A BIBLICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL EXPLORATION

In this talk, Dr. Jack Mulder will discuss biblical, traditional, and philosophical ways to think of Jesus' nuclear family. Did Jesus have siblings? Was Mary a virgin throughout her life? Why do those questions matter for us? Join us to learn about and discuss these questions.

This event is co-sponsored by the Hope College departments of Religion and Philosophy and the Center for Ministry Studies.

Dr. Jack Mulder is the assistant director and co-founder of the Saint Benedict Institute. He is a native of Grand Rapids and a Hope College alumnus. Dr. Mulder studied philosophy and religion at Hope College before pursuing an MA and PhD in philosophy at Purdue University, where he wrote his dissertation on Kierkegaard. He was received into the Catholic Church while at graduate school. Dr. Mulder is the author of several books, including Kierkegaard and the Catholic Tradition, What Does it Mean to Be Catholic? (Eerdmans, 2015), and Civil Dialogue on Abortion (Routledge, 2018). Currently, he is a professor of philosophy and the chair of the Philosophy Department at Hope College. Dr. Mulder is happily married to Melissa, an Associate Professor of Spanish Instruction at Hope, and he is the father of two children, Lucas and Maria.

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to pursue a religious vocation? Could God be calling you? How would you know? Join us for two simultaneous talks, one for women and one for men, in which you’ll hear Catholic religious share their personal stories of discerning and entering their vocations. There will be time for Q&A after the talks.

Fr. Eugene Batungbacal is a priest of the Diocese of Grand Rapids. He was ordained in 2010. He currently serves as the Assistant Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Hispanic Ministry of the diocese. He is in residence at St. Alphonsus Parish in Grand Rapids.

Sr. Josetta Rose entered the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in 2020 after serving as a FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) missionary at Ball State University. She is originally from Minnesota. After professing her first vows in August 2023, she joined the community’s vocation team and is pursuing an MA in catechetics and evangelization online at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. She likes rollerblading, art, being outside, and sharing Jesus with people. 

Sr. Fiat joined the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in 2016 after graduating college. Before entering the convent, she served as a NET (National Evangelization Teams) missionary ,where she discovered her love of evangelization. As a sister, she has taught middle school and now serves on the vocations team for her community. In this role, she is honored to help women discover their vocations, preach the gospel to many, and watch those she serves fall more deeply in love with Jesus! She is passionate about facilitating encounters with Jesus' kindness for others!

Did the universe have a beginning? Was it created? Are these the same question? And will the universe come to an end or last forever? This talk will discuss what Christian revelation, philosophy, and contemporary science have to say about these questions.

This event is cosponsored by the Dean for the Natural and Applied Sciences, the Physics Department, the Religion Department, and the Magi Project at the Collegium Institute. It is the second lecture in the Creation, Evolution, and Our Place in the Cosmos series hosted by the Saint Benedict Institute in fall 2023.

Stephen Barr is President of the Society of Catholic Scientists, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Delaware, and former Director of the Bartol Research Institute. He earned a Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University in 1978. Professor Barr does research in theoretical particle physics, especially grand unified theories, theories of CP violation, neutrino oscillations, and particle cosmology. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (2011). He is the author of Modern Physics and Ancient Faith (University of Notre Dame Press, 2003).

African American Catholics have a rich and complicated history. At present, there are three million African American Catholics in the United States. Six African American Catholics have active formal causes for sainthood before the Vatican. Some of these figures escaped slavery and others died as recently as 1990. Any one (or more) of them could become the first canonized African American saint. Come hear Bishop Joseph N. Perry discuss the path to sainthood for some of these important figures.

Most Reverend Joseph N. Perry, a recently retired Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, is a professor of canon law at Mundelein Seminary, chair of African American Affairs for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the postulator for the cause of sainthood for Venerable Father Augustus Tolton (1854-1897), and a past vice-president of the board of the National Black Catholic Congress.

This event is co-sponsored by the Hope College Religion Department, the History Department, the Center for Ministry Studies, Campus Ministries, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, and Hope Catholics.

Modern Christian stories of “the good life” often assume faithful obedience leads to healthy, happy lives. Christians who are ill become recipients of prayer and care to buoy them back to health. However, despite medical advances, sometimes illness remains mysterious or untreatable. In addition, many patients with other forms of long-term illness receive benefits from medical treatment, yet continue to live with chronic pain, fatigue, and other types of physical and mental distress.

What does faithful and fruitful Christian discipleship look like for believers enduring long-term illness? For centuries, Protestant and Catholic theologies of “the virtues” have described the Spirit’s work through particular habits and dispositions to conform believers into the image of Christ. This panel explores the question: What resources and implications does the Christian virtue tradition have for believers and congregations when illness is chronic and ongoing? How might this tradition provide a pathway for chronically ill Christians and their communities to grow more deeply into “the good life” as redefined by Christ, and bear witness to the good news in a hurting world?

