Fall: On November 8, 2018, Dr. Russell Hittinger presented the intersection of education, church and state, and how Archbishop John Ireland, the first archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, conceived of this relationship. To mark the 100th anniversary of Archbishop Ireland’s death, Dr. Hittinger addressed the current situation of the three “necessary societies.” Francis Russell Hittinger is the Warren Chair of Catholic Studies and Research Professor of Law at the University of Tulsa. The fall Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library Lecture was co-sponsored by The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity, The University of St. Thomas’ Center for Catholic Studies and Office for Mission, and the Office for the Mission of Catholic Education at the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Lecture video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/F3pR4CwBfKw
Spring: Dr. William Stevenson, Associate Professor of Dogmatic Theology, presented the spring Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library Lecture on April 8, 2019. His talk, entitled, Listening Up: Music and Cosmos in Plato’s Timaeus, examined how Plato’s dialogue, the Timaeus, teaches us about the relationship between cosmology and the way we think about our souls, and he especially addressed how one might contemplate the dialogue’s claim that music is the source of both the world and the soul. Lecture video on Panopto.
2017-2018
Fall: Sr. Katarina Schuth, O.S.F., Ph.D., Professor Emerita/Endowed Chair for the Social Scientific Study of Religion, presented the fall Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library Lecture on October 16, 2017. She shared insights from her most recent book, Seminary Formation: Recent History-Current Circumstances-New Directions (Liturgical Press 2016). She explored the evolution and development of seminaries and anticipated challenges and principles to guide the future.
Spring: Dr. Christopher Thompson presented his book entitled The Joyful Mystery: Field Notes Toward a Green Thomism (October 2017) on Monday, April 9, 2018. The Joyful Mystery seeks to revive the Church's practice of integral ecology and encourages a deeper awareness of the presence of God, the Creator and Lord of the universe. Dr. Thompson, associate professor of moral theology and director of the Center for Theological Formation at The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity, draws from the wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas and the "Green Thomism" he inspires in contemporary life. Listen to streaming audio of the lecture
2016-2017
Fall: Instead of holding a fall Ireland Lecture, The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity collaborated with the University of St. Thomas Institute for Catholicism and Citizenship, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Office for Mission, the Theology Department, the Center for Catholic Studies, the History Department, the Sociology Department, the Justice and Peace Studies Department, and the GALE Office of Community Engagement to sponsor a presentation by Archbishop Joseph Tobin, C.Ss.R., who had been recently named a Cardinal of the Church by Pope Francis. Topic: "Welcoming the Stranger While Challenging the Fear: The Response of the Catholic Church to the Polemic Around Refugee Resettlement in the United States."
2015-2016
Fall: Rev. Dr. Tom Margevicius, Instructor of Liturgical Theology and Homiletics at The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. “Holy and Venerable Hands: Sign Language and the Eucharistic Prayer.”
Spring: Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson P.A., Professor in Patristic Studies, St. Mary's Seminary, Houston, TX, and first Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of the Vatican’s Chair of St. Peter, a jurisdiction established by the Holy Father for groups coming from the Anglican tradition who are seeking full communion with the Catholic Church. "Fr. Paul Wattson, S.A., Servant of God: Adventures on the Path to Christian Unity." View a streaming video of the lecture
2014-2015
Fall: Dr. Thomas Fisch, Associate Professor of Sacramental Theology and Liturgy at The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. “William Busch and the Pre-Conciliar Liturgical Movement.”
Spring: Robert Vischer, Dean and Mengler Chair in Law, University of St. Thomas Law School. "Conscience and the Common Good."
2013-2014
Fall: Fr. Scott M Carl. Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture at The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. “Honey in the Comb: Towards a Spiritual Reading of Sacred Scripture in the 21st Century.”
Spring: Fr. Peter F. Ryan, SJ, Executive Director of the Secretariat of Doctrine and Canonical Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). "Priestly Celibacy and its Significance for Evangelization."
2012-2013
Fall: Father Andrew Cozzens, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of Liturgy at The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. "From Crisis to Holiness: Vatican II, Blessed John Paul II and the Renewal of the Ministerial Priesthood."
Spring: Bishop Arthur Kennedy, Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. "The New Evangelization: Emergence and Conversion in the Lord"
2011-2012
Fall: Dr. Stephen Hipp, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. "'Hierarchy' as a Pervasive Feature of the World"
Spring: Spring: Fr. Brian Mullady, O.P. "In Defense of Natural Philosophy." Mullady is a nationally-known Dominican priest, retreat master and spiritual director, is the theological consultant to the Institute on Religious Life.
2010-2011
Fall: Dr. John Martens, UST Theology Professor and Program Director for the School of Divinity's Master of Arts program. "The Child in the Family of God."
