Since 1982, the Lectures in Catholic Experience have brought leading scholars, activists, religious leaders and other professionals to St. Jerome’s to offer opportunities for us to engage with the critical issues of our time, particularly as they intersect with faith and the life of the Church. Previous speakers and subjects have included the Director of Springtide Research Institute, Sociologist Dr. Tricia Bruce, “Her Place in the Church: Gender, Power, and Authority in Contemporary Catholicism,” Archbishop Donald Bolen, Archbishop of Regina, Saskatchewan: “The Wounds of the Past, Truth-telling, and a Future of Hope: The Doctrine of Discovery and the Path of Reconciliation,” Dr. Tia Noelle Pratt, Villanova University: “Doing THE WORK: Anti-Racism and the Catholic Church,” Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ: Dead Man Walking: The Journey Continues...,” and Fr. James Martin, SJ, “Reaching out to our LGBTQ Friends, Building a Bridge.”
Each lecture is hosted in the Notre Dame Chapel on the St. Jerome’s campus and is free and open to the community to attend. Lectures can be attended in-person, streamed live online or viewed in perpetuity on our YouTube channel.
St. Jerome’s is only able to feature the most relevant, high-profile speakers with the support of our donors. Please consider a gift to St. Jerome’s University in support of the Lectures in Catholic Experience.
Lecture series theme
At a time of increasing polarization, disengagement, and disenchantment in both the Church and the World, the 2024-2025 St. Jerome's Lectures in Catholic Experience series brings together a series of talks by a variety of academics and practitioners who help us understand the potential for solidarity in a time of solitudes. Our speakers this year will challenge us to think about a "religion of the heart" that may not appear in a church pew, remind us of the potential for sport to bridge difference, surprise us with the potential of interfaith dialogue on university campuses, inform our understanding of religion and political polarization, speak to the past, present, and future of a synodal church, and emphasize our collective obligation to people on the margins.
Guest speakers
Gary J. Adler Jr., Associate Professor, The Pennsylvania State University | February 27
How Catholics Govern: Examining the Religiosity and Policy Preferences of Local Government Officials
This lecture is co-sponsored with the Institute for Religion, Culture and Societal Futures.
Catherine Clifford, Professor, Saint Paul University | March 20
From Vatican II to a Synodal Church
Fr. Gregory Boyle, SJ, Jesuit Priest and Founder of Homeboy Industries | May 15
Cherished Belonging – The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times