Dr. Beal's book is published!

Mystery of the Church, People of God: Yves Congar's Total Ecclesiology as a Path to Vatican II, from Catholic University of America Press.

Now you have your Christmas reading....

Our department congratulates Dr. Beal!

Celebration of Scholarship: April 11, 2014

Come and support the research of some of our upperclass students in Theology and Pastoral Ministry!

Saint Mary’s Hall
Room 202
9:00-10:15
1. Ashley Walz: “‘Ordain a Lady?’ An Analysis of the Ordination of Women”
This presentation takes a critical approach to discussing the history, differing viewpoints and arguments made in the discussion of female ordination.
2. Charles Keyes: “Iconography in the Time of Iconoclasm”
Iconoclasm acted as a major controversy in the 8th and 9th centuries. This presentation considers its causes and effects.
3. Ashley Cermak: “The Theology of the Body in the Liturgy of the Eucharist: a Key to Active Participation in the Mass”
This paper examines John Paul II's Theology of the Body to better understand the hermeneutic of the gift and spousal implications of the eucharistic liturgy.

"Ukraine: The Political, Historical, and Religious Background of a Revolution"

Presentations on understanding the current challenges in Ukraine, and Q & A with Drs. David Lynch (Political Science), Erich Lippman (History), and Susan Windley-Daoust (Theology).

Thursday, March 20
President's Room
7pm

Sponsored by the Peace and Justice club, refreshments provided.

2014 Aquinas Lecture: Dr. John Knasas, "Fides et Ratio: Or, My Life in Thomism"

 

"I'm in a mind-mapping state of mind"

(My apologies to Billy Joel)

In these last few days before break, you may want to set up a meeting with your advisor to discuss the National Standards for Lay and Ecclesial Ministry--either for the end of this week or just after break.  Creating a mind-map, or working with the Google docs form (in beta!), is an optional but important part of your own self-assessment as a student discerning lay ministry in the Church.  A completed mind map can be a useful introduction of yourself within a portfolio as well, electronic or not.

This option has been introduced in Th 209 and Th 460, but if you are interested, please feel free to fool around with the options and make an appointment with your Theology department advisor.

And the winner of the SMU Elevator Pitch competition is...

PYM major Kelsi Watters!

Congrats to Kelsi for crafting and delivering the best one minute pitch to convince an "elevator rider" to support her cause.

Congrats to PYM Major Ashley Walz

Ashley and her student colleagues in Psychology were accepted by the American Psychological Association (APA) to present their research at their National Conference in Washington, D.C.  The title of the project is "The Body is a Temple: Does One's Relationship With God Affect One's Body Image?"

The conference will take place this summer, August 7th-10th, 2014.

Ashley is presenting in the Health Psychology Division, rather than the Student Research Division, which is an additional honor!


Congrats, Ashley!

Reminder: Essay Contest, win $500 and scholarship money

OBSCULTA

Journal of Theology

Saint John’s School of Theology∙Seminary 

Call for Submissions

Submissions are now being accepted for the 2014 edition of Obsculta, the theological journal published by Saint John’s School of Theology∙Seminary. 

 

·         Essays may be on any topic of theology as long there is a connection or comparison to Christianity.

·         Papers should follow the Turabian style with end notes.

·         Papers are to be submitted in electronic format, either as a Word document or a PDF file, to obscultaprize@csbsju.edu

·         Please also include for each submission:

o   The title and author name.

o   A single declarative sentence summarizing the highlights of your paper.

o   An abstract of 300 words or less.

o   Three key words that categorize relevant topics in your paper (i.e. for key word search).

o   A list of scriptural references used in the work, organized sequentially as found in the Catholic Bible.

·         Must be submitted by the deadline of March 1, 2014.

