During September, the opening ceremonies for the 2026–2027 academic year took place at the institutions affiliated with the Faculty of Theology Saint Isidore of Seville: the San Juan de Ávila Theological Institute and the San Dionisio Higher Institute of Religious Sciences, both in the Diocese of Asidonia-Jerez; the San Leandro Theological Institute, in Huelva; and the San Pedro de Alcántara Theological Institute, in the Diocese of Coria-Cáceres.
The Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Dr Manuel Palma Ramírez, attended all three ceremonies, which also featured prominent academic participation from our institution, as the respective inaugural lectures were delivered by lecturers from the Faculty.
San Juan de Ávila Theological Institute and San Dionisio Higher Institute of Religious Studies
The first of these events took place on 17 September in the Diocese of Asidonia-Jerez. The day began at the Church of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite with the celebration of Holy Mass of the Holy Spirit, presided over by Monsignor José Rico Pavés, Bishop of Asidonia-Jerez. The academic ceremony then continued at the Bishop’s residence, with a welcome address by the prelate and the reading of the academic report for the previous academic year.
The inaugural lecture was delivered by Prof. José Manuel Sánchez-Romero Martín-Arroyo, a lecturer at the Faculty of Theology Saint Isidore of Seville, who gave a talk entitled ‘Magnifica humanitas in the face of the anthropological challenge’, focusing on some of the key contemporary questions surrounding the concept of the human person.
San Leandro Theological Institute
A week later, on 24 September, the academic year began at the San Leandro Theological Institute in Huelva.
The celebration began with Holy Mass of the Holy Spirit in the chapel of the Diocesan Seminary, presided over by Monsignor Santiago Gómez Sierra, Bishop of Huelva and moderator of the Institute, and concelebrated, amongst others, by the rector of the Diocesan Seminary, Mr Juan José Feria Toscano; the director of the Theological Institute, Bishop Cristóbal Robledo Rodríguez; and the Dean of our Faculty, Mr Manuel Palma Ramírez.
Following the Eucharistic celebration, the academic ceremony took place, during which Mr Manuel Palma delivered the inaugural lecture, entitled ‘The Anthropological Foundations of *Magnifica Humanitas*’. In his address, he explored the greatness of the human person and the challenges posed by new cultural narratives, particularly transhumanism, posthumanism and artificial intelligence, in the light of the encyclical *Magnifica Humanitas*.
His reflection highlighted the dignity of the person and the need for a holistic view of the human being in order to tackle new technological and cultural challenges. At the end of the ceremony, Monsignor Santiago Gómez Sierra officially declared the new academic year open.
The full inaugural lecture by Mr Manuel Palma can be viewed via the video published by the San Leandro Theological Institute. Watch the full inaugural lecture
San Pedro de Alcántara Theological Institute
Finally, on 25 September, the San Pedro de Alcántara Theological Institute, together with the Seminary and the other academic centres of the Diocese of Coria-Cáceres, celebrated the opening of the 2026–2027 academic year.
The day began with the Mass of the Holy Spirit, presided over by Bishop Jesús Pulido Arriero of Coria-Cáceres, in the Seminary’s Main Chapel. During the celebration, the seminarian Juan Pablo Puerto González was instituted into the ministry of lector.
The Seminary Auditorium then hosted the academic ceremony, which featured welcoming addresses by the bishop and the rector of the Seminary, Mr Roberto Rubio Domínguez. The inaugural lecture was delivered by Prof. Mr Antero Pascual Rodríguez, a lecturer at the San Isidoro Faculty of Theology in Seville, entitled ‘Seen by God to serve the heart’. His talk explored God’s gaze and the vocation to service as key elements for approaching the new academic and pastoral year.
The full inaugural lecture by Mr Antero Pascual Rodríguez can be viewed in the video published by the Diocese of Coria-Cáceres. Watch the full inaugural lecture
The three opening ceremonies have once again highlighted the close academic and ecclesiastical ties between the Faculty of Theology Saint Isidore of Seville and its affiliated centres, which were particularly evident this year both in the presence of the Dean at all three celebrations and in the participation of the Faculty’s lecturers in the respective inaugural lectures.
