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Center for Catholic Studies Lectures

The Center for Catholic Studies at St. Mary’s University hosts a distinguished lecture series featuring leading Catholic scholars, theologians, authors, educators and public intellectuals who explore the relationship between faith, culture, ethics and contemporary society.

Through programs such as the Lin Great Speakers Series, the Escobedo Saint John’s Bible Lecture Series and the MacTaggart Catholic Intellectual Tradition Series, the Center for Catholic Studies promotes meaningful dialogue on faith-related topics. These lectures enrich the academic and spiritual life of the university, foster community engagement and advance Catholic higher education through thoughtful public conversation. Watch past lectures presented by the St. Mary’s Center for Catholic Studies below.

Past Lectures from the Center for Catholic Studies

Finding Common Ground for the Common Good: As a Community, How Can We Help People Who Are Experiencing Homelessness?

Moderated by Tom Mengler, J.D., St. Mary’s University President

On Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, the Hon. Nelson Wolff (B.B.A. ’66, J.D. ’66), St. Mary’s University Distinguished Service Professor and former Bexar County Judge, along with Joaquin Castro, U.S. Congressman for the 20th District of the United States; Ron Nirenberg, Mayor of San Antonio; Kim Jefferies, Haven for Hope President and CEO; and Genevieve Hébert Fajardo, St. Mary’s School of Law Clinical Professor of Law, presented a panel discussion on homelessness.

WAtch lecture

The Lin Great Speakers Series: Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Art of Solidarity

Featuring Nichole M. Flores, Ph.D.

On Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, the Lin Great Lecture Series welcomed Nichole M. Flores, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia, to offer an account of a “political theology of Guadalupe,” or a theological and aesthetic framework for interpreting Guadalupe’s meaning and significance for our 21st-century democracy in the United States. Latino Catholics have used Our Lady of Guadalupe as a symbol of democratic campaigns ranging from the Chicano and United Farm Workers movements to contemporary calls for immigration reform and anti-abortion laws. Considering these diverse appropriations of her symbol, how ought we make sense of Guadalupe’s place in our common life: our culture, our economics, our politics, our health care? Watch the lecture to learn more.

WAtch lecture
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