UP Student Catholic Action

History

UPSCA can be traced as far back as 1939 when Fr. James McCarthy, a Colombian priest, organized a Student Catholic Action (SCA) in UP as an offshoot from the Scholastic Philosophy Club (SPC) said to have been formed at 1936. SPC was an organization of Catholic UP students who held discussions on theological themes such as Catholic Philosophy and the works of St. Thomas Aquinas.

In 1941-45, UPSCA, like all university organizations, hushed as World War II took over the entire country. But in 1946, UPSCA was the first SCA chapter to reorganize. It was at this time that Fr. John Patrick Delaney stroked the fire that burned in UPSCA. Then, in 1950, the UP flagship was moved from Padre Faura, Manila to Diliman, Quezon City. In the new Campus UPSCA spearheaded the construction of the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice.

As its history manifests, UPSCA was formed by the people who cared about something a lot bigger than themselves—other people. As they struggled to bring about change in the country, campus and in the hearts of students and others in the UP community, they carved a niche for a different way of living one’s life in and out of UP.

UPSCA’s history is a constant reminder of the task that lies ahead: today’s response to the present call of the times.