Missiologist Fr. Andrew Recepcion of the Archdiocese of Caceres is scheduled to receive a National Book Award for his second book, “The Islands of Faith: Crossroads of Mission”.
Published by the Ateneo de Naga University Press, the book is the sole finalist and the winner for the Best Book in Theology and Spirituality.
The book features nine essays written for different occasions and gatherings and dwells on various topics relevant to the life and mission of the Catholic Church.
This volume highlights the author’s key points on the Philippine experience and its responses to globalization, migrant issues, and the ecumenical and environmental challenges addressed in the recent papal encyclical, Laudato Si’.
In a press statement, the award-giving body lauds the book as ” well-written, infused with the faith of a prophet, the hope of a professor and the compassion of a credible pastor”.
Now in its 41st year, the award is administered by the Manila Critics Circle and the National Book Development Board.
Recepcion will be honored alongside different Filipino authors, translators, book designers and publishers this coming February 24, 2024, at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City.
First launched during the first Saeculum Arts Colloquium in December 2022 in Naga City, the book will be presented on February 23 at the Divine Word Institute of Mission Studies in Tagaytay City.
Recepcion is a professor in missiology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and also serves as a spiritual formator at the Pontificio Collegio Filipino.
His first book, “God’s Global Household,” was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2013. He is also a published poet.
To order a copy of the book, visit Savage Mind: Arts, Books, Cinema, an independent bookshop in Naga. It is also available at Solidaridad Bookshop, Mt. Cloud in Baguio and in Vita Catolica in Legazpi City.