On Friday, September 16th at 5:00 p.m. at Minor Hall Auditorium on the grounds of the University of Virginia, Reinhard Hütter, who is Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School, will present the first lecture of the year for the St. Anselm Institute.

His lecture is entitled, "The Lost Edges of the Modern Research University: A Catholic Philosophical Critique." During this lecture, Professor Hütter will examine the questions of the nature of the university and its relationship with the external culture. In particular, he will look to the Catholic intellectual tradition to help understand answers to these questions and to provide a framework for understanding what a university should be. This lecture is open to the public, and all are invited to attend.

More information about this lecture and Professor Hütter is available on the St. Anselm Institute website.

Are you interested in finding out more about the Catholic faith? Do you know someone who may want to become a Catholic? The The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) Process may be the answer.

RCIA is a process for people interested in inquiring about the Catholic Faith and for preparing for the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation.

"Becoming a Catholic" is a journey. A person enters the life of the Church through periods of study, faith sharing, Scripture reflection, and rites (steps along the way, celebrated with the parish faith community).

The usual culmination of this process is held during the Easter Vigil or during the Easter season.

RCIA is for:

• Adults who have never been baptize;
• Adults who have been baptized in another Christian denomination and wish to profess their faith as a Catholic Christia;
• Adults, baptized Catholic as infants, who have not had religious formation in the Catholic faith;
• Adults, baptized Catholic as infants, who have not celebrated the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist.

Holy Comforter offers a process for those who wish to inquire about the Catholic faith, and if so choose, join the Catholic Church. A person may begin the journey by contacting Father Dennis McAuliffe 434-295-7185, setting up an initial meeting and attending the regular RCIA sessions with the RCIA team. More details will be provided after the initial meeting with Father Dennis.

RCIA Class sessions for the year will be held on Sundays between the 8:30 and 11:00 masses (9:40-10:50) beginning Sunday, August 21 and continuing through Sunday, May 27, Pentecost. Interested adults are welcome to join these classes at any time.

For more information, including contact information, click here.

The Life and the Legacy of Pope John Paul II

On Friday, November 19th at 5:30 p.m. at Minor Hall Auditorium on the grounds of the University of Virginia. George Weigel -- Catholic intellectual, NBC Vatican analyst, New York Times bestselling author, and John Paul II biographer--will deliver a public lecture at the University of Virginia on his long awaited sequel The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II, The Victory of Freedom, and the Last Years, the Legacy (Doubleday). 

More than ten years in the making, this book tells the dramatic story of Pope John Paul II's heroic battles with communism in light of recently disclosed classified documents and brings to a conclusion Weigel's landmark portrait of the man who led the Catholic Church and changed the course of world history.

The lecture is sponsored by the St. Anselm Institute, and it is third lecture in the 2010-2011 public lecture series. All are invited.

The St. Anselm Institute at the University of Virginia will again this year host a number of guest lecturers throughout the academic year.

The first lecture is on Wednesday, October 7, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at Minor Hall. The lecture will be presented by Trent Pomplun who is an Associate Professor of Theology at Loyola University-Maryland. He will be presenting a talk based on his book Jesuit on the Roof of the World (Oxford). The book presents the adventures of the Jesuit missionary priest Ippolito Desideri who lived in Tibet from 1715 to 1721. The lecture is open to the public.

At just around an hour and half's drive from Charlottesville, Christendom College is an accessible gem for many reasons. One reason is that the college offers a top rate college education from a truly Catholic perspective and an in the midst of a cultural and academic environment that is faithful to the Magisterium and the Holy Father. Another reason is that the school offers many opportunities to student and non-students throughout the year.

During the summer, the school has a number of these opportunities, including opportunities for high school juniors and seniors. One program allows rising juniors and seniors to experience Christendom firsthand by spending a week on campus. Currently, there are several spots available for the July 18-25 session. More information can be found on the "Experience Christendom" Summer Program page.

Another program, which is also for rising juniors and seniors, is a Latin immersion program. The program is "designed to introduce aspiring Latinists to the beauty and power of the ancient language of the Church." Prior knowledge of Latin is helpful but not required. This summer, there will be one session scheduled for July 11-17. More information can be found on the 2010 Latin Immersion Summer Program.

Although there is usually a Summer Institute program scheduled over a weekend in the summer, the college will not hold that program this year. Look for the program to be resumed next year when major speakers will address the topic of Bio-Ethics.

For more information on Christendom, including graduate programs and opportunities for religious, visit the school's Website.

St. Catherine of Siena Lecture

Today, Monday, April 26th, at 7:30 p.m. in the St. Thomas Hall at St. Thomas Aquinas parish, Sr. Mary Michael Fox, OP will present the annual St. Catherine of Siena lecture. Her presentation is entitled, "St Catherine of Siena, Beloved Daughter of the Church". A reception in the hall will be held after the lecture. The presentation is open to all in the community.

