A Man of Vision and Faithful Sentinel of Catholic Theology: Fr. Francisco Marin-Sola, O.P.

Abstract

On the occasion of the 500th year of the commemoration of Christianity’s coming to the Philippines, the Filipino people profoundly remember how God bestowed abundant graces to them. Proofs to this remembrance are the external and internal manifestation of gratefulness among the Filipino people. The milestones reached by the Church in the Philippines are not an invitation to blow the horns of triumphalism but a call to profound introspection and humility. Thus, remembering how God has sustained us for half a millennium leads us back to people whom God used as conduits of His overflowing mercy. In this paper, I focus on Fr. Francisco Marin-Sola, O.P., who has contributed significantly to Catholic theology. Fr. Marin, as he is fondly called, had ties with the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. It was in this institution that he was able to hone his virtues and skills as a student, teacher, and writer. This Dominican’s natural talent blended well with St. Thomas Aquinas’ framework that led to the production of works reflecting the latter’s genius. Fr. Marin’s most notable work is titled, The Homogeneous Evolution of the Catholic Dogma, a compilation of articles published in La Ciencia Tomista during the early 1900s. In this work, he used the term “evolution” to investigate the Catholic doctrine’s homogeneous growth, which at that time, many viewed as provocative and a deviation from tradition. Criticized at first, his docility and vigilance earned him respect from his contemporaries. This paper also explored Fr. Marin’s significant contribution to Catholic theology counting him as one of the greatest Dominicans who graced UST with his meaningful presence.