The University of St. Thomas

Habiger Lecture Series

Joseph and Edith Habiger Endowment for Catholic Studies

The Joseph and Edith Habiger Endowment for Catholic Studies, created in 2000, is designed to enliven the Catholic faith community at the University of St. Thomas.  The endowment supports an annual lecture series as well as scholar-in-residence and artist-in-residence programs, which allow for continued discussions within the university community about the relevance of faith for contemporary life.  The scholars-in-residence and artists-in-residence also deliver a public lecture during their time on campus.

The endowment was provided by Monsignor James Habiger, in honor of his parents, Joseph and Edith Habiger. Most recent lectures, available in PDF format, are listed below. Opening these links requires the free Adobe Reader software. You may not cite or reprint articles without permission of the author.

Click HERE for a complete listing of the lectures made possible by the Joseph and Edith Habiger Endowment for Catholic Studies.

Fall 2007 Habiger Lecture

November 1, 2007
Rev. Jan Michael Joncas, Associate Professor for the Departments of Catholic Studies and Theology at the University of St. Thomas and internationally renowned composer, musician and liturgist.
From Dies Irae to In Paradisium: The Mystery of Death in Catholic Sacred Music 

Spring 2007 Habiger Lecture

February 26, 2007
Monsignor Leo Cushley, Vatican diplomat and Counselor at the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations at the United Nations Headquarters in NYC
A Light Test Contentto the Nations: Vatican Diplomacy and Global Politics

Fall 2006 Habiger Lecture
October 2, 2006
Dr. Jonathan J. Reyes, president of the Augustine Institute
Called to Greatness: The Rising Generation of Catholics and the New Evangelization

Spring 2006 Habiger Lecture

March 27, 2006
Rev. Robert Barron
Augustine's Questions: Why the Augustinian Theology of God Matters Today

Fall 2005 Habiger Artist-in-Residence
September 19, 2005
Rev. Paul Murray, O.P.
Is There a Case for Poetry?
Father Murray, who has published four volumes of poetry, gave a poetry reading at the Center for Catholic Studies and delivered a series of talks on poetry and spirituality to the UST community as well as the wider Twin Cities community.
  
Spring 2005 Habiger Artist-in-Residence

April 25, 2005
Br. Anthony Sweere, FBP
The Icon as "Window into Heaven"
As the first Habiger Artist-in-Residence, Sweere was commissioned to write an icon of Christ the Teacher for the Sitzmann Hall chapel.  He also delivered a series of talks on the history, meaning and symbolism of icons, as well as on the icon writing process.   View the photo gallery.

Sweere, a Franciscan Brother of Peace, has been creating Russian style icons for churches, while studying for seven years on Russian born master iconographer, Vladislav Andrejev.  He worked with Andrejev and several others in writing the icons covering the dome of the new church of St. Michael in St. Michael, Minn.  In addition, he was commissioned by Archbishop Harry J. Flynn to write the icons of St. Peter and St. Paul for a side chapel in the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, Minn.