SBI will host Jordan Joseph Wales, Associate Professor of Theology & John and Helen Kuczmarski Chair in Theology at Hillsdale College, for a discussion of AI and theology.
The life of the monks at Saint Meinrad Archabbey revolves around prayer and work for the love of God and neighbor. Located in the hills of rural southern Indiana, the monastery offers visitors a chance to experience a rhythm of life very different from our own. This immersion trip, sponsored by the Saint Benedict Institute, allows Hope students to enter into the rhythms of monastic life for a week, beginning with vigil prayers at 5:30 a.m. in the abbey church. The prayer is beautiful, the setting is tranquil, and the people are joyful. Please pray for the students who will attend this trip!
In 2025, our friends at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Grand Rapids, MI, will host a year-long choral festival called Palestrina 500, celebrating the quincentennial birthday of the great Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Palestrina 500 will showcase a number of ensembles, including the Hope College Chapel Choir. Composed of students across various majors, the Chapel Choir is united by their love of music and commitment to communicating stories. The Saint Benedict Institute is underwriting the Chapel Choir’s appearance at Palestrina 500 along with the Ashby family.
The Saint Benedict Institute is holding a special vespers prayer service on October 26 at the Saint Anne Oratory in Graves Hall. Prayers will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be led by our Catholic chaplain, Fr. Nick Monco. Following prayers there will be a reception at the Haworth Inn from 6-7 p.m.
Our event is part of a larger “One Big Weekend” celebration at Hope College on October 25-26, in which alumni, families, students, and friends are coming to campus for two days of events celebrating Hope's past, present, and future.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the founding of SBI, giving us cause to celebrate along with the college! The institute has grown leaps and bounds these past ten year as God has blessed our work, allowing us to become not only a source of support to the Catholic students and faculty on campus, but also a provider of programs and activities that give spiritual support to Protestant students as well.
We expect our time of prayer to be uplifting. The reception at the Haworth Inn will be a great chance to renew old friendships and make new ones. It will also be an opportunity to hear about SBI’s past, present, and plans for the future.
Did you know that some religious orders have their own unique liturgical traditions?
The Order of Preachers, commonly known as the Dominican Order, has its own rite of Mass which is its own distinct version of the traditional Latin Mass. Attend this rarely celebrated liturgy with a short lecture by Rev. Nicholas Monco, O.P. and lunch afterwards.
Mass is open to anyone but the lunch and lecture are for Hope College students only as part of SBI's Sunday School 2.0 series.
Did you know that some religious orders have their own unique liturgical traditions?
The Order of Preachers, commonly known as the Dominican Order, has its own rite of Mass which is its own distinct version of the traditional Latin Mass. Attend this rarely celebrated liturgy with a short lecture by Rev. Nicholas Monco, O.P. and lunch afterwards.
Mass is open to anyone but the lunch and lecture are for Hope College students only as part of SBI's Sunday School 2.0 series.
Perhaps no issues today are more contentious and more divisive than those surrounding sex and gender. Indeed, the questions have even irreparably divided some churches. Christians hold widely differing views, each side claiming biblical support and moral authority. Is it even possible to have a conversation with those who disagree? Can we talk in a way that brings more light than heat? Can we find points of agreement even while disagreeing? Can we evaluate each other's arguments and move toward the truth? The Saint Benedict Institute thinks we can.
The Saint Benedict Institute is hosting attorney John Bursch and Dr. Megan DeFranza for an evening of civil dialogue on sex and gender. Mr. Bursch has written a recent book defending the Catholic Church's views on gender. Dr. DeFranza is known for her scholarly work concerning intersex people and gender minorities. Both approach these matters with a Christian lens. Both are seasoned practitioners of civil exchange and are eager to model how Christians can explore hard questions without demonizing those who hold other views.
This event is co-sponsored by the Provost's Office, the Dean for Arts & Humanities, the Pre-Law Society, and the Department of Philosophy.
John Bursch is the senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom. He has argued 12 US Supreme Court cases, including cases defending the Catholic Church’s teachings on marriage and sexuality. His most recent book, Loving God’s Children: The Church and Gender Ideology, was published in August 2023.
