Distinguished scholar to deliver free public lectures at Notre Dame

25 Jun 2015

By The Record

Fr Thomas Scirghi SJ will deliver two free public lectures on The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Fremantle Campus as part of the Sisters of St John of God Public Lecture Series. PHOTO: UNDA

The University of Notre Dame Australia and the Sisters of St John of God will welcome visiting scholar, Father Thomas Scirghi SJ, to the Fremantle Campus to deliver two free public lectures in July 2015.

Fr Scirghi, Associate Professor of Theology at Fordham University in New York City, USA, visited Notre Dame in 2013 and delivered a fascinating lecture entitled The Year of Faith in an Atheist Culture.

This year, he will return to Notre Dame to speak as part of the Sisters of St John of God Public Lecture Series.

On Thursday, 2 July, Fr Scirghi will speak at a lecture titled Naming the unknown God: divinity, dictators and Disney.

The public lecture will discuss how Christian preaching can engage the ‘nones’ – individuals who don’t associate with a religion, yet claim to experience some sort of spirituality in their lives – and secularists, in conversation.

This will be followed by another public lecture on Tuesday, 21 July titled The liturgy that does justice. In this lecture, Fr Scirghi will examine the role of liturgy – the service of God in thanksgiving for creation and redemption – in seeking justice.

“We are delighted to welcome Fr Thomas Scirghi back to Notre Dame. He is a renowned academic and an engaging presenter,” said Notre Dame Vice-Chancellor, Professor Celia Hammond.

“We look forward to exploring these very important themes with him.”

Fr Scirghi is the author of numerous articles and books, including his latest publication, Everything is Sacred: An Introduction to the Sacrament of Baptism. As the Sisters of St John of God Visiting Scholar, he will also deliver an intensive unit of study in the School of Education, Fremantle, titled Mystery of Christ 4: Church and Sacrament.

Event Details
Sisters of St John of God Public Lecture Series
Date: Thursday, 2 July; Tuesday, 21 July
Time: 6pm (both lectures)
Venue: The University of Notre Dame Australia. Tannock Hall of Education (Building ND4) Corner of Croke and Cliff Streets, Fremantle (both lectures)

To register your attendance, please visit www.nd.edu.au/events/sjog or call +61 8 9433 0575 for further information.