Where Worship and Planet Earth Meet: The Discussion Continues
Albertus Magnus College Hosts Annual St. Thomas Aquinas Lecture Series
With Climate Change such a prominent issue, this next discussion could not be timelier. What does liturgy have to do with ecology? In other words, how is worship part of the solution to saving our planet and what is the ethical urgency regarding the care of the earth for future generations.
In pursuit of answers, Albertus Magnus College continues its ninth annual St. Thomas Aquinas Lecture Series – named after the scholar and member of the Dominican order who challenged individuals to seek truth and knowledge and was a composer of liturgical hymns as well as a theologian.
The presenter is author and professor Teresa Berger. She will explore these questions as well as some of the rich intersections between liturgy and the worlds of creations and the cosmos. Inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’ on Care for our Common Home, the lecture seeks to respond, through faith, to a time of unprecedented ecological degradation.
Since its founding in 1925 by the Dominican Sisters of Peace, the College has cherished its heritage through the pursuit of truth in all its dimensions. The College continues to use this lecture series as a lens to which it “responds to the academic needs and ethical challenges of its students and society.”
In that spirit, the following speakers will appear in the Atrium, Tagliatela Academic Center at 871 Winchester Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut:
Wednesday, February 12, 2020 at 5:15 p.m.
Communication with the Whole Cosmos? Re-Thinking Liturgy in a Time of Ecological Devastation
Presented by Teresa Berger
Dr. Berger is Professor of Liturgical Studies at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale Divinity School. She is an author, editor, and active Catholic who regularly writes for the liturgy blog, Pray Tell.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020 at 5:15 p.m.
Kinship with Immigrants: A Christian Ethic for Troubling Times
Presented by Kristin E. Heyer
Dr. Heyer is a Professor of Theological Ethics and Director of Graduate Studies in the Theology Department of Boston College. She also serves as co-chair of Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church.
This event is made possible through the generosity of the Marie Louise Bianchi ’31 Fund.
About Albertus Magnus College
Founded in 1925, Albertus is a coeducational Catholic College in the Dominican tradition. Albertus' values- and liberal arts-based education is recognized by external rankings such as US News & World Report, Money, and The New York Times, and has been named a Top 10 Military Friendly School. For ten consecutive years, at least 95% of Albertus graduates have attained employment or gone on to graduate studies within six months of completing their degrees. The College has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 students across its traditional undergraduate, accelerated adult undergraduate, and graduate program levels. Proud to enroll a student body where nearly half of its undergraduate students receive Federal Pell Grants and are first-generation college goers, Albertus is known for its innovative curricular offerings, recently launching new Bachelor's degree programs in Nursing, including BSN and Connecticut's first LPN-to-BSN; General Health Sciences; Interdisciplinary Studies; and Public Health.
Among its graduate offerings is the State of Connecticut's only Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling program, and it is just one of three schools to offer a Master of Science in Human Services. In 2025-26, Albertus is celebrating its historic 100th Anniversary and completing implementation of the Albertus 2025: Lighting the Way to a Second Century strategic plan, with a bold vision to "be a destination liberal arts-based college, distinguished in its interdisciplinary and experiential approach to education, rooted in Dominican values, that prepares students for lifelong civic engagement and success." To learn more, please visit albertus.edu.