SMU classes cancelled?!

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

Stay warm, everyone!

Honoring the Legacy of Martin Luther King

Lots of opportunities on campus today!

Monday, January 20, 2014

12:45 PM

~

I Have a Dream, Toner Dining Room

Xavier Wilson, Winona State University

3:30 PM

~

Solidarity Council Discussion, Cardinal Club, Tone

r

Center

Emerging Leaders Among the Millennials:

MLK's Inspiration on Young Leaders Today

4:30 PM

~

Academic Panel, President’s Dining Room, Toner Center

MLK Day and the Legacy of Black Leadership:

When Commemoration and History Collide

Tycho de Boer, PhD, History

Erin Mae Clark, PhD, English

7:00 PM

~

Martin Luther King

, Jr.

Prayer Service, Toner Lounge

Pastor W. L. Green, Presiding

Senior Pastor of New Beginnings Church, Winona

Scott Patterson, piano & voice

Adia Dobbins, voice

7:45 PM

~

Reception, Page Center Lobby

8:15 PM

~

Freedom Day Concert, Figliulo Recital Hall, Performance Center

Scott Patterson, piano & voice

Adia Dobbins, voice

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/

Merry Christmas to all!

From Evangelii Gaudium, for all pastoral ministers (current and future!)

76. I feel tremendous gratitude to all those who are committed to working in and for the Church. Here I do not wish to discuss at length the activities of the different pastoral workers, from bishops down to those who provide the most humble and hidden services. Rather, I would like to reflect on the challenges that all of them must face in the context of our current globalized culture. But in justice, I must say first that the contribution of the Church in today’s world is enormous. The pain and the shame we feel at the sins of some members of the Church, and at our own, must never make us forget how many Christians are giving their lives in love. They help so many people to be healed or to die in peace in makeshift hospitals. They are present to those enslaved by different addictions in the poorest places on earth. They devote themselves to the education of children and young people. They take care of the elderly who have been forgotten by everyone else. They look for ways to communicate values in hostile environments. They are dedicated in many other ways to showing an immense love for humanity inspired by the God who became man. I am grateful for the beautiful example given to me by so many Christians who joyfully sacrifice their lives and their time. This witness comforts and sustains me in my own effort to overcome selfishness and to give more fully of myself. 

--Pope Francis


Read the rest here.

The End of Semester Cookie Hour!

...also known as an advent party, Christmas party, end of year party, and study break.

All friends of theology invited!

Thursday, Dec 12, 2013

2-3pm

The Theology Suite (SM 223)