From August 11-13, the Catholic Biblical Association of the Philippines (CBAP) held its 19th Annual Convention at our Salesian settings, Don Bosco Technical Institute (DBTI) and Saint John Bosco Parish in Makati. The CBAP is the gathering of Catholic Bible Scholars and Professors in the Philippines. The Association was established in 2000, after an initial meeting of the Bible Scholars and Professors in 1999. To date, the association has about 60 active full time and associate members. The current president of the CBAP is a Salesian, Fr. Joel Camaya, SDB of the Philippines-North (FIN) Province. Fr. Camaya teaches Scriptures at Don Bosco Center of Studies (DBCS), our school of theology in Manila.
Since its foundation, the group has been holding an annual meeting in the form of a convention that features relevant topics in the field of Sacred Scripture—exegesis and biblical theology. In each of these annual meetings, there are keynote speakers chosen from among prominent Scripture scholars who would deliver a major paper. This year, 2018, the officers and members of the Board of Trustees invited Fr. Francis J. Moloney, SDB, from the Salesian Province of Australia (AUL) Fr. Moloney is a world-renowned New Testament scholar and one of the foremost authorities on the Gospel of John.
The theme of the CBAP Convention this year is “’Consecrated and Sent Into the World’ (John 10:36)” in synchrony with the Philippine Church’s celebration of the “Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons.”
The CBAP board envisioned this convention to be a venue for the sharing of reflections and insights with several kinds of audiences in mind, people to whom Fr. Moloney would speak in a span of three days: Bible scholars, consecrated men and women, and members of the clergy. At this suggestion, Fr. Moloney prepared three works, which were delivered in each of the three days: “Call and Mission, A Markan Reflection,” “The Foundation of the Church and Its Mission: A Johannine Reflection,” and “The Catholic Priesthood: A New Testament Reflection.” These three articles, along with two earlier works, “Pope Francis and Word of God in the Catholic Tradition,” and “Encountering Jesus: Exploring our Biblical Heritage” form the book entitled Biblical Reflections on Jesus, Vocation and Mission: 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines, co-published by the CBAP and DBCS.
After the plenary talk of Fr. Moloney on the first day, the reaction was given by Fr. Celestino Lingad, SDB, who also teaches at DBCS.
Fr. Joel Camarga, sdb
