The School of Theology of the University of Navarra celebrated on Thursday, November 5, an academic act in homage to Professor Marcelo Merino on the occasion of his retirement. internship It was attended by all the professors of the faculty of the School, as well as by students and friends. Professor Merino's latest work, Gregorio de Nacianzo, Discursos I-XV, was presented. The book brings together in a bilingual edition these writings of the Nazianzus, most of which are published for the first time in Spanish language . The work has been published jointly by Ciudad Nueva and the School of Theology of the University of Navarra, and constitutes the first volume of a series of seven that will form the complete work of this Father of the Church.

Domingo Ramos-Lissón, Full Professor emeritus of the School of Theology of the University of Navarra, traced a brief biography of the honored professor, who was born on January 25, 1945 in Valencia de don Juan, a town in the province of Leon that in the Age average was called Coyanza. There, in 1055, a council was held that went down in history because it was decided that all of Hispania would change to the Roman rite. Don Marcelo was ordained priest on June 1, 1969 and since 1971 he has lived in Pamplona, where he obtained his doctorate in Theology with a thesis on the Christian conversion in San Justino, work directed by Don Domingo. His mastery of Greek opened the doors to patristic studies. Later he obtained a degree in Sciences from the University of Navarra, Education . "Don Marcelo has a passion for the task professor", he pointed out.

Professor Merino realized the need to translate patristic wisdom. His first book was the translation of"El elogio del maestro cristiano" by Gregorio el Taumaturgo, published in the issue 10 of the collection Library Services de Patrística of the publishing house Ciudad Nueva. Professor Ramos-Lissón pointed out that Don Marcelo accepted at the time the commission to prepare the edition of the Bible annotated by the Fathers of the Church on two conditions: that the edition prepared by the School of Theology of the University of Navarra be used and that the translation into Spanish be made directly from the original texts, not from the English translation. Later, Gabriel Revuelta, director of the publishing house Ciudad Nueva, recalled that Don Marcelo had set a third condition: that the great work be published in this Madrid-based publishing house , a reference for Patristics. This Bible is a "quixotic work that will have 30 volumes and we hope it will be finished in 2017," Revuelta pointed out.

"The University of Navarra has been my 'alma mater'."

In his words of gratitude, Professor Merino recalled various moments of his priestly and academic pathway . He evoked some events of special significance in the years lived at the University, and expressed his appreciation to the publishing house Ciudad Nueva where he has published most of his patristic works. "The University of Navarra has been my 'alma mater' and the publishing house Ciudad Nueva my 'corpus regis' ".

The Dean of the School of Theology, Professor Juan Chapa, highlighted the spirit of work and the tenacity that has always characterized the life of Don Marcelo. "Many Saturday mornings I have seen the shutter of his office raised. His work is constant, methodical, tireless." But Don Marcelo has not lived alone for the Fathers of the Church; "he has never ceased to carry out the pastoral task proper to a priest," recalled Professor Chapa. Thus, he began the high school Mayor Albaizar, was the first chaplain of high school Miravalles and has attended to the Community of the Daughters of St. Mary of the Heart of Jesus, in Barañain. "He has spent a good part of his life forming priests and future priests. I am sure that St. Josemaría would be proud to see the life of work made a reality in Fr. Marcelo, who has spread the name of School of Theology at the University of Navarre to many countries," he concluded.