Special Issue: 60^th Anniversary of LST and LHS

The Loyola House of Studies School of Theology and Ecclesiastical Studies (LHS STES) was formally inaugurated on 12 September 1965, Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, by His Eminence Rufino Cardinal Santos, D.D., Archbishop of Manila. In the chapel, we already glimpse signs of renewal: a freestanding altar and a prominent ambo from the liturgical reforms of Vatican II. Among the founding faculty stood the first dean, later to be the first president of LST, Fr. Catalino G. Arevalo, SJ, leading a pioneering team of Filipino and foreign professors. One can only imagine the excitement in those classrooms, where theological giants taught against the backdrop of fresh debates, incisive questions, and daring insights from the recent Council.

In this present issue of Loyola Papers, we are one in celebrating the Life, Leadership, and Legacy that have formed and nurtured our cherished School of Theology into what it has become today. In line with this, we are happy to reproduce as part of our documentation the brief historical note titled, The First Sixty Years of Loyola School of Theology excerpted from our recently approved Statutes, as well as a modest selection of pictures that would take us back in time as we revisit our roots. We have also received kind permission to include the full text of Fr. Repole’s address to the LST community on his inauguration. By publishing them here, we hope not only to help preserve these important texts for posterity’s sake but also to provide you with convenient access to these resources, which can continue to nourish and inspire our reflection and discernment.