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Nova Forum Seminar: Poetry, Wonder, and Faith

  • Nova Forum for Catholic Thought 844 West 32nd Street Los Angeles, CA, 90007 United States (map)

Moderators: Jason Blakely & Leigh Tost

Can we still marvel at the beauty of the world around us? Can poetry revive the practice of faith in secular modernity and re-enchant our vision with wonder? Charles Taylor, arguably the greatest living Catholic philosopher, turns to the poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ in search of answers. We also read Monsignor Luigi Giussani, who compares reality to the beauty of a poem. We grow in faith by growing in our perception of beauty.

Topics & Readings:

Session I: Poetry as reenchantment

Reading: Taylor, Secular Age (selections)

Session II: Modern Catholic Poetry

Reading: Fr. Luigi Giussani, The Religious Sense

Seminar Schedule:

9:00-9:30 Mass in Church of Our Savior (optional)
9:30-10:00 Coffee & donuts on the patio
10:00-11:30 Session 1 in Newman Hall
11:30-12:30 Buffet Lunch outside on the patio
12:30-1:30 Session 2 in Newman Hall

This series is made possible by the support of the Grant “In Lumine: Supporting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Campuses Nationwide” from the John Templeton Foundation, Grant #62372.