 

We look forward to hearing from you!  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

 The 2014 Editors at Obsculta

Saint John's School of Theology

Collegeville, Minnesota

Samples of past journals can be found in our institutional repository:

http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/obsculta/

St. John's School of Theology website:  www.csbsju.edu/sot

Submit entries to:  obscultaprize@csbsju.edu

Iconic News Photo from Kiev this week: Orthodox monks as peacemakers

 (Video: Typical evening in Kiev this week.)

And THE photo.

What part does religion play in the "Euromaidan Revolution" in Kiev right now?  An excellent blog called "Get Religion" is written by religion beat journalists, self-critiquing their guild.  They make a great case for why we all need to be more religiously literate in order to be good global citizens.

First article: what's missing in mainstream coverage on Kiev right now.
Second article: supplies more of the faith angle that is missing..

SMU classes cancelled?!

Yes--on Monday, January 27th, due to extreme weather.

Stay warm, everyone!

Welcome back!

Anyone returning from Israel/Palestine or India?  Tell us about it by writing up a paragraph on what you learned and experienced for possible printing on this blog!

Regardless of your winter break adventures or lack thereof, we're happy to see you back.  The candy dish in the Suite is replenished and waiting for you.  Enjoy getting to know your first classes!

Theology essay contest, $500 and 50% tuition at SJU prize.

Saint John’s School of Theology sponsors an essay contest for college juniors and seniors each academic year. 

The winner of this essay contest will receive a $500 cash prize and a 50% tuition scholarship to the School of Theology, should she or he enroll in a graduate degree program. 

The winning essay will also be published in Obsculta, our graduate student journal for writing and art.

Obsculta is the opening word of the Rule of Benedict, which has shaped the life of Benedictines around the world for over 1,500 years. The full opening phrase is “Listen with the ear of your heart.” This simple admonition shapes not only the life of our Benedictine monastic community but also the way we do our theology and preparation for ministry in the School of Theology. In a world where people too often speak first and ask questions later, we seek to listen—to listen for the voice of the Spirit in scripture, tradition, each other and the world in which we live today. We seek essays in that spirit for the Obsculta prize. 

Essays submitted for consideration can be on any topic of Christian theology.

This includes comparative studies of other religions, pastoral or practical theology, and disciplines such as scripture, history, etc.

Criteria:

· the significance and compelling character of the topic

· the quality of the research, analysis, and synthesis; the clarity, coherence, and persuasiveness of the argument

· overall writing style and creativity

· no more than 15 pages or 4,000 words

· 12 point font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins

· adherence to the Chicago Manual of Style

Submission Deadline: March 1, 2014

Eligibility Requirements: College Junior or Senior

For additional information e-mail obscultaprize@csbsju.edu

Last year’s publication is available for online viewing at:

http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/obsculta/

Two things to remember this time of year

and

Want to present your research?

This is a great opportunity to present research done in Theology or any of your other courses...and this sort of thing looks especially good if you are applying to graduate schools. If you are interested, the deadline for registering and sending in an abstract for approval is Friday, Oct 25. Anyone in the department would be happy to talk to you about this conference and research papers that could be appropriate, but there is also a lot of information at the link below. Consider it!

 (This was the letter sent to faculty:)

You and your students are encouraged to register by this Friday, October 25 for this year’s Seven Rivers Undergraduate Research Symposium. The symposium takes place on Viterbo University’s campus in La Crosse, WI on Friday, November 8, 2013.  This symposium showcases the research and creative works of over 200 undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines and institutions, and all interested students and faculty on your campus are encouraged to participate.

There is no cost to participate, though all attendees and presenters MUST register via the link below.  We hope that you will encourage the following groups to participate:

·         students who have completed research/creative works on or off-campus or as part of a course,
·         students who may be interested in completing research projects in the future (presenting is not a prerequisite for attendance), and/or
·         colleagues at your institution who you think might be interested in attending.

The symposium will run from 11am to 5pm (check-in occurs from 10-11am) and includes a keynote address; lunch (provided); and oral, poster, and creative works presentations by students from the tri-state area.  To ensure that all are able to participate, please remind students that there is no fee for presenting or attending.

