Through its search for truth, it encounters the light, shadows, and darkness of the world.Through study, it learns of different religions, theologies, philosophies, literatures, scientific systems and cultures. It learns of the contemporary environment with its complexes of social, local and global problems. It learns how various peoples and cultures have encountered the world. It learns of the skills, technologies and competencies these have used in encountering the world both yesterday and today. Through study, reflection and research, it learns from others. It learns how women and men of different cultures and societies actually live in this world today. It considers how they can live better lives. It searches for more just and humane ways of living as human beings in the world. Through outreach and exposure programs, it learns of concrete life situations of people in the world today, especially those of the poor. Through instruction and formation, it produces human persons competent to live, function and serve creatively in this world. This includes particularly teachers, social scientists, medical doctors, engineers, scientists, accountants and entrepreneurs. It also includes women and men committed to Christian family values. Through its research, it shares with the world its knowledge of human life and its insights into the meaning of human life. It criticizes conditions in the world that fall short of meaningful human and Christian existenceThrough research, it searches for deeper knowledge to help people be more human and more competent in the world. It contributes this knowledge to the world through articles, symposia, seminars, courses and the like. Through official university statements, it uses its knowledge or moral authority to contribute to the discussion of current socio, political, economic or cultural issues. Through outreach programs, it helps particular groups of people overcome the problems they currently encounter.

Through its study, it learns of the plight of human beings in the world day, especially of those living in the Philippines and in Bikol. It assesses this plight in the light of Christian revelation and critical human reason.Through its empirical research in the social sciences, it learns the history and empirical status quo of social problems, and of the psychological, social, economic and anthropological etiology of these problems. Through its instruction it teaches the dignity of human life, individual and social, and the responsibility of human beings to live in societies that are just and humane. It teaches this particularly in the light of the Social Teaching of the Church as applied to the Philippines by the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines. These are complemented by statements on universal human rights issued by the United Nations.Through its formation, it forms women and men of conscience committed to the promotion of social justice.When appropriate, it articulates through official university statements imperatives of what must be done or not done in the world.

Through its study, research, immersion, and outreach programs, the university learns of the concrete life of the poor, his/her lack of food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, work, lack of access to credit, recreation, etc. It learns of the personal anxiety, the low self-esteem, the lack of hope that most poor, especially in Bikol, suffer. It learns of the role religion plays in the life of the poor. It learns of poverty in all its forms.It learns likewise of the life of the local wealthy, their access, beyond basic needs, to first-class education, luxurious houses, state-of-the-art technology, vital information, transportation, arts, recreation, etc. It learns of the manner in which the rich relate to the poor, as well as the poor to the rich.It learns of the nexus between rich and poor in Bikol and in the Philippines to rich and poor nations in the Globe. It learns too of the nexus between developed countries and developing countries, between countries that speak endlessly of global equality and countries that suffer perennially from global inequality.It learns of the poverty of government in the Philippines, in financial as well as in human terms. It also learns of the wastage, inefficiency and corruption in government, creating undeserved wealthy people from resources that the people deserve, and undeserved hardship in the lives of people in need.Through its formation, it graduates human beings who are convinced that abject poverty on this globe is an insufferable human scandal and who freely commit personal resources, if not their lives, to the eradication of poverty. This formation is effected primarily by the core curriculum complemented by the activities of campus ministry.Through its research, including the research of faculty and students, it provides society with vital information on and analyses of the social, political, economic and cultural situation that may guide government, non-government and private operatives in effecting social change.Through its ongoing search for truth, it provides venues for dialogue, discussion and debate on contemporary moral and ethical issues that impact significantly on the development of local, national and global culture in the world.Through its instruction, it forms teachers, priests, religious, entrepreneurs, engineers, social scientists, in their desire to use their professions and their careers for the eradication of poverty in Bikol.Through its outreach programs, it enters into University activities that are developmental, liberational, and transformational relative to concrete situations of poverty. It develops in this context pragmatic and mutually-beneficial links with civil society, business groups, and government.Through university statements, which emerge from a systematic process of university deliberation, discernment and decision, it advocates social change towards a more just and humane society.

Through its study and research, it gains ever-deeper insight into the manner in which Christianity has spread on the globe, and the special manner through which Christianity was implanted in the Philippines and in Asia.

It learns of the actual effects of Christianity in the lives of people who struggle with weakness, temptation and sin. It learns of people for whom Christianity is but an empty name; but it also learns of others for whom Christianity leads to genuine reconciliation with the Father, to heroic discipleship of Jesus Christ, and to exemplary service of people through Church in the Holy Spirit.

In ever deeper entrance into the Christian mystery, it learns to appreciate the movements of the Holy Spirit in other religions such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, as well as various indigenous religions. It learns also to listen for the movements of the Spirit even in the hedonism, materialism, agnosticism and atheism of post-modern culture.

Through its instruction and formation, it gives to the world educated persons so steeped in and committed to their Faith that they are open to dialogue with various religions and practical worldviews. Among these shall be teachers, engineers, scientists, social scientists, accountants entrepreneurs, and the like, whose exercise of their professions will be Christian even as they live and deal competently with women and men of other faiths, worldviews and persuasions. Without sacrificing the integrity of lived Christian faith, these shall work in the world for greater unity and mutual support of peoples and communities who enter into relationship with God.

In God's name, in a world that is confusing, unjust, violent and godless, these shall work for greater wisdom, justice, peace and knowledge of the Lord.

It undertakes to help and support persons willing to enter into protracted dialogue with such religions and worldviews with expertise acquired through long years of study and research.