UPDATE: CONCERT CANCELED BECAUSE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER (posted February 5, 2010)

On Friday, February 5, 2010 at 7:30 p.m., the Catholic University of America (CUA) Chamber Choir and conductor Leo Nestor will perform a free a concert. The concert will take place at St. Paul's Memorial, 1700 University Avenue. (This is across from the Rotunda.)

The concert will include performance of works by Jakob Handl, Monteverdi, Howells, Britten, David Hurd, Gerald Near and other contemporary American composers. The choir is conducted by Dr. Leo Nestor who is the Justine Bayard Ward Professor of Music and Director of the Sacred Music Institute at CUA.

The concert is sponsored by the St. Anselm Institute for Catholic Thought, the UVA McIntire Department of Music, and the Alonzo McDonald Foundation.

For more information, visit the St. Anselm Web site.

The St. Anselm Institute will host a lecture on Thursday, October 22nd at 5:00 p.m. at Minor Hall at the University. The lecture, entitled "The Poetry of Fr. Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ", will be presented by Paul Mariani. Mariani is a professor at Boston College, and an authority on British and American poetry and literature. His latest book is Gerard Manley Hopkins, A Life (Viking, 2008).

This is the second lecture in the 2009-2010 St. Anselm Institute lecture series.

Minor Hall can be found on this map of the grounds.

The St. Anselm Institute will host a lecture on Wednesday, September 30th at 7:00 p.m. at Minor Hall at the University. The lecture, entitled "Holy Icons - Holy Churches", will be presented by Rev. Brendan McAnerney, OP. Fr. McAnerney is a Dominican priest with an additional grant of priestly faculties in the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. He is also an artist in the Byzantine tradition, an art historian, and a former director of art galleries.

This is the first lecture in the 2009-2010 St. Anselm Institute lecture series.

Minor Hall can be found on this map of the grounds.

Christendom College is a Catholic College which is just up the road from Charlottesville in Front Royal, Virginia. The school, which was founded over 30 years ago with the motto, "To restore all things in Christ", is a coeducational, liberal arts college committed to faithfulness to the Magisterium of our Church.

During the summer, the college offers several summer programs for high school students and adults.

First, for rising high school seniors, the college offers three sessions (two one week session and one two week session) for the students to experience Christendom. The program includes a mix of academics, devotion, recreation, and social activities in order to give students a taste of life at Christendom College. More information, including a video, can be found on the College's Web site.

Second, the College offers a Latin Immersion Program for high school students. The program gives students the opportunity to quickly progress in their ability to speak and read Latin even without any prior knowledge of Latin. There are two one-week sessions available in July. More information is available on the Christendom Web site.

Finally, for adults, Christendom College offers the 20th Annual Summer Institute. During the Institute, attendees have the opportunity to hear major speakers discuss our Faith and provide practical applications of the Church's teaching to our daily lives. This year's Summer Institute will be held on June 26-27 (Friday evening and all day Saturday).

The Summer Institute has been scheduled to coincide with the conclusion of the Year of St. Paul (June 28, 2008 - June 29, 2009) which Pope Benedict XVI declared last year to honor the 2000th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul. Accordingly, the focus of the Summer Institute will be St. Paul and the topic is, "St. Paul: His Spiritual and Scriptural Contributions to the Church." For more information, see the College's Web site.

The St. Anselm Institute will host a lecture on Wednesday, February 18th at 7:00 p.m. at Minor Hall at the University. The lecture, entitled "Modern Physics, Ancient Faith", will be presented by Stephen Barr. Mr. Barr is a theoretical particle physicist at the Bartol Research Institute. He is the author of Modern Science, Ancient Faith and an essayist for First Things regarding the philosophy of science and religion. His lecture will focus on clarifying the misunderstandings about the tension between religion and science and how those misunderstandings can be replaced by ways that both can speak to each other.

This is the fourth lecture in this year's St. Anselm Institute lecture series.

Minor Hall can be found on this map of the grounds.

On Wednesday, February 10th at 7:30 p.m., St. Thomas Aquinas parish will host the annual St. Thomas Aquinas lecture. This year the lecture will be presented by Fr. Augustine Thompson, O.P., S.T.M. He will present a lecture entitled, "The Soul You Lose May Be Your Own: Historical Reflections On The Task of the Theologian".

Fr. Thompson is a Dominican priest of the Western Dominican Province. He currently is a professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. He is also an editor of a blog on Dominican Liturgy.

The lecture was originally scheduled for January 28, 2009, but was canceled due to inclement weather. For any possible schedule changes due to inclement weather on February 10th, check the St. Thomas Aquinas Web site.

