Convocation of Catholic Student Leaders: "Inflection Point"
Nov
15
to Nov 16
Partner Event

Convocation of Catholic Student Leaders: "Inflection Point"

COLLIS Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture at Cornell University is pleased to present two lectures by acclaimed scholars Stephen Bullivant (St. Mary's University, London) and Angela Franks (St. John's Seminary) on Saturday, Nov. 16 as part of the conference, “Inflection Point: A Convocation of Catholic Student Leaders.”  The conference will welcome more than fifty students from universities in Upstate NY and from In Lumine Network institutes. The keynotes will focus on, “The US Church in an Era of Secularization: Past, Present, and Possible Futures,” (Bullivant) and “Liquid Identity: Our Current Situation and How We Can Respond" (Franks).

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Trip to Getty Center!
Sep
7
10:00 AM10:00

Trip to Getty Center!

  • Nova Forum for Catholic Thought (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Come experience Catholic art at the Getty Center with Nova Forum! Living the Catholic faith is a search for truth and goodness, but also beauty. Come face to face with the beauty of our tradition and meet fellow students from USC and around LA.

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In Voce Tubae: Venetian Music for the Ascension
May
11
7:00 PM19:00

In Voce Tubae: Venetian Music for the Ascension

  • St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join Musica Transalpina as we seek to recreate how Mass for the Ascension could have sounded during the golden age of Venice, when Ascension was observed with especial pomp & solemnity to celebrate the symbolic marriage of Venice to the sea.  Magnificent compositions for multiple choirs of brass, strings, and voices will transport you to an age of majesty, nobility, & faith on Saturday May 11 at 7 P. M. at the historic S. Vincent de Paul parish church, built by the Countess Doheny in 1925.

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Beauty at Work: The Role Beauty Plays in Our Lives and in the Work We Do
Apr
4
4:00 PM16:00
Partner Event

Beauty at Work: The Role Beauty Plays in Our Lives and in the Work We Do

  • Nova Forum for Catholic Thought (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC presents: “Beauty at Work: the Role Beauty Plays in our Lives and in the Work We Do” The Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC will host Brandon Vaidyanathan, Ph.D., on Thursday, April 4 for a presentation titled "Beauty at Work: the role Beauty Plays in our Lives and Cultures.”

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The Secrets of Immortality: A Scientific and Theological Approach to Everlasting Life
Apr
3
6:00 PM18:00
Science and Religion

The Secrets of Immortality: A Scientific and Theological Approach to Everlasting Life

  • Nova Forum for Catholic Thought (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

In view of progressive research advances in biotechnology and medicine, the prospect of living longer, increased longevity, increased health span, and even biologic immortality has become more real than ever before. The Secrets of Immortality evaluates humankind’s continuous quest for immortality—an integral part of human nature.

With hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on anti-aging and immortality research, some futurists believe that within a few decades, man will be able to live up to 150 years, if not more. Some believe that the first person to live up to 1000 years old is already alive today. While this sounds like a premise from science fiction, The Secrets of Immortality describes the current state of biotechnology and medical research data and the possibilities of anti-aging and natural or biologic immortality within the near future.

Prof. Dr. Ernst von Schwarz wrote The Secrets of Immortality from a theological point of view, examining everlasting life from the perspective of different religions (with a main emphasis on the Roman Catholic tradition). Dr. Schwarz is a physician, transplant cardiologist, and researcher, but he is also a theologian, offering a unique perspective to longevity and immortality.

Ernst von Schwarz, MD, PHD, FESC, FACC, FSCAI, is a world-renowned, triple-board-certified clinical and academic cardiologist and clinical professor of medicine at UCLA and UC Riverside. He joined Cedars Sinai Medical Center and UCLA as Director of the Cardiac Device Program in 2006. He was appointed director of cardiology at the Heart Institute of Southern California Hospital Culver City in 2015 and chairman of Pacific Heart Medical Group and medical director of Heart Stem Inc. since 2016.