Join the Faith and Illness Initiative for this evening panel event, featuring Dr. Matthew Levering, James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, University of Saint Mary of the Lake; Dr. Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung, Professor of Philosophy, Calvin University; Rev. Wendy Haack, Healthcare Chaplain, Northwestern Medicine Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital; and Dr. Peter Jaggard, M.D., NorthShore University Health System; moderated by Dr. J. Todd Billings.

EVOLUTION, ECOLOGY, AND FAITH

One of the polarizing questions in today’s culture is the question of evolution and its relationship to faith. Many presume an antagonism between the theory of evolution and the Christian faith and find it difficult to conceive of a harmonious relationship between them. This lecture will address this apparent disjunct and consider the theory of evolution in light of the resources of the Catholic tradition. It will do so in the context of the implications of the debate for Christian anthropology and for a holistic understanding of the unique role of humans in creation as stewards and mediators.

This event is the first in our Creation, Evolution, and Our Place in the Cosmos series taking place in fall 2023.

Sister Damien Marie Savino, FSE, is a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist who has served as the Dean of Science and Sustainability at Aquinas College since 2016. She holds a doctorate in civil (environmental) engineering and a master’s degree in theology from the Catholic University of America, as well as a master’s degree in soil science from the University of Connecticut and a B.S. degree in biogeography from McGill University. She has lectured and written widely on questions at the interface between science and theology and ecology and faith. Sister Damien Marie is the director of the new “Educating for Laudato Si’ Initiative” sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist.

Our parish is holding a bilingual service on Divine Mercy Sunday that will include adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a recent devotion in the Catholic Church. It is founded on the revelations received by Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), a Polish nun, about the mercy of God. The chaplet consists of a set of prayers, commonly prayed with the help of a Rosary, but easily done without one due to its simplicity.

On April 30, 2000, Pope Saint John Paul II proclaimed the Second Sunday of Easter as "Divine Mercy Sunday" for the entire world. In 2002, the pontiff established that Divine Mercy Sunday be enriched with an indulgence.

Reading the Nicene Creed in Context

The Nicene Creed begins with the seemingly bland statement, “I believe in one God.” This claim is so familiar to us that we have lost sight of how truly shocking, radical, and controversial this doctrine was. In the early Church, Roman authorities saw the Christian teaching about one God as a threat to the social order, and Christians had to defend their belief even, at times, to the point of death. In this talk, Jared Ortiz will explore the opening line of the Nicene Creed by situating it in its historical context. The talk draws on his forthcoming book The Nicene Creed: A Scriptural, Historical, and Theological Commentary (Baker Academic) co-authored with Daniel Keating.

Jared Ortiz joined the faculty at Hope College in 2012. He teaches Catholic theology in the Department of Religion and is founder and executive director of the Saint Benedict Institute. Dr. Ortiz teaches courses on the Incarnation, church history, Catholic Christianity, the theology of the human person, and early Christianity.

Our friends at Hope College Students Cherishing Life are excited to host a speaker on campus on Wednesday, March 29, at 7:00 p.m. in the Bultman Student Center auditorium. Michael Kenney, President of Pro-Life Partners Foundation, will share a presentation titled "We Hold These Truths: The History of Abortion in America." We hope you will join us for this important discussion!

In asking his contemporaries what they wanted, Jesus points the way to an understanding of human beings as creatures ordered to desire. St. Augustine famously locates the center of our desire in the heart, and the proper object of our desire in God. But how well do we understand our desires, our wants, our longings? Not well enough, and perhaps not at all. In this talk, author and Hope College professor Richard Ray will tell the story of how a sacred journey to a sacred place resulted in a sacred purpose: the reordering of his desires and the reshaping of his heart.

This event is co-sponsored by the Hope College Departments of Kinesiology, Religion, and World Languages and Cultures, as well as the Fried Center for Global Engagement.

Richard Ray has been a member of the Hope faculty since 1982. During that time he also has served as the college’s chief academic officer (2010–2016), dean for the social sciences (2008–2010), and chair of the Department of Kinesiology (2003–2008). He was the college's head athletic trainer, and he developed the academic program in athletic training at Hope. He teaches courses in the athletic training program, First-Year Seminar, and Senior Seminar. In 2016 he completed a 500-mile walking pilgrimage on Spain’s Camino de Santiago. He teaches a Senior Seminar on pilgrimage and presents on this subject to church and community groups. He is the author of two books on his pilgrimage experiences, The Shape of My Heart: A Pilgrimage Remembrance and Walking Gratefully: A Camino Story.

