St. Alphonsus Theological and Mission Institute (SATMI) is not only privileged but also profoundly honored to have in our midst, Dr. Jose de Mesa, a well-known lay theologian in the country. The introduction of Seminarian Melandro Pera of this theologian and his contributions to the field of theology in the country serves as a challenge to our humble Institute to continue breaking grounds in crafting a contextualized theology in our mission engagements.
Dr. de Mesa has donated to our Institute most of his theological works. We gladly accept them to be kept and preserved here at St. Clement’s Library. This preservation and safekeeping have two purposes. One is for posterity, and the other is service. We now have in our library a theological wealth to keep, preserve, and share. Let us remember that those works donated to us are products of the genius mind of a lay theologian.
As a lay theologian, Dr. de Mesa is never hampered by the clutches of ecclesiastical dictates or by clerical dogmatism. Instead, a self-determined professional will and desire compel him to create a new way of doing theology, a theology that will make sense in the hearts and minds of Filipinos Christians primarily and of other Asians in general. The books, articles, Cds, and videos that Dr. de Mesa gives to SATMI are proofs of the peak reached by his prowess in theological researches, reflections, and writings. They mirror his ventures into a theological method rooted in and appreciative of the richness and promises of the use of native language and culture. As a service to student and professional researchers, we open our library to share these theological work collections of Dr. de Mesa. Through this sharing, we hope that SATMI contributes to the furtherance and enrichment of the theological ventures Dr. de Mesa already started.
SATMI can now take pride in being the only library in the Philippines, I repeat the only library in the Philippines that has the collection of most of the theological works of Dr. de Mesa. We hope that these collections will grow and that we can also obtain as much as we could his other the original books and journals to add up to what we already have.
The works Dr. de Mesa donated to our Library are not to be museum items to dust in the cabinet. It is a mine of learnings and insights waiting to be exploited so that we can provide a better understanding of faith that truly makes sense because it finds home in the heart and mind of our people. We are making a history today as SATMI. We share with the country this wealth this treasure, this legacy, this challenge to make the crafting of theology relevant, native, liberating, open, humble, missionary. May God indeed bless us all through this beautiful gift we now have in our possession.
PC: Bro. Roel Gutierrez, C.Ss.R