Lectures

Leading Catholic intellectual George Weigel explores why the Second Vatican Council was necessary, what it actually taught and how it was given its authoritative interpretation by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. The lecture will also discuss the pastoral impact of the Council in the living parts of the world Church.

[Watch Weigel's lecture.]

About George Weigel

George Weigel, distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is a Catholic theologian and one of America’s leading public intellectuals. He holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.

From 1989 through June 1996, Weigel was president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he led a wide-ranging, ecumenical and inter-religious program of research and publication on foreign and domestic policy issues.

Weigel is perhaps best known for his widely translated and internationally acclaimed two-volume biography of Pope St. John Paul II: the New York Times bestseller, “Witness to Hope” (1999), and its sequel, “The End and the Beginning” (2010). In 2017, Weigel published a memoir of the experiences that led to his work as a papal biographer: “Lessons in Hope — My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II.”

George Weigel is the author or editor of more than thirty other books, many of which have been translated into other languages. Among the most recent are “Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st-Century Church” (2013); “Roman Pilgrimage: The Station Churches” (2013); “Letters to a Young Catholic” (2015); “The Fragility of Order: Catholic Reflections on Turbulent Times” (2018); “The Next Pope: The Office of Peter and a Church in Mission” (2020); “Not Forgotten: Elegies for, and Reminiscences of, a Diverse Cast of Characters, Most of Them Admirable” (2021); and “To Sanctify the World: The Vital Legacy of Vatican II” (2022). His essays, op-ed columns, and reviews appear regularly in major opinion journals and newspapers across the United States. A frequent guest on television and radio, he is also senior vatican analyst for NBC News. His weekly column, “The Catholic Difference,” is syndicated to 85 newspapers and magazines in seven countries.

Weigel received a Bachelor of Arts from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore and a Master of Arts from the University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto. He is the recipient of 19 honorary doctorates in fields including divinity, philosophy, law, and social science, and has been awarded the Papal Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, Poland’s Gloria Artis Gold Medal and Lithuania’s Diplomacy Star.

What does it mean to say that, just as God preserved the Virgin Mary from the stain of original sin, so also He preserves the Church's faith from the corruption of error? How are the two dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and papal infallibility, defined just years apart under Pope Pius IX, related to one another, and how do they differ? What is their ongoing significance for Christian believers? This lecture by Fr. Evan Koop, Saint Paul Seminary formator and instructor of dogmatic theology, will present insights from an untranslated essay of Matthias Scheeben, one of the greatest Catholic theologians of the 19th century.

[Watch Fr. Koop's lecture.]

About Fr. Koop

A native of Woodbury, Minnesota, Fr. Evan Koop is the youngest of four children born to Deacon Steven and Debbie Koop. He attended St. Thomas Academy and Washington University in St. Louis, after which he spent two years as a missionary with FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students). He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis on May 26, 2012. He spent four years as a parochial vicar ministering to the Hispanic community in several archdiocesan parishes, while also serving as a spiritual director at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In 2016, Koop was assigned by Archbishop Bernard Hebda to pursue further studies in dogmatic theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Koop obtained his Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 2018, and in March 2023 he successfully defended his doctoral dissertation (summa cum laude) on the Mariology of Matthias Joseph Scheeben.

He is currently assigned to the faculty of The Saint Paul Seminary, where he serves as a formation director for seminarians and as an instructor of dogmatic theology. He is also the director of formation for the Companions of Christ, an association of diocesan priests living in community in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. On the weekends, Koop serves as a sacramental minister at two Hispanic parishes, St. Stephen’s and Holy Rosary in Minneapolis.

By identifying what "common good" means, we can understand how the Sacrament of the Eucharist is a common good, and what that means for the life of the Church and our happiness.

[Register to watch the lecture.]

About Dr. Froula

Dr. John Froula joined The Saint Paul Seminary faculty in 2014. With areas of teaching and research including Christology, Eucharistic theology, St. Thomas Aquinas, and grace and the spiritual life, Froula serves as an associate professor of dogmatic theology and oversees the seminary's Master of Arts in Pastoral Leadership lay graduate degree program.

Froula holds a Ph.D. in systematic theology with a minor in moral theology from Ave Maria University, a Bachelor's of sacred theology from the Pontifical University of St. Teresa in Rome, and a Bachelor's of Arts in liberal arts from Thomas Aquinas College.

Recent Catholic theology has tended to prize theological anthropology (the study of human societies and cultures) and fundamental theology as the basis for renewal in the decades after Vatican II. The center of theology — and the basis for any authentic renewal — however, is always first and foremost the mystery of God and the revelation of God in Christ. As an attempt to turn the theological gaze back to these central mysteries, Fr. Austin Litke took up the “Anthropological Paradigm” for the Incarnation — as inaugurated by the Fathers of the Church and then given a definitive development in St. Thomas Aquinas — at the Fall 2022 Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library Lecture on Oct. 13, 2022. In this, we see how the study of theological anthropology and the mode of God’s revelation are not ends in themselves, but rather direct the mind back to the central mystery of Christian Faith: the Word made flesh.