Spring: Father Marvin O'Connell, a 1956 graduate of the St. Paul Seminary, Professor Emeritus of History (University of Notre Dame) and a former member of UST's History Department. "A Red Hat for Newman"
2009-2010
Fall: Dr. Christian Washburn of the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. "Condign Merit, the Council of Trent, and Ecumenism"
Spring: Msgr. John Radano, Scholar in Residence, the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. "From Reformation to Counter-Reformation and Reconciliation: Approaching the 95 Theses with an Ecumenical Perspective."
2008-2009
Fall: Dr. Janet Smith, "Stop! In the Name of Love: John Paul II on Transforming Sexual Desire." [Dr. Smith was Scholar in Residence this semester at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity]
Spring: Monsignor Christopher Schreck from the Josephinum speaking on St. Paul.
2007-2008
Fall: Dr. Christopher J. Thompson, "Preliminary Reflections on the Church and the Environment"
Spring: speaker Fr. Michael Sherwin, O.P. spoke on "Rejoice in the Lord: Paul VI's Gaudete in Domino and the Quest for Happiness." [ This kicked off a week-long SPSSOD Pope Paul VI Symposium sponsored by the SPSSOD.]
2006-2007
Fall: Panel: Sr. Paul Therese Saiko, SNND; Rev. Christopher Beaudet, and Rev. Andrew Cozzens from the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. "Reflections on Deus Caritas Est; The first encyclical by Pope Benedict XVI"
Spring: Sr. Katarina Schuth, OSF, "Priestly Ministry in Multiple Parishes: An Emerging Phenomenon"
2005-2006
Fall: Dr. Seung A. Yang, "International Priests and American Catholics: History, Context, and Hope"
Spring: Rev. Peter Laird, "Autonomy and Morality: Ethics, Aesthetics, and Religion"
2004-2005
"Great Theologians of the Twentieth Century: A Celebration of Their Legacy"
Fall: Rev. Patrick Quinn, TOR, on Yves M. J. Congar, O.P., "Tradition and Traditions: Challenging the Church to a New Future."
Spring: Rev. J. Michael Byron, on Karl Rahner, S.J., "The Freedom to Soar: Rahner's Cosmic Vision" Sister Mary Christine Athans, B.V.M., on John Courtney Murray, S.J., "Religious Liberty--A Gift and a Challenge: The Contribution of John Courtney Murray" Rev. Jerome Dittberner, on Bernard Lonergan, "Lonergan for Non-Lonerganians"
2003-2004
Fall: Rev. Jerome Dittberner, "Seminary Theology 2003: Still Getting God Right."
Spring: Rev. Patrick Quinn, TOR, "Emerging Ministries in the Church: Theological Context and Problems"
2002-2003
Fall: Jan Viktora, "Exploring the Nature of Effective Pastoral Leadership in Roman Catholic Parishes: Portraits, Insights and Recommendations for Ministry Formation."
Spring: Dr. Deborah Organ, "And So What? Preaching Connection between Professed Faith and Community Living."
2001-2002
Fall: Rev. J. Michael Byron, "A Church for Others: Why Non-Christians Have a Claim Upon Roman Catholic Theology."
Spring: Sr. M. Christine Athans, on her book, To Work for the Whole People: John Ireland's Seminary in St. Paul
2000-2001
Fall: Dr. Tom Fisch, "Theological Significance of the Unvarying and Canonical Aspects of Christian Liturgy"
Spring: Sr. M. Christine Athans, "The Americanism Crisis in the Catholic Church"
1999-2000
Fall: Sr. Katarina Schuth, "Church Ministry in a New Millennium: Making the Most of These Times"
Spring: Dr. Seung Ai Yang, "Re-linking Spirituality and Justice: A Scriptural Perspective"
1998-1999
Fall: Rev. Patrick Quinn, "The Church: Communion of Persons and Hierarchically Ordered Society"
Spring: Rev. Peter Feldmeier, "The Contemplative Life: East and West"
1997-1998
Fall: Rev. Dominic Serra, "In Persona Christi: A Meaning Suggested by the Rubrics and Grammar of the Eucharistic Prayer"
Spring: Dr. David Hunter, "The Origins, History and End of Marriage in the Theology of St. Augustine"
1996-1997
Fall: Rev. Bill McDonough "The Redemptorists and the Second Vatican Council – 'New terrain' and a 'stumbling stone' in Bernhard Haring's methodological contributions to Gaudium et spes"
Spring: Dr. Gene Scapanski, "Origins of a New Identity for the Laity: The 1950s as Prelude to Vatican II"
1995-1996
Fall: Rev. John Echert, "Interpretation of the Bible in the Church"
1994-1995
Spring: Dr. Michael Patrick O'Connor, "The Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Life of Faith"
Note: The library's "Gift for Many Minds" open house was held on May 1 in conjunction with a Centennial lecture given by Sr. Karen Kennelly.