8th Abdon Ma. Josol Lecture Series held

The Saint Alfonsus Theological and Mission Institute (SATMI) and Ateneo de Davao University held its 8th Annual Abdon Ma. Josol Lecture Series at Ateneo’s Finster Auditorium last February 07, 2020. The theme of this year’s series is “Enriching Filipino Theology for the 21st Century: Celebrating the 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines.”

The event was attended by representatives from different institutions, religious congregations, seminarians from the St. Francis Xavier Regional Seminary of Mindanao, students from various academic institutions and lay faithful.

The keynote speaker in the afternoon session, the highly esteemed lay Filipino theologian, Dr. Jose de Mesa and Dr. Estela Padilla, also a lay theologian and a mentee of Dr. de Mesa who gave the reflection, both enriched the attendees.

During the discussion, Dr. De Mesa and Dr. Padilla offered a wider direction in understanding Christian faith in our time. They emphasized that doing theology is not only a study of faith and doctrine but also a continuous process of making sense of the presence of the divine in our daily context making the story of Jesus relevant and practical to our context today.

They further gave emphases on and appreciation of the richness of culture and languages, and thus highlighted the importance of using and listening to our own local language. Bro. Mark Anthony Zarate, OFM a member of the panel of reactors, echoed in his sharing that “one of the challenges to theologizing is the need of translation, both in words and action…the road of finding concepts, expression and language that are close to us and are culturally sound.”

Also witnessed in the series was the launching of BUDYONG, SATMI’s Journal and the book “A Journey of Faith A Handbook for Teachers and Students”, written by Sr. Miriam R. Alejandrino, OSB, S. Th. D. The annual event ended at 4:30 pm. (Sem. Frances P. Cadagdagon, CSCh)