Practical Advice for Living and Dating as Christian Men

Dinner Provided
DeVos Fieldhouse 2A07/08
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This event is open to the young men of Hope College! Please join the Saint Benedict Institute and Campus Ministries for a night of panel Q&A with the men of Hope Athletics for a discussion on living out your Christian faith, how you are called to treat women as a man of God, and practical advice on dating and marriage. Coaches include:

• Dave Blahnik – Men’s Soccer

• Connor Fowler – Men’s Soccer

• Andrew Hawken – Football 

• Scott Lokers – Men’s Golf

• Greg Mitchell – Men’s Basketball

• Brian Morehouse – Women’s Basketball

• Mark Northuis – Cross Country/Track & Field

• Moderated by Tim Schoonveld – Athletic Director

The Saint Benedict Institute is co-sponsoring an event hosted by the Markets & Morality student organization at Hope College and Western Theological Seminary: a screening of the documentary “The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai’s Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom,” followed by audience discussion with one of the film’s producers, Dr. Stephen Barrows, on Monday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre.

The public is invited.  Admission is free.  The event will also include free concessions.

Jimmy Lai was arrested in 2020 for his role in pro-democracy protests opposing China’s policies in Hong Kong and is currently in prison. As described in the film’s promotional materials, “When Hong Kong’s basic freedoms come under attack, media tycoon Jimmy Lai finds himself in the crosshairs of the state and must choose between defending Hong Kong’s long-standing liberties, or his own freedom.”

Lai had fled Maoist revolutionaries in China as a twelve-year-old in 1959 and began a new life in Hong Kong as a textile worker. In 1981, he founded Giordano, an international clothing retailer. He founded Next Media in 1990 in response to China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, and in 1995 founded the Apple Daily newspaper. Sovereignty over Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to China in 1997. The film’s materials continue, “As China retreated from its ‘one nation, two systems’ policy and began installing pro-Beijing leaders in Hong Kong, Jimmy became a leading voice against repressive policies.  Jimmy could have fled but he chose to stay, marching alongside millions of his fellow Hong Kongers in defense of freedom and democracy. He was soon arrested and jailed. International banks froze his assets. Apple Daily was raided and key executives arrested. In June 2021, Apple Daily printed its final edition and shut its doors.”

“The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai’s Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom” was developed by the Grand Rapids-based Acton Institute in association with Crossfire Productions and Iron Light Labs. Barrows is the institute’s chief operating officer. Prior to his work at Acton, he served as the executive vice president, provost, and dean of faculty at Aquinas College, where he was also a tenured associate professor of economics.

The Markets & Morality student organization aims to support and celebrate freedom of expression in the context of the liberal arts by hosting speakers and films on topics spanning the economic, political, and cultural aspects of human civilization, with a special concern for human flourishing as understood in Christian perspective.

Western Theological Seminary prepares women and men for Christian ministry around the world as pastors, chaplains, non-profit leaders, and church planters. Students and community members are encouraged to take a keen interest in the social, political, and economic events that affect the world, especially those that impact religious freedom or threaten to diminish the value of the individual created in the image of God.

Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college’s Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Father Robert Sirico, who is president emeritus and co-founder of the Acton Institute, will relate timeless biblical wisdom to contemporary issues through the address “The Economics of the Parables.”

The event is co-sponsored by the Markets & Morality student organization at Hope, the Saint Benedict Institute, and the Corpus Christi Foundation. The public is invited, and admission is free.

The lecture will be based on Sirico’s book of the same title, published this past May.  As described in the overview of the book, “In The Economics of the Parables, Rev. Robert Sirico pulls back the veil of modernity to reveal the timeless economic wisdom of the parables. Thirteen central stories — including ‘The Laborers in the Vineyard,’ ‘The Rich Fool,’ ‘The Five Talents,’ and ‘The Faithful Steward’ — serve as his guide, revealing practical lessons in caring for the poor, stewarding wealth, distributing inheritances, navigating income disparities, and resolving family tensions.”

In his capacity with the Acton Institute, Sirico lectures at colleges, universities, and business organizations throughout the U.S. and abroad. His writings on religious, political, economic, and social matters have been in publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the London Financial Times, the Washington Times, the Detroit News, and National Review. He is often called upon by members of the broadcast media for statements regarding economics, civil rights, and issues of religious concern, and has provided commentary for CNN, ABC, the BBC, NPR, and CBS' 60 Minutes, among others.

Sirico received his Master of Divinity degree from the Catholic University of America following undergraduate study at the University of Southern California and the University of London. During his studies and early ministry, he experienced a growing concern over the lack of training religious studies students receive in fundamental economic principles, leaving them poorly equipped to understand and address today's social problems. As a result of these concerns, he co-founded the Grand Rapids-based Acton Institute with Kris Alan Mauren in 1990.