[Register to watch a video of the lecture.]

About Fr. Litke

Fr. Austin Dominic Litke, OP, is a native of Western Kentucky. As an undergraduate, he attended the University of St. Thomas and St. John Vianney College Seminary, graduating with a degree in Classical Languages and Catholic Studies. After a year at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana, he entered the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominicans. He completed his theological studies and received a Licentiate in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and was ordained a priest in 2011. After assignments as chaplain at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Hospital and New York University, Litke was assigned to Rome, where he pursued a Doctorate in Sacred Theology and Patristic Sciences at the Pontifical Patristics Institute, the “Augustinianum,” of the Lateran University. For the last two academic years, Litke taught at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and this academic year is a visiting professor of Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas and an adjunct professor and spiritual director at The Saint Paul Seminary.

The prophet Jeremiah foretold seventy years of domination by Babylon over Judah and other nations. Centuries later, Daniel reinterpreted the seventy years as “weeks of years,” that is, seven times 70 years. The early Church fathers, likewise, interpret Daniel’s 490 years in their own contexts and find new meanings in the ancient prophecy. How might we continue this interpretive trajectory as we read the Book of Daniel today?

Fr. Kevin Zilverberg, assistant professor of sacred scripture and director of The Saint Paul Seminary Institute for Catholic Theological Formation, discussed in the Spring 2022 Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library Lecture on April 25, 2022.

Rev. Andrew Hofer, O.P., discusses St. Thomas Aquinas as a spiritual master for professors and students. Known as the “Common Doctor” in Paris soon after his death in 1274, St. Thomas has been repeatedly extolled by Popes as our model for education, including seminary education. What can St. Thomas as heavenly patron mean for professors and students in their spiritual lives? This lecture proposes St. Thomas Aquinas as a spiritual master who can guide professors and students in the Spirit of Truth—especially amidst today’s challenges that the Church faces.

Fr. Hofer is an Associate Professor of Patristics and Ancient Languages and the Director of the Doctoral Program at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC.

[Register to watch the lecture.]

On April 12, 2021, Dr. Deborah Savage, a clinical faculty member of The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity, presented “Redeeming Woman: The Feminine Principle in the Divine Plan.”

The nature of woman and her place in the scheme of things is an ancient question, one that has been under dispute since the pre-Socratic period. Somewhere in this long history, the sacred meaning of the feminine was lost – subsumed into political squabbles and the quest for power. This presentation will explore the nature of the feminine principle and consider anew the significance of its defining characteristic, that of receptivity, and its implications for the salvation of the world.

This presentation is part of the Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library Lecture series. Recorded lecture available here. (YouTube) 

On October 12, 2020, Mr. Jason Adkins, Executive Director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference and Visiting Scholar, presented “Progressivism, Patriotism, and Patriarchy: Competing Identities in Post-Liberal America.” Adkins noted that identity politics is increasingly dominant in our fractured republic, and that the competing identities are often irreconcilable and have sometimes led to violent conflict. How has respect for genuine pluralism and the common good continued to wane? On what basis can we establish social peace and potentially re-invigorate the American experiment in ordered liberty? Adkins argued that the answer to these questions is at the heart of the Catholic faith and its social doctrine: rediscovering our common identity as children of our heavenly Father.

This presentation is part of the Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library Lecture series.

Recorded lecture available here. (YouTube) 

2010

“The Child in the Family of God”
Dr. John Martens, UST Theology Professor and Program Director for the School of Divinity's Master of Arts program, presented “The Child in the Family of God.”

“From Reformation to Counter-Reformation and Reconciliation: Approaching the Ninety-Five Theses with an Ecumenical Perspective”
Msgr. John Radano, Scholar in Residence, the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. “From Reformation to Counter-Reformation and Reconciliation: Approaching the Ninety-Five Theses with an Ecumenical Perspective.”

"Dead Sea Scrolls"
Rev. Juan Miguel Betancourt, S.E.M.V., from the seminary’s department of sacred Scripture, lectured on Sept. 22, 2010. The Quinn Endowment sponsored this lecture on the Dead Sea Scrolls for the seminary community, in preparation for a visit to the Science Museum of Minnesota’s exhibit.

2011

"A Red Hat for Newman"
Rev. 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, presented “A Red Hat for Newman.”

"Sin: A History"
Dr. Gary A. Anderson, an Old Testament scholar of the University of Notre Dame, lectured on the topic of his book, Sin: A History (Yale University Press, 2010), on Sept. 26, 2011. The Quinn Endowment cosponsored this lecture with the Center for Catholic Studies.

"‘Hierarchy’ as a Pervasive Feature of the World"
Dr. Stephen Hipp, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, presented “‘Hierarchy’ as a Pervasive Feature of the World.”

2012

"In Defense of Natural Philosophy"
Rev. Brian Mullady, O.P., presented “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.