Megan DeFranza is a counselor, author, speaker, and filmmaker. She holds a Ph.D. in religious studies with a concentration in sex, gender, and sexuality. Her books include Sex Difference in Christian Theology: Male, Female, and Intersex in the Image of God. Additionally, she directed the documentary “Stories of Intersex and Faith.”
Did you know that some religious orders have their own unique liturgical traditions?
The Order of Preachers, commonly known as the Dominican Order, has its own rite of Mass which is its own distinct version of the traditional Latin Mass. Attend this rarely celebrated liturgy with a short lecture by Rev. Nicholas Monco, O.P. and lunch afterwards.
Mass is open to anyone but the lunch and lecture are for Hope College students only as part of SBI's Sunday School 2.0 series.
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!
A new exhibition, Transforming Matter: Incarnation, Sacraments, and Saints in Catholic Art and Devotion, opens at the Hope College Kruizenga Art Museum on Friday, January 12, and runs through May 18. The exhibition is free and all are welcome.
Transforming Matter was curated by five students from the Hope Catholics student organization working under the supervision of Professor of Religion and SBI Executive Director Jared Ortiz. The exhibition features 25 artworks that reflect different aspects of Catholic theology and religious practice. Artworks in the exhibition include paintings, prints, sculptures, and liturgical objects that range in date from the late fifteenth to the early twenty-first centuries. All of the artworks in the exhibition belong to the Kruizenga Art Museum’s permanent collection.
“The Christian religion is gritty,” explains Professor Ortiz. “God became flesh and appeared as a baby born in a barn in a forgotten corner of the Roman empire. He lived through every stage of human existence—from a little tiny embryo to a full-grown adult—in order to restore every stage of human life back to communion with God. He was killed on a cross and buried in a stone tomb, but was rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. God did this to save us, that is, to redeem us from sin and death so that we might be healed and made “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). This is the great mystery of Christianity: God became what we are so that we can become what he is. The exhibition curated by my students explores the many ways that God enters into created reality to transform it for our salvation.”
The exhibition is divided into five thematic sections: Incarnation, Sacraments, Saints, End Times, and the Global Church. Each section contains a selection of artworks that illustrate different aspects of the section’s theme. The artworks were chosen by the five student curators both for their relevance to the themes and for their aesthetic qualities and how they look displayed together. "As a student curator, I was surprised and delighted by how much Catholic artwork was available for us to choose from,” said Karlie Platz. “The pieces we considered came from all over the world and were varied in their artistic style, reminding me of the universality and diversity of the Catholic Church. I think the artwork we chose reflects visibly the often invisible reality of a God who has entered and always continues to enter into our human condition. It was a pleasure and an honor to be part of this exhibition, and I hope visitors are as moved when viewing it as I was when selecting it."
Among the highlights of the exhibition is an astonishing engraving created by French artist Claude Mellan in 1649. It depicts the Veil of Veronica, a cloth that is said to have had the face of Jesus Christ divinely imprinted on it after it was used by a kindly woman to wipe Christ’s face as he was carrying the cross to Golgotha. The entire image of the cloth with the holy face is depicted using a single line that spirals outward from the tip of Christ’s nose, a remarkable feat of printmaking that has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. Another notable artwork in the exhibition is a splendid silver monstrance—a vessel used to display the Eucharistic host—that was created by artists in the Philippines in the late eighteenth century. This exhibition marks the first time this monstrance, and several other artworks, have been made available for public viewing.
The Kruizenga Art Museum is located at 271 Columbia Avenue, between 10th and 13th streets. Public visiting hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to the museum is always free.
The Kruizenga Art Museum functions as an educational resource for Hope College and the greater West Michigan community. The museum features two public galleries as well as a study room and climate-controlled storage space for its 7,000-object permanent collection. It is named in honor of a leadership gift from the late Dr. Richard and Margaret Kruizenga of Holland, both of whom graduated from Hope in 1952.
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.
This event is hosted by the Girod Chair at Western Theological Seminary and co-sponsored by the Saint Benedict Institute. The panel discussion will be recorded. Register to receive a link with the recording.
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.