In April 1999, Sirico was awarded an honorary doctorate in Christian ethics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, and in May 2001, Universidad Francisco Marroquin awarded him an honorary doctorate in social sciences. Sirico, who holds dual Italian and American citizenship, is a member of the prestigious Mont Pèlerin Society, the American Academy of Religion, and the Philadelphia Society, and is on the Board of Advisors of the Civic Institute in Prague. He also served on the Michigan Civil Rights Commission from 1994 to 1998.

His pastoral ministry has included a chaplaincy to AIDS patients at the National Institutes of Health. He is currently the Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in Grand Rapids.

The Saint Benedict Institute is excited about this upcoming event presented by Students Cherishing Life, a pro-life student group on the campus of Hope College. Students Cherishing Life is teaming up with Focus on the Family and the Colson Center to host Alexandra DeSanctis of the National Review at Dimnent Memorial Chapel on October 4. Ms. DeSanctis will address the topic of abortion with a talk titled “Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Our Culture and Disadvantages Women.” Registration or a Hope ID is required to attend. Find additional details in the graphic below.

In recent decades, the civil rights of religious freedom and medical conscience have been increasingly challenged, especially in the area of health care. These challenges have undermined the protection of human dignity. In this talk, Louis Brown will explore the current landscape of religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and civil rights in a range of health care concerns and issues. He will discuss current threats to religious freedom, the foundational importance of human dignity, and how Christians can respond to our contemporary situation.

Cosponsored by the Departments of Nursing, Political Science, Religion, and Philosophy; also cosponsored by Markets & Morality, the Pre-Law Society, and Constitution Day.

Louis Brown Jr., J.D. serves as the Executive Director of the Christ Medicus Foundation, a Catholic health ministry whose mission is to share the healing love of Christ in health care by (1) defending medical conscience rights and religious freedom, (2) advising and working with Catholic health care entities to expand access to Christ-centered pro-life medical care, and (3) providing the CURO Catholic health care community that serves the medical needs and whole person health of individuals and families. Louis received a Juris Doctorate from Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. He has worked as an attorney in private practice, for a state Catholic conference, and on Capitol Hill as a Congressman’s legislative counsel and liaison to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary. He has also served at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) where he oversaw the civil rights division of the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) under the supervision of the OCR Director and worked on medical conscience and religious freedom issues.  Brown sits on the board of directors of two Catholic health care entities. He also recently co-founded the Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance to provide a new voice for Christ-centered Catholic health care in the United States. He currently also serves as Associate Director of the Center for Law and the Human Person at the Catholic University Columbus School of Law. In Spring 2021, Louis was a law lecturer at the law school where he taught a course on human dignity and religious freedom in health care. Louis has published articles on religious freedom, pro-life health care or civil rights in The Hill newspaper, Public Discourse, and First Things. He has been quoted in news articles in the Angelus, National Review, The Pillar, National Catholic Register, and Catholic News Agency. Louis has testified on public policy matters in the state legislatures of Maryland, Florida, South Dakota, and Arkansas. Louis also serves on the board of advisors of the Religious Liberty Initiative at Notre Dame Law School.  Louis is passionate about his work for the Christ Medicus Foundation where its Catholic health care ministry, CURO, is an instrument of health and healing for its members. By God’s grace, CURO is helping its members pay for medical costs and helping its members to heal through Catholic health coaching, spiritual direction, Catholic wellness courses, and a spiritual health program centered in the Divine Physician, Jesus Christ.

This event features a live-streamed lecture by Prof. Thomas Forrest Kelly and Andrew Clark of Harvard and a live-streamed musical performance by the Harvard Glee Club. It is sponsored by the Harvard Catholic Forum as part of their Sacred Music series. The event is co-sponsored by the Saint Benedict Institute.

The Harvard Glee Club performs the musical settings for this joyful Mass with soloists, baritone choir, and organ, composed in 1967. Professor Thomas Forrest Kelly and Andrew Clark introduce the music with lecture and discussion about the history, structure, liturgical context, and musical significance of the piece.

This live-streamed lecture by Prof. Mary Hirschfeld of Villanova University is sponsored by the Harvard Catholic Forum as part of their Faith and Work series. It is co-sponsored by the Saint Benedict Institute.

Two trends —globalization and automation—are transforming the experience, organization, and character of work, and our best evidence suggests they will continue to do so over the next generation. Both trends spring from the imperative to maximize profits, and they seem to drive an inexorable increase in income inequality along with instability and fragmentation in the world of work. Some economists have responded by proposing schemes of income redistribution such as a “universal basic income,” but these define the good of both labor and business narrowly, primarily in monetary terms. By contrast, the Catholic intellectual tradition, with its fuller view of the human person and emphasis on the common good, suggests a more complex and rounded vision of work that could guide both policy and practice in the years to come.