The establishment of the college seminary in the Diocese of Borongan was in the year 1996. Before 1996, the Borongan college seminarians, who graduated from Seminario de Jesus Nazareno, the diocese’s minor seminary, commonly went to St. Vincent de Paul College Seminary (SVPCS) in Calbayog City since its reopening in 1988. Other college seminarians also went to Palo, Cebu, Sariaya, and Manila.
The SVPCS was the major seminary for the three dioceses of the Samar island, with which the Diocese of Borongan contributed the most number of seminarians. With this, Most Rev. Leonardo Y. Medroso, former Bishop of the Diocese of Borongan, and the presbyterium responded to the growing need for a college seminary formation. Under the laws provided by the code of Canon Law 237, which states that each diocese is to have a college seminary, henceforth, the opening of the college seminary was realized and named Nativity of Our Lady College Seminary.
On June 23, 1996, the Nativity of Our Lady College Seminary was officially erected and opened by Bishop Medroso. Besides the Bishop’s residence, the Diocesan Formation Center served as the temporal house of the first seminarians of the college seminary while the construction of the seminary building was ongoing. At the opening of the seminary, there were 14 college seminarians.
The construction of the college seminary located in Baybay Boulevard, Borongan City, began on October 15, 1996, with only a sum of P300,000. Rev. Fr. Venancio Amidar was the first appointed rector by the good Bishop. However, with the help of benefactors and members of the Friends of our College Seminary (FOCOS), the seminary gathered enough for the construction. On November 15, 1997, the first phase of the seminary building was completed and blessed. Still, by the generosity of the people, the second phase of construction continued.
The opening of the Pre-College Program started in the formation year 2003-2004. Six pioneering seminarians were on the list.
From the first year of formation, 1996-1997, to the present formation year 2022-2023, the NLCS community had 25 formators. Six sets of formators already served the college seminary, in which there are six years of assignment for each set, headed by its rectors: Rev. Fr. Venancio Amidar (1996-2001); Rev. Fr. Agustin Opalalic, Jr. (2001-2008); Rev. Fr. Cyrain Cabueñas (Acting Rector 2008-2009); Rev. Fr. Antonio Alconaba (2009-2015); Rev. Fr. Leroy Geli (2015-2021); Rev. Fr. Jay Romualdo (2023-present).
The present rector, Fr. Romualdo, is the first-ever alumnus of NLCS ever to be appointed as the seminary’s rector. He graduated from the college seminary in 2002 together with two other batchmates, two of whom were ordained priests, including Rev. Fr. Rolly Tabo.
Upon the decree of Bishop Medroso opening the college seminary in the diocese on June 23, 1996, he created five offices for the college seminary to function: Rector, Dean of Students, Spiritual Director, Prefect of Discipline, and Oeconomus. However, at the second rector, Rev. Fr. Agustin Opalalic, in 2001, the birth of a new formation approach began called “Responsible Freedom.” The framework of this new type of formation visions that the seminary is one community based on a profound relationship with God-centered in the Eucharist and on integral human formation with personal responsibility as its emphasis, focused on the attainment of academic excellence and internalization of the value of brotherhood and sensitivity to the people, thus live exemplary Christian leaders in the Church.
Hence, the Prefect of Discipline office was removed because of the new formation. Responsible Freedom is still in effect in the formation of the college seminary even up to this day. In the time of Fr. Opalalic, Most Rev. Crispin B. Varquez succeeded Bishop Medroso as the prelate assigned in the Diocese of Borongan on November 8, 2007.
Twenty-six years have passed, from the time of its foundation up to the present time, the Lord sustained His seminary through the years.