Presented by our friends at the Harvard Catholic Forum and co-presented by the Harvard Catholic Center
Live-Streamed Event
Bishop Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, explores some foundational themes in the Catholic intellectual tradition, including God, the human person, sin and grace, society, and freedom. All flow from Christology, our understanding of Jesus, so that, as St. Bonaventure said, Christ is truly found at the center of all the disciplines pursued in the university.
This event is made possible through the support of grant #62372 from the John Templeton Foundation, “In Lumine: Promoting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Campuses Nationwide.”
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
Scan the QR code to sign up!
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.
The Markets & Morality student organization at Hope College and the Saint Benedict Institute are co-hosting the presentation “Cuba: Homeland and Life!” on Monday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m. in Winants Auditorium of Graves Hall. The public is invited. Admission is free. The presentation will also be livestreamed at hope.edu/live and via the Hope College YouTube channel.
The event will feature personal testimonies from Miguel Abrahantes of the Hope College engineering faculty and Holland resident Amaurys Rodriguez-Matos. The title is inspired by the hip-hop song “Patria y Vida” (“Homeland and Life”), which has served as an anthem for protesters against Cuba’s government. The title plays on the slogan “Homeland or Death” (“Patria o Muerte”) from the Cuban revolution of the 1950s. The song, which has garnered more than ten million views on YouTube since being released in February 2021, won the Latin Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Urban Song this past November.
Cuban-native Miguel Abrahantes is a professor of engineering and department chair at Hope College. He received his engineering doctorate in control systems from the Universidad Nacional del Sur in Argentina in 2000 and has been a teaching at Hope since 2003.
Amaurys Rodriguez-Matos, a university professor from Cuba, arrived in the United States in December 2016 with his wife and four children. The Rodriguez-Matos family came into the U.S. just in time to qualify under the Cuban Haitian Entry Program for refugees from these countries. The family was sponsored by St. Francis de Sales Church in Holland, received housing initially from Grace Episcopal Church, and has since been the recipient of a Habitat for Humanity home in Holland.
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.
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. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope.edu/calendar.
The life of the monks at Saint Meinrad Archabbey revolves around prayer and work for the love of God and neighbor. Located in the hills of rural southern Indiana, the monastery offers visitors a chance to experience a rhythm of life very different from our own. This immersion trip, sponsored by the Saint Benedict Institute, allows Hope students to enter into the rhythms of monastic life for a week, beginning with vigil prayers at 5:30 AM in the abbey church. The prayer is beautiful, the setting is tranquil, and the people are joyful. Come join us!
The Daniel Harrington S.J. Memorial Lecture (In-Person and on Zoom)
Professor Jon D. Levenson, Harvard Divinity School
Presented by: The Harvard Catholic Forum
Co-Sponsored by: The Saint Benedict Institute, St. Peter’s Parish, Catholic Parishes of Arlington, and the Lumen Christi Institute
One of the best known but least understood obligations in the Hebrew Bible is the commandment to love God. Among the misconceptions that prevent a good understanding of it are the tendency to think of the sexual as the highest form of love and the related assumption that love is primarily an affect. This lecture will seek to place the commandment in its ancient Near Eastern context and briefly to illuminate its complications and ramifications in the Hebrew Bible, with the aid of instructive examples from rabbinic tradition and human relations more generally. The goal will be to recover a concept that relates humankind’s love of God to God’s own love and that moves beyond such simplistic dichotomies as love versus law, affection versus action, and universalism versus particularism.
Jon D. Levenson is List Professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard Divinity School. His scholarship concentrates on the interpretation of the Jewish Bible over the centuries, on philosophical and theological issues in biblical studies, and on the relationship of Judaism and Christianity, both in antiquity and in modern times. Amonghis numerous books and dozens of articles are The Love of God: Divine Gift, Human Gratitude, and Mutual Faithfulness in Judaism (Princeton, 2016); Inheriting Abraham: The Legacy of the Patriarch in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Princeton, 2012); and Resurrection: The Power of God for Jews and Christians (with Kevin J. Madigan) (Yale, 2008). He received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from Harvard, where he has taught since 1988.
