The Saint Benedict Institute will host Sister Damien Marie Savino, FSE, for a talk titled “What Is Man that You Are Mindful of Him?” on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m. at Hope College in Winants Auditorium in Graves Hall.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
A video recording of the event will be made available online afterward on the Saint Benedict Institute website.
As noted in the presentation’s abstract, “One of the polarizing questions in today’s culture is the question of evolution and its relationship to faith. Many presume an antagonism between the theory of evolution and the Christian faith and find it difficult to conceive of a harmonious relationship between them.” The lecture will address this apparent disjunction and consider the theory of evolution in light of the resources of the Catholic tradition. It will do so in the context of the implications of the debate for Christian anthropology and for a holistic understanding of the unique role of humans in creation as stewards and mediators.
The event is cosponsored by the Hope College Department of Religion and the Hope Green Team. It is the first in the “Creation, Evolution, and Our Place in the Cosmos” series being hosted by the Saint Benedict Institute this fall.
Sister Damien Marie Savino, FSE, is a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist who has served as the dean of science and sustainability at Aquinas College since 2016. She holds a doctorate in civil (environmental) engineering and a master’s degree in theology from the Catholic University of America, as well as a master’s degree in soil science from the University of Connecticut and a Bachelor of Science degree in biogeography from McGill University. She has lectured and written widely on questions at the interface between science and theology, and ecology and faith. Sister Damien Marie is the director of the new “Educating for Laudato Si’ Initiative” sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist.
The Saint Benedict Institute is a ministry of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Holland. It seeks to promote and nurture intellectual work done from the heart of the Catholic Church, to foster an ecumenical community of Catholic Christians and friends committed to the renewal of culture, and to aid in the formation of intellectually and spiritually mature Christians by making available the riches of the Catholic tradition to Hope College and the wider community. More information can be found at saintbenedictinstitute.org.
Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college’s Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope.edu/calendar
Graves Hall is located at 263 College Ave., between 10th and 12th streets.