January 20, 2012

St. Thomas Aquinas Forum to feature top theologians

Katie Lewis, Tennessee Register

Intellectual study and liturgical life come together as this year’s theme for the St. Thomas Aquinas Theological and Catechetical Forum.

The sixth-annual forum is scheduled for Feb. 3-4, with scholars and experts invited by Aquinas College’s Director of the Office of Catechetics Sister Mary Michael, O.P., to give presentations and answer questions.

“This year’s theme is one that both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have given particular attention to,” she said. “The integral relationship between faith and reason is at the heart of the work we do as catechists.”

The weekend forum isn’t solely for catechists, as is the annual Ann and Monroe Carell Conference, though attendance can count toward hours for catechist certification.

“The St. Thomas Aquinas Forum is for all Catholics seeking to deepen and broaden their Catholic intellectual formation,” said Sister Mary Michael. “Our invited speakers are top-notch, and they promise to provide clear direction as we strive to preach the truth of Jesus Christ (in) a culture steeped in secularism and moral relativism.”

High school students and teachers are expected from Knoxville Catholic High School and Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, with students also expressing interest from Nashville’s St. Cecelia Academy and Father Ryan High School – motivated, in part, by extra credit in class.

“Aquinas has done an excellent job of bringing together the top theologians in the United States,” said Tim Forbes, Father Ryan’s dean of campus ministry and student life. “Next to a copy of the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I believe every Catholic family should have a copy of Peter Kreeft’s ‘Catholic Christianity.’”

Author and Christian apologist Kreeft will lead the group of scholars with two planned presentations: “Truth and Tolerance” and “Values and Feelings.” Also scheduled to speak are theology professor Alan Schreck of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, Aquinas philosophy professor Peter Pagan, Christendom College philosophy professor John Cuddeback and Sister Mary Angelica, O.P., Aquinas theology instructor.

Experience at the front of a classroom will serve these scholars well, as there will be opportunities for attendees to posit questions. Schreck, for one, said his students over the past 34 years have strengthened and inspired his own faith.

“These students generally want their Catholic Christian faith to guide and pervade their lives,” he said. “Many students study theology where I teach not necessarily as a career option, but simply to deepen their own faith and spiritual lives, and to participate more effectively in the call that Blessed Pope John Paul II made – and Pope Benedict is continuing this – for young people to witness to their faith.”

Sister Mary Angelica agreed.

“Discussing my studies with the eager minds of my students at Aquinas College is exciting and very rewarding,” she said. “They hunger for the truth, and they want to live it completely. I notice that they do not want some watered-down, easy truth. They want the real truth about God and themselves, and their discovery is amazing to me. They are open and receptive, and virtuous, which is the main disposition for receiving truth.”

Kreeft said question-and-answer sessions are more important than the talks because “dialogue is better than monologue as a way to find the truth. God Himself is not just a monologue but a dialogue – Father, Son, Spirit; a holy family conversation.”

In addition to time for group dissection of the presentations, there is also allotted time for silent prayer, Mass, Vespers and confession.

Joan Watson, Aquinas’ coordinator of catechetics, said events like the St. Thomas Forum help the school continue its mission outside of the school setting and out into the community, as Middle and East Tennessee’s only Catholic college.

That reach extends beyond the dioceses of Nashville and Knoxville: Attendees will also be traveling to the forum the first weekend in February from Ohio, South Carolina and Alabama.

Registration is almost at capacity for this year’s forum, which is being held at the St. Cecelia Motherhouse before moving back to the Dominican Campus next year to hold a larger crowd. The registration form can be found on Aquinas’ website – http://www.aquinascollege.edu/community/tci.php - and is needed by Jan. 27. After that deadline, Sister Mary Michael said, prospective attendees can call the Office of Catechetics at (615) 297-7545, ext. 469, to check if there’s still space.