The National Institute for Newman Studies is pleased to welcome all university students, faculty and staff to its first annual lecture on the spirituality of Blessed John Henry Newman. Dr. Kevin Mongrain, PhD, its Executive Director, and the first holder of the Ryan Chair of Newman Studies at Duquesne University, will offer an advent reflection on some of Newman’s key spiritual insights on, “Preparing for Christ’s Coming.”

In our day few are mindful of the religious meaning of Advent, and fewer still are mindful of the beautiful spirituality underlying the religious meaning. Advent is a preparation for the season of Christmas, which is a celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth. But in what sense is Advent a preparation for a celebration? John Henry Newman deeply engaged this question in several profoundly mystical sermons on the meaning of Advent. Please join us for a lecture on these sermons and a discussion of their meaning for us today.

Discussion and light – but festive – refreshments will follow. Please RSVP to newmanstudies@ninsdu.org, or 412-681-4375 by December 5.

All students are welcome to stop in for a thoughtful and tasty evening as we welcome Mr. Mark Shea to CMU. As a writer on Catholicism and culture, and an occasional freelance actor, he has more than a few interesting observations on the interplay between classical drama – or even theatre in general – and the Gospel. Theatre, broadly considered, has a sacred character, in virtue both of its origins as well as its purpose. Religion – Catholicism especially – likewise of its nature tends to the dramatic. They are related as well as distinct, from the perspective of their subject – the human “person” – which is to say, the human “mask”. Come for a fascinating and enlightening evening, and bring a friend! A light dinner will be served in conjunction with the event.

Mark Shea is an accomplished Catholic writer and sometime actor with a flair for witty turns; he blogs at “Catholic and Enjoying It!”  Contact frjoshua@pittsburghoratory.org for more details.

As registration for the spring semester approaches, the Newman Center is pleased to announce that we will again host a theology course for credit, entitled “Called to Communion.” The course is offered through the National Institute of Newman Studies, located here in Oakland, in affiliation with Duquesne University, and is taught by Mr. Damon McGraw, MAR (Yale), who is presently the Executive Research Fellow of the Newman Institute, and a doctoral candidate in theology at the University of Notre Dame. With the information provided here, anyone registered at universities in Pittsburgh (Pitt, CMU, Chatham, et al.) may register for this course with the assistance of her academic adviser. Some details of the course follow:

Course Details:

• Host School: Duquesne University
• Offering Department: NINSDU
• Course Title: Created for Communion
• Course Number: CLPR 281
• Meeting Days: Tuesday and Thursday
• Time: 3:30-4:45 PM  Jan. 5-April 19
• Location: The Ryan Catholic Newman Center
• at 4450 Bayard St. Lower Level

Some Course Topics

• The Human Quest for God
• Divine Revelation
• The Mystery of the Trinity
• Human Being and the Fall
• Jesus and the Messianic Hope of Israel
• Jesus and the Kingdom of God
• The Crucified Messiah
• The Coming of the Holy Spirit
• Images and Marks of the Church
• The Communion of Saints
• Forgiveness and Resurrection
• Everlasting Life

Course Description

The purpose of this course is to introduce the basic doctrines of faith professed in the Roman Catholic Christian tradition. Students will become familiar with the contemporary exposition of these teachings in the official catechism. They will also delve into primary and secondary sources of Catholic theology including Sacred Scripture, the writings of church fathers, teachers, and popes, as well as constitutions of the Second Vatican Council. The course attempts to display the beauty and coherence of Catholic teaching by presenting its various topics as elements of a metanarrative, an all-encompassing, revealed story of God, the world, and human beings from beginning to end, which provides the “master script” for how Catholics live and think. The central theme is that human beings are created for communion with God, each other, and all of creation. This course takes the shape of a seminar, and thus students are required to come to each class session prepared to contribute their thoughts and questions on the assigned readings. Studying Catholic theology today is like learning a foreign language; one becomes fluent through practicing conversation. The goal of the course is for students to become engaged participants in the Catholic theological tradition: able to interpret and articulate the Christian metanarrative for themselves.

Course Texts

Holy Bible
Readings from Scripture are assigned in every class session.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
Readings from the Catechism are assigned for every session.

Readings Packet
Selections from important Catholic writings are gathered into a packet. A reading from it is assigned in every session.

The Power and the Glory
We read and discuss this acclaimed Graham Greene novel in the  second half of the semester.

From the Prof

Dear Student,

Created for Communion: An Introduction to Catholic Theology is a three credit university course for undergraduates. It does not presume any previous academic study of theology. The course is intended to provide Oakland-area college students with an opportunity to learn Catholic Theology for academic credit. I encourage any student who is interested in Catholic Theology to register for this course. Previous students have found it to be enjoyable, enlightening, and challenging. The course is a seminar, so it is essential that all students come prepared to share their thoughts on the reading assignments for each class session. Our efforts to understand the mysteries of faith will be made in conversation with each other.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me either by email or by phone at (412) 681-4375 x14.

Sincerely,

Professor Damon McGraw
Executive Research Fellow
National Institute for Newman Studies
in affiliation with Duquesne University

As the world marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 violence, and some recall Pope Benedict XVI’s Regensburg Address five years ago, Dr. Scott Hahn, Ph.D. is joining us Monday evening to discuss and work through some of the thorny questions involved in reading the biblical Old Testament: does the Bible condone or does God command violence in His Name? These questions have numerous implications for the Christian’s understanding of history, of the integrity of faith, of the inspiration and reliability of the Bible, and the ability of Christians and other believers to exist within a context of religious pluralism. The conversation begins, however, with understanding the sources of Christian faith, in particular the sacred Scriptures, and how to explain their contents without explaining them away. Both grad and undergraduate students are welcome to come, and to bring a friend or two for what promises to be an extraordinary and illuminating evening of discussion and dialogue.

About our presenter: Scott Hahn is a graduate of Grove City College, and received a Ph.D. in Biblical Theology from Marquette University in 1995. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and best-selling books, including The Lamb’s Supper. He is presently professor of Theology & Scripture at Franciscan University of Steubenville, as well as the founder and director of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.

This semester’s series of Bible studies for local grad students will begin Monday at 6:00pm, when we’ll depart from the Newman Center for Holy Trinity parish in McKees Rocks to hear Dr. Stephen Miletic present on, “The Bible and Culture: Biblical Spirituality.”  Dr. Miletic is presently a professor of Sacred Scripture and Catechetics at Franciscan University of Steubenville, and has instructed both students and teachers in this field for over 25 years. According to the précis: “Spirituality is a personal encounter with God. How can you have a subjective experience of an objective reality? What is Biblical Spirituality? This lecture examines the Interior, Religious, and Spiritual Life and how this life interacts with the culture.” Ordinarily, the weekly grad Bible study begins at 7:45pm, on Monday nights. Please email Fr. Joshua, or Courtney Long for more information, or to be added to the email list for updates.

The goal of the course will be to introduce students to a scholarly consideration of the Christian Faith.  The course will discuss the historical developments and impact of the Faith, while discovering by reason and revelation how we come to know the true power and will of God.  Attention will also be given to the Christian understanding of the human person, his nature and destiny.

This course is offered through Duquesne University so the proper cross-registration paperwork will need to be filled out; talk to your academic adviser if you’re interested. The primary text for this course will be the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the documents of the Second Vatican Council.   Contact Fr. Mike (412)681-3181 or Prof. Damon McGraw (412)681-4375, with any questions.  Pamphlets on the class are available at the Newman Center or below as a downloadable PDF and contain further information about it.

Origins of Cath Faith, brochure