Fr Jose T Bacatan, SJ was first assigned to the Ateneo de Zamboanga in 1975 as guidance counselor and librarian. He also taught theology, speech improvement and basic English at the college. From 1985 to 1995 he was Chairman of the Mass Communications department, while concurrently Dean of College from 1985 to 1988. In 1993-1995 he was Dean of the Graduate School and part-time professor at the Western Mindanao State University’s doctoral program. In 1996-1998 he taugh English at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea.
Since then he has been here at the Ateneo de Zamboanga and has been involved with the research work of the Graduate School and the Ateneo Research Office. He has contributed invaluable work in editing research papers all these years. Most of the instruments of our popular AdZU Brass Band were solicited or purchased by Fr. Bacatan through his connections abroad.
Fr. Bacatan was born on January 22, 1931, in Paranas, Western Samar. He joined the Society of Jesus on June 20, 1951 and was assigned at Xavier University for his regency years. He studied for the priesthood at Bellarmine School of Theology in Illinois, USA, and was ordained priest in San Francisco on June 4, 1965.
He taught theology and was guidance counselor at Xavier University in 1967-1970. He then became the librarian at the Ateneo de Naga while teaching theology in 1970-1972. He was assigned assistant parish priest and later, parish priest of Ipil, Zamboanga del Sur 1972-1975 before coming to the Ateneo de Zamboanga.
Fr. Bacatan was the administrator of the Ateneo de Zamboanga library from 1975-1988. He has contributed much to the growth and expansion of the school library during his 13 years of dedicated service. His displayed picture is from the 1985 Beacon yearbook.
He was also a past president of the Academic Libraries Book Acquisition Systems Association (ALBASA) and a board member of the Philippine Library Materials Project (PLMP). It is but fitting that our university library be named in his honor this 21st day of September, 2012.
