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Four Lessons for a Catholic University from Newman on his Feast Day
by George A. Harne A version of these remarks was offered on the Feast of Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman in the Faculty ‘Newman Room’ at the University of St. Thomas on 9 October 2023. Welcome to all who have joined us on this feast and welcome to a very special place here on our…
Catholic, University? OR . . . University, Catholic?
by Samuel B. Condic Catholic, University? OR . . . University, Catholic? A reflection for my fellow long-hairs In the standard Aristotelian scientific nomenclature, a species is marked out or distinguished from all others through its specific difference. Syntactically, this is done by listing the genus first, followed by a comma, and then the specific…
Evangelization and the Catholic University
In a recent conversation with a friend about our university’s mission, I found myself feeling a bit like Ulysses, facing the twin dangers of Scylla on my right and Charybdis on my left (but thankfully, with no Wandering Rocks in sight). The question was twofold. Scylla On the one hand, how is our university different…
Four Fathers of the Core Renewal
If Dante may be permitted to place the Trojan Ripheus in Paradiso—Ripheus having been baptized more than a thousand years before Christ and sponsored by the theological virtues Faith, Hope, and Charity—perhaps we might be allowed the license to imagine the baptism of the renewed Core at the University of St. Thomas. If so, who…
Solidarity as the Basis of Community in University Life
It is common to speak of “community” when discussing our academic institutions. As Christians, we often hear the resonances between “community” and “communion” and allow these resonances to summon the suggestion of a sacramental vision of the classroom and the activities we undertake therein (as well as in other places on campus). But another angle…
What is the Primary Activity of a Catholic University? Intellectual Charity (Properly Understood)
Amid all of the good things that take place at a flourishing Catholic university, what is the essential activity that sets it apart from other Catholic institutions – such as Catholic hospitals, charities and parishes – and other universities that are not Catholic? In this year’s inaugural “Formation for Mission” seminar for new faculty and…