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.

We are now taking donations to buy Thanksgiving turkeys for the needy families of Risen Lord Parish in Burnsville, West Virginia.  The suggested donation is $10. Please feel free to pin a feather on our lobby turkey.  Please make checks payable to the Pittsburgh Oratory. Your generosity is deeply appreciated.

On Thursday, November 24, and Friday, November 25, there will only be a 10am Mass.  We will not have Mass at 7:30am, 5:15pm, and 9pm on those days.

The Newman Center is pleased to welcome Dr. Robert Gagnon, Associate Professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary to address the question of what – if anything – the Bible has to say about homosexuality. Have Christians and Jews through the centuries been “reading into” the Bible meanings that are not in fact there, or no longer obtain in modern culture? Does the Bible specifically expose anyone with same-sex or inclinations to automatic and ruthless condemnation? Dr. Gagnon intends to answer with Biblical and historical evidence these and other challenging questions in his can’t-miss presentation. As always, all students are welcome for pizza and fellowship, beginning after the 6:00pm Mass at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

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.