He is considered a worldwide pioneer in the field of stem cell research. He has published over 150 scientific papers in international peer reviewed medical journals, as well as several books and book chapters in cardiovascular medicine. He is a sought after expert witness in several high profile court cases, and a regular medical news contributor to TV and radio.

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Dostoevsky Speaks to Modernity
Mar
14
6:00 PM18:00
Partner Event

Dostoevsky Speaks to Modernity

  • Nova Forum for Catholic Thought (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Dostoevsky is often described as “prescient,” even “prophetic.” How does his final novel, The Brothers Karamazov, published in 1881, help us to understand our complex social and spiritual condition in 2024? This lecture will identify aspects of our contemporary condition — polarization, challenges to our capacity for attention, the desire for spiritual meaning in what seems to be a “secular age” — and the ways in which Dostoevsky’s novel offers possible ways forward, especially in his vision of “incarnational realism,” embodied by the novel’s hero, Alyosha Karamazov.

To complement the evening lecture, Dr Contino will lead a select group of upperclassmen in an afternoon honor seminar. Students will examine the character of Elder Zosima in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov and wrestle with questions about God, collective responsibility, death, and joy amidst suffering. 

All are welcome to join! Register at the link below.

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How Can We Flourish?
Jan
22
5:30 PM17:30
Partner Event

How Can We Flourish?

What is human flourishing? What insights might we draw from the humanities? What insights might we draw from the empirical sciences? The empirical literature from the most rigorous studies is reviewed in attempt to identify major determinants of, and resources for, human flourishing. Special attention will be given to the role of religious communities in the promotion of flourishing. Discussion will be given to the implications of a broader conception of human flourishing for personal well-being, for research, and for policy. 

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Flesh and Body: Thinking Resurrection and Eucharist after Nietzsche
Jan
13
10:00 AM10:00
Science and Religion

Flesh and Body: Thinking Resurrection and Eucharist after Nietzsche

  • Tutor Campus Center TTC 232 (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

What does it mean that my flesh was born into the world? What would its re-birth entail? The turn to the body after Nietzsche not only foregrounds the finitude of the flesh, but clears the way for a new phenomenology of resurrection. This seminar for faculty and graduate students will study selections from Emmanuel Falque’s The Metamorphosis of Finitude: An Essay on Birth and Resurrection (2004).

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Living in Common: Thomas Aquinas Today
Jan
12
3:00 PM15:00
Science and Religion

Living in Common: Thomas Aquinas Today

Do we all share reason in common? What happens to “natural” reason after the death of God? Thomas Aquinas’s approach to the “Gentiles” (non-Christians) in his century can help us trace the border of metaphysics and theology today. This public lecture is open to all USC students, faculty, and staff.

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Gustavo Gutiérrez: Between Memory and Prophecy
Nov
13
4:30 PM16:30
Partner Event

Gustavo Gutiérrez: Between Memory and Prophecy

Join the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC for a lecture featuring Leo Guardado, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Theology at Fordham University, who will assess the past fifty years of Gustavo Gutiérrez’ theological contributions, the global impact and reception of a commitment to doing theology from the perspective of the poor and insignificant, and the ongoing challenges liberation theology presents for a global Catholic Church.

Guardado is the inaugural DePaul Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC.

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Tolkien and the Mystery of Literary Creation
Oct
24
to Oct 27
Partner Event, Special Event

Tolkien and the Mystery of Literary Creation

  • Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study (DML 241) (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Come experience The Lord of the Rings from a new point of view and learn about the deepest meaning of Tolkien’s literary achievement! Professor Giuseppe Pezzini, a leading classics scholar at Oxford, explores Tolkien’s sophisticated and innovative literary theory in six lectures drawing on his forthcoming book from Cambridge University Press – the first academic study of Tolkien since his death 50 years ago this year. Professor Pezzini will share excerpts from Tolkien’s lesser known writings as well as video clips about his life and works.

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