Marcelo V. Manimtim

Fr. Marcelo V. Manimtim, CM was born on October 30, 1950 in Tagaytay City, Cavite province. He began his elementary studies in Tagaytay and entered St. Vincent’s Seminary in Valenzuela, Bulacan in June 1963 after a chance meeting with a Vincentian priest during the summer.

Fr. Manimtim finished his AB in Philosophy at Adamson University in 1972, thus making him the second alumnus to become President of the university. He then studied Theology at the University of Santo Tomas, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1976.

His path to priesthood continued at the Vincentian Hills Seminary, which he entered in June 1968. Fr. Manimtim made his perpetual vows on May 26, 1975 and was ordained to the priesthood on March 15, 1976.

He took graduate studies at the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome, Italy, finishing his special studies in Church History in 1980 and his doctorate in Philosophy in 1993.

Fr. Manimtim’s pastoral ministry began in 1976, when he was appointed Prefect of Discipline at St. Vincent’s Seminary in Bulacan. After finishing his studies in Rome, he returned to the Philippines in 1980 and taught Church History at the San Carlos Major Seminary in Cebu City for a year. In 1981, he became the Spiritual Director at Vincentian Hills Seminary in Angono, Rizal for three years and Rector for four years. After pursuing his doctorate, he was sent as a missionary to the Solomon Islands in 1993. Together with two other Vincentians, he established the Holy Name of Mary Seminary in Honiara, which is the first and so far only seminary in the Solomon Islands.

After his mission, Fr. Manimtim became Rector of the St. Vincent School of Theology (SVST) in Quezon City in 2001 and became Superior/Rector of the St. Vincent Seminary, also in Quezon City, in 2002. From 2004 to 2007, he became the Provincial Visitor of the Philippine Province of the Congregation of the Mission. As Provincial Visitor, he had supervision of all Filipino Vincentian priests and brothers working in the Philippines and those assigned abroad. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Adamson-Ozanam Educational Institutions, Inc., the corporate entity that governs and controls the management of Adamson University.

After his stint as Provincial Visitor, Fr. Manimtim was sent to the Maison-Mère (Mother House) of the Congregation of the Mission in Paris, France to become the director of the Centre International de Formation (CIF). The CIF functions as the center for continuing formation and renewal of Vincentian Priests and Brothers from around the world. Fr. Manimtim served as CIF director from 2008 to 2014 and was the first Asian CM priest to hold the position.

Upon his return from Paris, Fr. Manimtim went back to SVST as professor and Rector. He was elected President of Adamson University in September 2015 and will be installed as its sixth President on December 7.

In accepting the position of University President, Fr. Manny—as he is called fondly by the community—will embark on a journey that comes at a time of great challenge brought on by the shift to the K+12 educational system. Fr. Manny is undaunted, however. “We build on strength,” he says. Strengthening the commitment of the faculty is one of his top priorities, adding, “The services that the students get is the bottom line that has to be guaranteed and enhanced.”

His experience as a priest, missionary, educator, and administrator bodes well for Adamson University. With Fr. Manimtim at the helm, the university can face its challenges with a steady hand guiding them through.