"From Crisis to Holiness: Vatican II, Blessed John Paul II and the Renewal of the Ministerial Priesthood"
Rev. Andrew Cozzens, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of Liturgy at The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, presented “From Crisis to Holiness: Vatican II, Blessed John Paul II and the Renewal of the Ministerial Priesthood.”

2013

"The New Evangelization: Emergence and Conversion in the Lord"
Bishop Arthur Kennedy, Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, presented “The New Evangelization: Emergence and Conversion in the Lord.”

"Honey in the Comb: Towards a Spiritual Reading of Sacred Scripture in the 21st Century"
Rev. Scott M. Carl. Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture at The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity, presented “Honey in the Comb: Towards a Spiritual Reading of Sacred Scripture  in the 21st Century.”

2014

"Priestly Celibacy and its Significance for Evangelization"
Rev. Peter F. Ryan, S.J., Executive Director of the Secretariat of Doctrine and Canonical Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), presented “Priestly Celibacy and its Significance for Evangelization.”

"William Busch and the Pre-Conciliar Liturgical Movement"
Dr. Thomas Fisch, Associate Professor of Sacramental Theology and Liturgy at The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity, presented “William Busch and the Pre-Conciliar Liturgical Movement.”

"Conscience and the Common Good"
Robert Vischer, Dean and Mengler Chair in Law, University of St. Thomas Law School, presented “Conscience and the Common Good.”

"Holy and Venerable Hands: Sign Language and the Eucharistic Prayer"
Rev. Dr. Thomas Margevicius, Instructor of Liturgical Theology and Homiletics at The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity, presented “Holy and Venerable Hands: Sign Language and the Eucharistic Prayer.”

2016

"Welcoming the Stranger While Challenging the Fear: The Response of the Catholic Church to the Polemic Around Refugee Resettlement in the United States, with Cardinal-elect Joseph Tobin, Archdiocese of Indianapolis"

Instead of holding a fall Ireland Lecture, The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity served as a cohost for the annual lecture of the Institute for Catholicism and Citizenship on Oct. 24, 2016. Besides this institute of the University of St. Thomas, the other cohosts were 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. Cardinal-elect Joseph Tobin, C.Ss.R., the Archbishop of Indianapolis, had recently been named a cardinal of the Church by Pope Francis. His topic was: “Welcoming the Stranger While Challenging the Fear: The Response of the Catholic Church to the Polemic Around Refugee Resettlement in the United States.”

2017

"Seminary Formation History, Current Circumstances and New Directions, with Sr. Katarina Schuth, The Saint Paul Seminary"

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.

2018

"Field Notes Toward a Green Thomism, with Dr. Christopher Thompson, The Saint Paul Seminary"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

"The Intersection of Education, Church and State, with Dr. Russell Hittinger, University of Tulsa"
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.

2019

"Listening Up: Music and Cosmos in Plato’s Timaeus, with Dr. Bill Stevenson, The Saint Paul Seminary"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.

"Between Discipline and Doctrine: Augustine's Response to the Problem of Clerical Misconduct, with Dr. David G. Hunter, Boston College"
On October 14, 2019, Dr. David G. Hunter, Margaret O’Brien Flatley Chair of Catholic Theology at Boston College, presented "Between Discipline and Doctrine: Augustine's Response to the Problem of Clerical Misconduct," which addressed how, as an active bishop, St. Augustine of Hippo often had to deal with cases of clergy misconduct, sometimes sexual in nature, sometimes financial in character. Dr. Hunter addressed both Augustine’s practice in dealing with specific cases of clergy abuse of power and position, as well as his doctrinal convictions on the question of the holiness of the Church and its clergy.

Lecture video on YouTube. 

All presentations were part of the Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library Lecture series unless other sponsorship is indicated.

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"

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

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."

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"

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"

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"

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"

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.]

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.

2009
Dr. Christian Washburn of the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. "Condign Merit, the Council of Trent, and Ecumenism"

1999
Sr. Katarina Schuth, "Church Ministry in a New Millennium: Making the Most of These Times"

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.

1993-1994
Fall: Sr. Valerie Lesniak, "Wisdom's Alchemy: Raissa Maritain's Contemplative Journey"

Spring: Dr. Victor Klimoski, "Speaking Their Minds: Priests Reflect on Ministry and Formation"

1992-1993
Fall: Rev. James Motl, "Community to Community: Preaching as Social Activity"

Spring: Rev. Ron Bowers, "Religion and Law: How Theologies of Law Affect Belief and Practice in Judaism"

1991-1992
Fall: Sr. Katarina Schuth, "Catholics in America: Membership, Ministry and Future Trends"

Spring: Sr. M. Christine Athans, "Theological Roots of Anti-Semitism of Fr. Charles E. Coughlin—Famous Radio Priest of the 1930s & 1940s"

1990-1991
Fall: Dr. Tom Fisch, "Current Thought in Liturgical Theology"

Spring: Rev. Phil Rask, "List of Tribes in the Book of Revelation: Anti-Semitism in Traditional Interpretation?"

These presentations are part of the Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library Lecture series.