
Celebrating the Jubilee Year for Pilgrims of Hope
News 19 MarchA message from the Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers.
27 April 2016
Share
The seats filled up very quickly and when the lecture began and many had to sit on the floor or stand at the back of the conference hall. Late comers simply could not get in and had to contend with listening from the hallway.
The event was the Annual Schillebeeckx Lecture and the venue was the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila. ACU theologian Dr. Edmund Chia was invited to deliver the 2016 keynote lecture on 22 April.
Fr. Edward Schillebeeckx, who went to his reward at 95 several years ago, was a Dominican priest and Santo Tomas is run by Dominicans. The university recently inaugurated an annual lecture series to celebrate Fr. Schillebeeckx’s vast contribution to the field of theology. Last year’s speaker was Professor Mathijs Lamberights, the Dean of the Faculty of Theology of Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium.
This was where Fr. Schillebeeckx began his teaching career shortly after World War II. A decade later he moved to Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen in the Netherlands and taught there until his retirement in the 1980s. Dr. Chia studied at Nijmegen, where he specialised on Schillebeeckx’s theology and befriended the theological giant who was then already in his late 80s. Fr. Schillebeeckx even attended the public defense of Chia’s doctoral thesis.
At the UST Lecture, Chia spoke on how Schillebeeckx’s hermeneutical method has helped him understand Asian Theology and also appreciate Laudato Si’ and Misericordiae Vultus, two documents recently promulgated by Pope Francis.
The former is on the Care of Mother Earth while the latter to launch the Jubilee Year of Mercy. The audience, coming not only from UST but also from universities and seminaries around Metro-Manila as well as the provinces, appreciated Chia’s efforts of contextualising Schillebeeckx’s theology and making it relevant for the contemporary culture.
UST (founded in 1611) is one of the oldest and most prestigious university in Asia, has more than 40,000 students and confers ecclesiastical degrees.
From dawn to dusk students are seen by the hundreds popping in at the university’s chapel for brief moments of personal prayer before classes. Its community will play a significant role in preserving the legacy of Fr. Edward Schillebeeckx, whose theology has shaped much of the post-Vatican II church around the world.
A message from the Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers.
Want to experience all the excitement and atmosphere of the Jubilee Year in Rome? Register for the 2025 Staff Pilgrimage.
CEI and HELTA are pleased to invite you to join your Campus Community of Learning Advancement (CCoLA). CCoLA is a professional learning community focused on collaborative workplace learning.
Same day access to most newspapers from Australia and overseas. This comprehensive collection of full-text newspapers (text and image versions) encompasses more than 7,000 global news sources from 200...
ACU Co-Lab, in partnership with StartSomeGood, is launching its comprehensive Social Enterprise Series 2025, an eight-week program designed to equip aspiring changemakers with essential skills for est...
Staff are invited to request an additional survey item in the Student Evaluation of Learning and Teaching (SELT) survey for units that are offered in ACU Online Term 1 (202516) and Professional Term 2...
A message from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education Professor Tania Broadley: I would like to thank everyone across ACU who has welcomed me so warmly over the past few months.
Will you be leading or participating in an ACU recruitment process this year? Enrol in our new mandatory training module today to better understand ACU’s hiring practices.
The Higher Education Learning and Teaching Academy is hosting an online showcase featuring the most popular papers from our 2024 Showcase of Teaching and Learning event. Join us on Wednesday 26 March ...
In honour of Neurodiversity Celebration Week (17 - 23 March) the Access and Disability Service is proud to announce the launch of low sensory retreats across our campuses.
ACU will pilot disabling the Turnitin Artificial Intelligence (AI) Indicator tool. Read about the decision and how to provide sufficient evidence in cases of suspected academic misconduct.
The Library's AI Hub provides resources to build your confidence in using AI in an effective, ethical and responsible way.
A message from the Chief Operating Officer, Patrick Woods: As I approach my fourth month at ACU, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for the warm welcome I’ve received.
Harmony Week (17 - 23 March) is an annual celebration that recognises Australia’s diversity and brings together people from all different backgrounds.
All staff need to be aware of the University's responsibilities under the Educational Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000 and the accompanying National Code.
Congratulations to Associate Professor Jessica Russ-Smith who has been honoured with the 2024 Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning – the Neville Bonner Award for Indigenous Educa...
Beginning Thursday, 6 March these 15-minute power sessions will get you thinking about a range of contemporary topics and tools in higher education.
Join the Work-Integrated Learning Australia (WILA) conversation to explore how financial literacy impacts wellbeing and participation in unpaid WIL. Discover how placement design and delivery can maxi...
We offer a range of support programs and activities to ensure all students can make the most of their time at ACU. The student referral guide to support services outlines all our available student ser...
Changes to the process for casual staff to apply for conversion to ongoing employment took effect on Wednesday 26 February 2025, as a result of legislative changes.
Visit Service Central to access Corporate Services.