Food for Thought Seminar

Every day, we are surrounded by animals. You may have a dog at home on your bed, a chicken on your dinner plate, and a rabbit testing your medications and cosmetics. Humans, too, may have more in common with these creatures than we care to admit – we are “political animals” according to Aristotle, and “the beast with red cheeks” according to Nietzsche. So what are animals and how must we treat them? In this Food for Thought, we’ll consider whether animals are only food or worth some thought. Join us as we explore humans as animals and animals as sustenance, tools, and reflections of ourselves. This program is open to current undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University.

Young Catholic Leaders High School Workshop

Yuri Gagarin, the famous Soviet Cosmonaut and first man in space, infamously observed that he did not see God in space. In the vastness of space with its dying stars, black holes, and poisonous planets inhospitable to human life, one can easily arrive at Gagarin's conclusion. And yet, can scientists look upon space with eyes of faith? Can the practice of astrophysics or science more broadly lead us along a path of wonder to God, rather than doubt and despair? To answer these questions, the Collegium Institute's Young Catholic Leaders Initiative will be hosting a daylong workshop for high school students and teachers called Science as a Path to Wonder: From the Darkness of Space to the Light of Christ, on Saturday, November 16, at the Penn Newman Center.

After the Gold Mass and brunch, Br. Cassian Iozzo, O.P., a Dominican friar and PhD in Astrophysics from Cornell will deliver the keynote lecture on Catholicism and Astrophysics with Br. Augustine Buckner, O.P. offering theological commentary and reflections, followed by breakout discussions. After the breakout discussions, Br. Cassian will perform a series of experiments with the help of the students and teachers to illustrate some of his points from the keynote lecture. The workshop will conclude with a panel discussion featuring Prof. Michelle Francl (Bryn Mawr), Prof. Michael Vogeley (Drexel), and Br. Cassian with Br. Augustine moderating, followed by small group discussions.

Defining Death in a Technological Age: The Scientific, Moral, and Philosophical Debate about the Legal End of Life

Collegium Institute's Magi Project is pleased to invite you to an evening lecture by Rev. Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, O.P. entitled “Defining Death in a Technological Age: The Scientific, Moral, and Philosophical Debate about the Legal End of Life.” In this lecture, we will explore the philosophical, ethical, and medical frameworks that are currently being used to answer a fundamental question: When can we know that an individual is dead?

Despite innovations in medical care and technology over the past several decades, little progress has been made to grow medical consensus and update government legislation related to the definition of death. The Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA) was written in 1981 to establish the two criteria for the determination of death: death by circulatory-respiratory criteria and death by neurological criteria, also known as brain death. Forty years later, an attempt to revise the UDDA was paused in 2023 after no universal medical consensus emerged about brain death. Instead, it became clear that there is an ongoing dispute about whether the brain-dead person is truly dead. That dispute now has profound implications not just for global healthcare but for the laws and social structures that shape our understanding of what it means to be human.

Gold Mass for Catholic Scientists

Join Collegium Institute for a Gold Mass for Catholic Scientists on Saturday, November 16 at 9am at St. Agatha-St.James Church, celebrated by Msgr. Michael Magee, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Full Professor of the Systematic Theology and Sacred Scripture at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. Gold Masses are celebrated for Catholics who are or have been involved with the sciences. The patron of this mass is St. Albert the Great, a 13th century Dominican friar and teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas—and the patron saint of scientists.

The Gold Mass is open to all interested members of the public, and will be followed by a brunch reception.

All events above are made possible through the support of ‘In Lumine: Supporting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Campuses Nationwide’ (Grant #62372) from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in any publications, videos, lectures, etc. associated with this project are those of the author(s) or speaker(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.