2014 - 2015
In honour of the 60th Anniversary of the founding of King’s University College, the Religious Life Lecture Series assumes the new name, the Veritas Series for Faith and Culture. The word “veritas” comes from the Latin word meaning “truth.” It is taken directly from the College motto “Christus est Via, Veritas et Vita.” (Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life.)
In his Apostolic Constitution of 1990, John Paul II wrote, “It is the honour and responsibility of a Catholic University to consecrate itself without reserve to the cause of truth. “
In the same document he writes, “A Catholic University, as any University, is immersed in human society; as an extension of its service to the Church, and always within its proper competence, it is called on to become an ever more effective instrument of cultural progress for individuals as well as for society. Imbued among its research activities, therefore, will be a study of serious contemporary problems in areas such as the dignity of human life, the promotion of justice for all, the quality of personal and family life, the protection of nature, the search for peace and political stability, a more just sharing in the world’s resources, and a new economic and political order that will better serve the human community at a national and international level. University research will seek to discover the roots and causes of the serious problems of our time, paying special attention to their ethical and religious dimensions. If need be, a Catholic University must have the courage to speak uncomfortable truths which do not please public opinion, but which are necessary to safeguard the authentic good of society. (32)”
Through the Veritas Series, King’s endeavours to foster learning and dialogue by gathering scholars, artists, and activists who support and challenge us in living lives of faith and justice in the 21st Century.
In particular, this year’s series invites us to consider how we speak to God and about faith across various media and in a pluralistic context.
Veritas Series Brochure
Time and Location
7:30 p.m.
Joanne & Peter Kenny Theatre
Darryl J. King Student Life Centre
266 Epworth Avenue, London ON
www.kings.uwo.ca/campus-ministry
Free parking and admission
Wheelchair accessible
The Promise of Pope Francis: Our Hopes and Fears
Reverend Donald Cozzens
At least in the Catholic West, the obvious cultural and theological polarization of the faithful has contributed to the internal tensions that appear to be high on Pope Francis’ agenda for renewal and reform. This lecture will examine the factors and forces shaping the present state of the Church and the challenges Pope Francis will likely face in working for a more unified Church. Without the healing of the current cultural divide, his inspiring pastoral vision in The Joy of the Gospel may well be held in check.
Rev. Donald Cozzens, PhD, Writer in Residence and Adjunct Professor of Theology at John Carroll University in Ohio, has spent more than a decade speaking about the crisis facing the church and the priesthood. He has published several award-winning books. A priest of the Diocese of Cleveland, he has served as spiritual director, counselor, and retreat master for monks, nuns, priests, and bishops. His doctoral research focused on the philosophical anthropology of the Lutheran philosopher and theologian, Paul Tillich.
Words out of Silence: Writing as Spiritual Practice
Kathleen Norris
Kathleen Norris will be reading excerpts from her work, and discussing how her writing has been influenced by religious values such as humility, hospitality, and the capacity for wonder.
Kathleen Norris is a popular speaker and an editor at large at The Christian Century. She is the award-winning poet and author of The Cloister Walk, Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, and Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, all national bestsellers and New York Times Notable Books of the Year. She is also the author of Little Girls in Church and six other books of poetry. She has been in residence twice at the Collegeville Institute at Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, and is an oblate of Assumption Abbey in North Dakota.
Singing Communities
Joey Weisenberg
Having come to cherish the imperfectly beautiful music of normal people singing together, Joey works to empower communities around the world to unlock their musical and spiritual potential, and to make music a lasting and joy-filled force in shul (synagogue) and in Jewish life.
Joey Weisenberg, a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer and composer based in New York City, is the Creative Director of the Hadar Center for Communal Jewish Music and the author of Building Singing Communities. Joey works as the Music Director and Ba’al Tfilah (prayer leader) at Brooklyn’s oldest synagogue, the Kane Street Synagogue. He visits shuls and communities around the country as a “musician-in-residence”, in which he teaches his ‘Spontaneous Jewish Choir’ workshops.
Annual Christ the King Lecture
Hunting the Divine Fox: God in the Church’s Liturgical and Devotional Life
Philosophers and theologians remind us of the complexity of speaking to and about God. After examining some of the issues involved, the bulk of this presentation will explore characteristic ways in which the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church has addressed God in liturgical and devotional prayer.
Father Jan Michael Joncas was ordained in 1980 as a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN. He serves as Artist in Residence and Research Fellow in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. He holds degrees in English from the (then) College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN, and liturgical studies from the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN and the Pontificio Istituto Liturgico of the Ateneo S. Anselmo in Rome. He has served as a parochial vicar, a campus minister, and a parochial administrator (pastor). He is the author of five books and over two hundred articles and reviews in journals such as Worship, Ecclesia Orans, and Questions Liturgiques. He has composed and arranged over 300 pieces of liturgical music.
How to Tell a Beautiful Story: The Tale of Joseph in the Qur’an
Dr. Ingrid Mattson
In introducing the Surah (Chapter) of Joseph, the Qur’an says, “We will relate to you the most beautiful story.” What follows is a tale with suspense, drama and complex characters. The motifs of dreams, shirts and hidden objects woven throughout the narrative point to the theme of the illusory nature of the world. This is a story that requires the engagement of the imagination to understand deeper meanings, which is appropriate, as it is only by employing the faithful imagination that a believer can see himself as he truly is.
Dr. Ingrid Mattson is a Muslim religious leader, a scholar of Islamic Studies, and an expert in interfaith relations. Since 2012 she has held the London and Windsor Community Chair in Islamic Studies at Huron University College at Western University. Dr. Mattson earned a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago in 1999. Her book, The Story of the Qur’an, is an academic best-seller and was chosen by the US National Endowment for the Humanities for inclusion in its “Bridging Cultures” program.
Sacred Symbol. Sacred Art.
Jonathan Pageau
The rediscovery of ancient Christian symbolism and the worldview which flows from the web of its analogies can be a source of new life for the Christian artist. This symbolism is not only present in the content and message, but in the forms, the mediums and the very uses of art. Christian art can be a true and honest engagement within the contemporary world, one which neither ignores the visual and conceptual revolutions of the last centuries nor attempts to paste the Christian message on forms and aesthetics which negate this very message.
Jonathan Pageau graduated in Painting and Drawing from Concordia University. He focused on traditional arts, iconography and medieval art, and studied iconology and theology at the University of Sherbrooke. He spent seven years in Africa working with artisans in collaboration with Ten Thousand Villages. He carves icons and creates liturgical art for clients in North America and Europe, and is an editor and contributor to The Orthodox Arts Journal. He teaches icon carving with Hexaemeron, a school of liturgical art.
Connecting to Faith and Spirituality in the Digital Age: A Franciscan Perspective
Reverend Daniel Horan
How we connect to our faith and spirituality in an age marked by new social media, rapid advancement in technology, global travel, and near-instant communication has become increasingly challenging. In this lecture Fr. Horan discusses the challenges and the at times surprising blessings of Christian living in the digital age from a uniquely Franciscan perspective.
Daniel P. Horan, OFM, is a Franciscan friar of Holy Name Province (The New York province) and the author of several books including, most recently, The Last Words of Jesus: A Meditation on Love and Suffering (2013) and Francis of Assisi and the Future of Faith: Exploring Franciscan Spirituality and Theology in the Modern World (2012). Fr. Horan is completing a doctorate in Systematic Theology at Boston College, is the Catholic Chaplain at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., and serves on the Board of Directors of the International Thomas Merton Society.