The Church celebrates the feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4th. The first installment of the 2008-2009 St. Anselm Institute lecture series focuses on this very popular saint.

On Wednesday, October 8th at 5:30 p.m., Fr. Augustine Thompson, O.P. and UVa Professor of Religious Studies and History will speak on his latest and most luminous work: "In Search of the Historical St. Francis of Assisi." Fr. Thompson is the author of the widely acclaimed Cities of God: The Religion of the Italian Communes, 1125-1325 (2005), numerous articles on medieval Italian history, and the translator of several important medieval texts, including The Medieval Canon Law of Marriage. The talk is open to the public and will be held at Minor Hall Auditorium at the University of Virginia. Please consult the map for the location.

On Wednesday, March 26th, the St. Anselm Institute will present a lecture entitled The Fall of Constantinople and the Fall of the Twin Towers presented by Lamin Sanneh. The lecture will be held at 5:00 p.m. at Newcomb Hall, Commonwealth Room , on grounds at the University.

Lamin Sanneh is D. Wilis James Professor of Missions and World Christianity at Yale University. He is an editor-at-large of the ecumenical weekly, The Christian Century, and serves on the editorial board of several academic journals. He is the author of over a hundred articles on religious and historical subjects, and of several books, including Piety and Power: Muslims and Christians in West Africa, The Crown and the Turban: Muslims and West African Pluralism, Abolitionists Abroad: American Blacks and the Making of Modern West Africa, Whose Religion is Christianity?: The Gospel Beyond the West, and, most recently Disciples of All Nations: Pillars of World Christianity.

This is the fourth and final lecture in a series of lectures hosted by the St. Anselm Institute during the 2007-2008 academic year. For more information, about this year's lecture series or the lecture on Wednesday, click here.

For a map of the University, click here.

On Wednesday, February 20th at 8:00 p.m, a lecture will be given by Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The lecture entitled How Can the Dream Survive? will be presented at the University in Room 1020 of McLeod Hall.

Free parking is available next to the building. For more information, contact Diane Baltz at diane.gigantino.baltz@gmail.com.

For more information about Dr. Alveda King and her work, click here.

For a map of the University, click here.

On Wednesday, February 20th, the St. Anselm Institute will present a lecture entitled What Makes Music Sacred? presented by William Mahrt. The lecture will be held at 5:00 p.m. at Monroe Hall, Room 110, on grounds at the University.

William Mahrt is Associate Professor of Music at Stanford University, President of the Church Music Association of America, and editor of Sacred Music. He specializes in the theory and performance of Medieval and Renaissance music and has written on Gregorian chant, Troubadours, Medieval Performance, Machaut, Dufay, Lasso, Dante and English cathedrals.

Professor Mahrt's lecture will be accompanied by a performance by Zephyrus, a local vocal ensemble.

This is the third in a series of lectures to be hosted by the St. Anselm Institute during the 2007-2008 academic year. For more information, about this year's lecture series or the lecture on Wednesday, click here.

For a map of the University, click here.

On Wednesday, January 30th at 7:30 p.m., St. Thomas Aquinas parish will host a lecture by Fr. Basil Cole, O.P. The topic of his lecture will be "Music and Spirituality: Notes Inspired by St. Thomas Aquinas". There will be a reception following the lecture.

Fr. Cole, formerly a professional jazz pianist, is currently a professor of moral and spiritual theology at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C.

The next gathering of the Philosophy Club is Sunday, January 6th at 6:00 p.m. in the lower level. Come share dinner and discussion with others on this intellectual journey. It is highly recommended that everyone reads Plato's "Phaedo" and, if anyone feels inclined to reread, "The Allegory of the Cave" in Book VII (514a-520a) of "The Republic". Both of these can be Googled (or click on the links above).

For more information, contact Matt Starnowski.

The Philosophy Club will meet Sunday, December 2nd at 6:00 p.m. in the lower level. Please join the interesting discussion which will be based on the question, What is the relationship between language, culture, and reality?

If you need more incentive, here is the warm-up problem:

As a favor I am going to write the truth. Consider it an early Christmas present. Use it to save the world, impress your friends or whatever you like. Here it is:

The statement below this is true.

The claim above this is false.

I guess I answered the question for our next gathering too. Right?

For more information, contact Matt Starnowski.

Father Tom DiLorenzo will lead a Life in the Spirit Seminar on November 30th and December 1st at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. The seminar will begin with the 5:15 p.m. mass on Friday followed by a light soup supper. On Friday eventing, the seminar will conclude at 9:30 p.m. On Saturday, the seminar will begin with the 8:30 a.m. mass and end at 4:00 p.m. Morning refreshments and lunch will be provided. A five dollar donation is suggested in order to cover the cost of the food.