Fr. Antonio M. Pernia, SVD
Fr. Antonio M. Pernia, SVD Dean of Studies, Divine Word Institute of Mission Studies
Personal Background
Fr. Antonio M. Pernia, SVD is the Dean of Studies of the Divine Word Institute of Mission Studies in Tagaytay City. He is a religious missionary of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) and was ordained a priest on September 5, 1975.
Fr. Pernia served the order in numerous administrative capacities including Provincial Superior of the Philippine Southern Province (1993–94), SVD Vice Superior General (1994–2000) and as SVD Superior General in Rome, Italy (2000–12). He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Union of Superiors Generals (USG, 2000–03) and Co-President of the Joint USG-International Union of Superior Generals (UISG) Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Commission (2010–12) in Rome before returning to the Philippines to assume his current post. He has previously served twice as a member of the USC Board of Trustees in 1984–85 and 1989–94.
Educated at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, he earned Licentiate (S.Th.L., magna cum laude) and Doctorate (S.Th.D., summa cum laude) degrees in Sacred Theology. He previously obtained bachelor and master’s degree in philosophy and a bachelor’s degree in theology from the Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay. He was conferred an honorary doctorate degree in Pedagogy in Missiology by the University of San Carlos in 2005. His work in missiology has resulted in numerous articles and review papers, some of which have been translated to as many as six languages.