro de La Ñora to recognise the work of the members of the Universidad Católica’. She reasserted the mission, vision and values of the University to continue growing in her speech, stressing that it is a university whose aim is ‘to be a source of dissemination of faith and culture in which the encounter with the Risen Jesus Christ is facilitated, under the protection of the Virgin Mary’. 

‘Today is a day of grace and blessings, as we all gather in this beautiful baroque temple of the Monastery of San Pedro de La Ñora to recognise the work of the members of the Universidad Católica’.

After fondly remembering the students of the first graduating class at UCAM, who began their studies in 1997, the president of the institution highlighted the achievements obtained in the teaching areas, whose quality has been highlighted by Times Higher Education ‘placing it among the top 100 universities out of the more than 1,300 selected’; in research, ‘with an investment of more than 24 million in research and development last year’. She also announced the creation of the Department of Artificial Intelligence, ‘whose mission it is to promote the ethical use of this tool, the application of which supports the process of continuous improvement’. Regarding internationalisation, ‘more than 7,000 international students and teachers placed their trust in us this academic year,’ she highlighted the words of Pope Francis who ‘invites us to develop an exchange culture, working to ensure that this is truly enriching’. During her speech she also highlighted that ‘in university sport, we once again lead the national medal ranking, for the eleventh consecutive year, with a total of 160 medals’. She then announced the decision of the General Assembly of the Spanish Olympic Committee to include her in it, for which she expressed her gratitude, especially to its president, Alejandro Blanco.  

Josefina García Lozano, the University rector, acknowledged that the institution celebrated the feast of its patron saint ‘with a very heavy heart still, because we are deeply saddened by the absence of José Luis Mendoza, our founder. But on today's special day, we know that he is very much present. And, as he left nothing to chance, he left us with the best possible person to take up his legacy, our president, María Dolores García Mascarell, his wife’. With regard to the 26 years of experience of the University, based on good teaching, applied research, comprehensive training of students and university outreach, the rector stressed the revolutions which have arisen all around the world and which ‘forced us to make enormous changes’, the actions in digital transformation, virtual teaching, internationalisation, lifelong learning, entrepreneurship and innovation taking relevance.  Just like María Dolores García, she stressed that ‘the students are always at the centre of all our activities and our raison d'être. This is UCAM culture, and what our founder instilled in us; always based on the principles and values of Christian humanism’.

‘The students are always at the centre of all our activities and our raison d'être. This is UCAM culture, and what our founder instilled in us; always based on the principles and values of Christian humanism.’

The regional minister Juan María Vázquez had some moving words for the UCAM founder too. He highlighted the recent posthumously award of the Gold Medal of the Region of Murcia, ‘for the relevance of all the works he carried out during his lifetime and for the legacy he left and of which we are now part’. He recalled the important growth of the Universidad Católica and its contribution to the Region of Murcia: ‘It stands out nationally and internationally in the academic, teaching and research fields; it is also an Olympic sports reference, with football and basketball teams in the main leagues, connecting the society of the Region of Murcia, while promoting grassroots sport, which is so necessary’. 

‘The architect who brought this miracle to fruition is not with us this year.’ 

José Manuel Lorca Planes, Bishop of the Diocese of Cartagena, presided over the Eucharist with which the ceremony began, together with Manuel Ureña, Archbishop Emeritus of Zaragoza; Francisco Gil Hellín, Archbishop Emeritus of Burgos; and José Luis del Palacio, Bishop of Callao (Peru) until 2020. After highlighting the figure of Saint Anthony of Padua during the homily, he stressed that ‘we need to say it loud and clear, without the Son of God, man is lost, and humanity has no future. This is our challenge, to speak aloud about the one who is the way, the truth and life: Christ; just like José Luis Mendoza always did, with courage and faith’. He also recalled that ‘the architect who brought this miracle to fruition is not with us this year’. He concluded with the following statement: ‘I pray for all of you so that you can continue to contribute to this project, which revolves around the training of people, and whose aim it is to serve society and bring the goods of faith to it.’ 

Appointments and honours 

During the academic ceremony, honours were awarded for several appointments, such as to the professors and researchers Pedro Emilio Alcaraz, Luis Tejada and José Antonio Gabaldón, as new ANECA-accredited professors, as well as to new doctors in Health Sciences, Social Sciences, Computer Sciences and Environmental Engineering and Sports Sciences who joined the faculty. Recognition was also given for excellence in the supervision of doctoral theses and to the heads of the University's new faculty structure.  

The Inventium Awards for research and entrepreneurship were also granted to Horacio Pérez (Senior Researcher), Tomás Trindade de Freitas (Junior Researcher), Francisco Javier López (UCAM Researcher in Technology Transfer), the Research Group for the Optimisation of Training, Sports Performance and Physical Conditioning (Consolidated Research Group), and the Research Group for Evidence-Based Practice and Quality of Care in Health Services (Emerging Research Group). 

The Medical Director of the Lourdes Hospitality in the Diocese, Paula Lázaro, receiving her award.