Flapjacks with Jack

Many thanks to our friends in the Knights of Columbus Council #7115 (Saint John Neumann) who organized a pancake breakfast at St. Francis de Sales Church in Holland to benefit the Saint Benedict Forum.  It was great to see so many of our friends, fellow parishioners, and students turn out to support our work.  God bless you all and stay warm!

March for Life 2016

Sadly, due to the dangerous weather conditions, the trip to the March for Life was cancelled.  Fortunately, we were not trapped on the PA Turnpike for 24 hours.  Please pray for us as we continue to witness to a culture of life.

Ecumenical Dialogue: What Does It Mean to Be Catholic? (VIDEO)

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On January 28, 2016, the Saint Benedict Forum hosted a Catholic-Reformed Dialogue about Jack Mulder's new book, What Does It Mean to Be Catholic?(Eerdmans, 2015).  Dr. Mulder's book is the meditation of a Hope College professor and convert to Catholicism from the Reformed tradition.  It was written as an effort to practice robust ecumenism, the idea that different Christian groups should share the distinctive gifts of their own tradition as they walk together toward full Christian unity.

Two Reformed scholars offered generous, yet critical responses to Dr. Mulder's book.  Han-luen Kantzer Komline, Assistant Professor of Church History and Theology at Western Theological Seminary, took up the question of the relationship between Scripture and Tradition.  Lynn Japinga, Associate Professor of Religion at Hope College, challenged Mulder on Mary, development of doctrine, women's ordination, and contraception.  Dr. Mulder responded to each presenter.

This event was co-sponsored by the Philosophy and Religion Departments, Campus Ministries, Center for Ministry Studies, Lilly Group on Robust Ecumenism, the Office of the Provost, and the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.

Dr. Ortiz on the Journey Home (VIDEO)

Cradle Catholic and director of the Saint Benedict Forum, Jared Ortiz, tells the harrowing tale of how he drifted away from God in his youth and how God slowly drew him back through providential encounters with Muslims, Jews, a few Catholics, and reading a lot of books.  Watch it here: 

Duncan Stroik on Architecture for the Poor (VIDEO)

LA Cathedral and St. Patrick NYC (2)

On October 15, 2015, Duncan Stroik gave a fascinating lecture, entitled, "Architecture for the Poor."  He asked: What sort of architecture is appropriate for the poor? Should the buildings we construct for the disenfranchised express their poverty through economical materials, humble proportions, and functionalist interiors? Do beautiful, ornate churches disregard those who struggle for basic comforts? A rousing, thirty-minute Q & A session followed Stroik's talk.

The event was co-sponsored by Hope College's Religion Department, the Art and Art History Department, Sociology and Social Work Department, Markets & Morality, and the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.

Duncan G. Stroik is a practicing architect, author, and Professor of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame. His built work includes the Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel in Santa Paula, California, the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Prof. Stroik is also the author of The Church Building as a Sacred Place: Beauty, Transcendence, and the Eternal, and edits the journal Sacred Architecture.

Lecture on Pope Francis with Dr. Eduardo Echeverria

via Shutterstock, rights managed.

The Saint Benedict Forum was pleased to welcome our friend Dr. Eduardo Echeverria, Professor of Philosophy and Systematic Theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary who spoke on the topic of "Pope Francis's Temptations: The Church in the Modern World" on Tuesday, September 29th, at Hope College in the Maas Conference Room (264 Columbia Ave).  The event was co-sponsored by the Our Sunday Visitor Institute and the Religion Department.

The video of the talk will be available soon.

With Pope Francis's recent visit to the United States and Cuba, many have had an opportunity to learn more about this charismatic and yet humble pontiff.  Nevertheless, the pope is often confusing to many groups of people.  Many appreciate his concern for the environment, his clear opposition to the death penalty, and his devotion to the poor.  Yet, he is also a persistent defender of the traditional family, the right to life at every stage, and religious liberty.  Dr. Echeverria helped us understand what really animates Pope Francis and why he defies so many caricatures of the papacy and the Catholic Church.