A priceless summer opportunity is open to all who seek wisdom and truth. Happening at 7 p.m. each Wednesday through August 4, 2021, University of St. Thomas hosts its Master of Arts in Theology lecture series. Titled “Truth in Tradition,” the series is available via Facebook Live, YouTube and Zoom at no cost.

The series highlights the strengths of UST’s new Master of Arts in Theology program, which is structured around a deep reading of the Catholic intellectual tradition.

Director of Graduate Programs and Assistant Professor of Theology, Dr. Jon Kirwan, launched the series on May 12.

Addressing the Challenges of Today

Kirwan said, “The theme of the conference is Truth in Tradition, and we are heeding the call of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI to return to tradition to address the challenges of today. This means a deep reading of the Church Fathers—Saints Bonaventure and St. Thomas—as well as John Henry Newman and the modern thinkers.

Featured presenters include Cardinal Daniel DiNardo and Bishop Steven J. Lopes. All the rest are esteemed scholars from UST.

Unforgettable Lectures

• May 12: Cardinal Daniel DiNardo: Irenaeus: The Pastor of Recapitulation
• May 19: Dr. Jon Kirwan: Truth in Tradition: Reading to Understand
• May 26: Fr. Dempsey Rosales Acosta: Tradition in a Changing World: A Journey
• June 2: Dr. Charles Sommer: Benedict XVI & Tradition: How to Read the Bible
• June 9: Bishop Steven J. Lopes: TBA
• June 16: Fr. Raphael Mary Salzillo, OP: What is a Soul?
• June 23: Dr. Randall Smith: The Medieval Tradition of Preaching
• June 30: Dr. David Squires: The Soul in the Aristotelian Tradition: Is it Outmoded?
• July 7: Dr. Tom Harmon: How Not to Look for God: Clues from St. Augustine
• July 14: Sr. Chau Nguyen, O.P.: The Virgin Mary in the Nexus Mysteriorum Fidei
• July 21: Dr. Andrew Hayes: St. Ephrem the Syrian on Knowing God
• July 28: Sr. Albert Marie Surmanski, O.P.: Albert the Great on Eucharistic Beauty
• Aug. 4: Dr. Dominic Aquila: John Henry Newman's Development of Doctrine

Past lectures are archived on the various presentation sites, allowing people to catch up on any they might have missed.

“My hope is that these lectures will assist in the intellectual formation of Catholic lay people, helping them to deepen their intellectual lives and encouraging them to study more deeply the masters of the Catholic tradition,” Kirwan said.

To attend one or all of the lectures, click on Facebook Live, YouTube or Zoom, Wednesdays at 7 p.m. through August 4.

For additional information, contact kirwanj@stthom.edu or call 713-942-5996.