As was the case last year, there is a single deadline and online form for both registration and abstract submission.
DEADLINE TO REGISTER and SUBMIT ABSTRACTS: THIS Friday, October 25, 2013. 

The online registration and abstract submission form as well as additional information about the event can be found online at http://www.viterbo.edu/sevenrivers/. 

The keynote speaker for this year’s symposium will be Dr. Tim Kasser.  Tim Kasser, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.  He has written numerous scientific articles and book chapters on materialism, values, ecological sustainability, and quality of life, among other topics.  He is also the author of The High Price of Materialism (MIT Press, 2002) and Lucy in the Mind of Lennon (Oxford University Press, 2013).  Tim works extensively with a variety of activist and civil society organizations that protect children from commercialization, promote ecological sustainability, and encourage a more “inwardly rich” lifestyle than what is offered by consumerism.

If you have any questions, please email us at sevenrivers@viterbo.edu.  Thank you in advance for encouraging your students and colleagues to attend, and I look forward to seeing you in November!

Want information about Theology (and other) majors?

Save the date: October 22, 4-6pm, Toner Center!

Lecture: "Pope John Paul II and St. Thomas Aquinas on the Image of God in the Communion of Persons"

Presented by the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Minor:

Dr. Kevin Rickert

"Pope John Paul II and St. Thomas Aquinas on the Image of God in the Communion of Persons"

Tuesday, October 8; 7:30pm

President's Room

All are welcome, refreshments provided.

Are you a first year or transfer student? Want to learn more about Theology majors and minors?

Ok, no name tag required.

 Today, Oct 3

Saint Mary's 222

3:10pm (two sessions back to back)

We'll be happy to meet you and talk about all the possibilities!

Study Abroad Fair: Sept 26 11am-2pm

Study Abroad Fair

September 26, 2013

 11-2 in the Toner President's Room

Cross/Purpose Art Exhibit at Lillian Hogan Art Gallery (Toner Center)

Christ in the Clock, Marc Chagall

This is an amazing exhibit of modern artwork that interprets the cross of Christ at the Hogan gallery until Sept 30.  Of course, it is free: please go see it--the exhibit even includes a work by Marc Chagall, one of the foremost painters of the 20th century.

A great deal more about it here.  This traveling exhibit is sponsored by CIVA, Christians in the Visual Arts.

Have you written a paper on John Paul II?

2013 Pontifical John Paul II Institute Essay Contest

Topic:

“In reality it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man truly becomes clear . . . Christ . . . in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of his love, fully reveals man to himself.” (Gaudium et spes, 22) Write an essay commenting on the meaning of this passage from Gaudium et spes for the relationship of “continuity and fulfillment” between faith and reason, referring also to following quotation from Fides et Ratio 43, concerning the synthesis of Thomas Aquinas: “Faith therefore has no fear of reason, but seeks it out and has trust in it. Just as grace builds on nature and brings it to fulfillment, so faith builds upon and perfects reason. Illumined by faith, reason is set free from the fragility and limitations deriving from the disobedience of sin and finds the strength required to rise to the knowledge of the Triune God. Although he made much of the supernatural character of faith, the Angelic Doctor did not overlook the importance of its reasonableness; indeed he was able to plumb the depths and explain the meaning of this reasonableness. Faith is in a sense an 'exercise of thought'; and human reason is neither annulled nor debased in assenting to the contents of faith, which are in any case attained by way of free and informed choice.”
Make sure that your essay also addresses the following questions:  What does the revelation brought about in Christ say about reason’s thirst for Truth? In what sense is the exercise of reason required in order to grasp the answer that Christ’s revelation sheds on the mystery of man? Why is philosophy still needed after Christ’s revelation?

Winner: $2000 (!)

Due date: Oct 1, 2013

See the link above for more detail.