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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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

In a previous post, we considered how we might fruitfully read the Church’s magisterial documents on education. This post is a first attempt to apply some of the principles outlined there. It would seem that Catholic education—including Catholic higher education—is always about more than we think it is.  And it is good to have both…

In over a decade of conversations about magisterial teachings regarding Catholic higher education, I’ve found that there are often two conversations happening at the same time, a kind of polyphonic discourse unfolding simultaneously. These conversations are “polyphonic” in that on the surface (and in the center) of the dialogue, we were discussing the content of…

by Prof. Thomas Harmon This is part two of a series. Part 1 is entitled “The Catholic University: An Institution Dedicated to Bringing Faith and Reason Together“ What I’ve just charted out is the necessary background to understand what Ex corde ecclesiae says about the integration of knowledge, which simply means to put the knowledge…

by Prof. Thomas Harmon This is part one of a series. Part 2 is entitled Integrating Knowledge at a Catholic University Pope John Paul II’s apostolic constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae contains in its name the key to understanding the Catholic university. Ex Corde Ecclesiae is a Latin phrase that means “From the Heart of the…