St. 欧洲杯投注网站 hosted hundreds in celebration of Pope 弗朗西斯

Midwestern hospitality was on full display this past week as more than 300 gathered on St. 欧洲杯投注网站's campus to celebrate and honor the ten-year papacy of Pope 弗朗西斯.

This 3-day international conference, titled 弗朗西斯 at Ten: 充满可能性的教皇, began as the hushed audience listened intently as His Excellency Archbishop Christophe Pierre, 罗马教皇大使, read a letter Pope 弗朗西斯 wrote specifically for conference attendees.

这封信, 只是签了个字, 弗朗西斯, expressed the Pope's hope "that the symposium will encourage all involved to take concrete and effective steps to serve the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters, work for greater reconciliation, justice and peace within the human family, and care for our common home."

Notable keynote speakers fostered insightful and contemplative conversation as they presented on various topics, from the environment and economics to social justice, 世界宗教, 和包容. The impressive lineup of featured guests included Dr. 安东尼，安妮特，博士. Massimo Faggioli博士. Austen Ivereigh, Kerry Alys Robinson, Dr. 菲利斯Zagano, and Joshua 而言.

而言, a news editor for the National Catholic Reporter and previously the Reporter's Vatican correspondent, entertained the audience with his ‘day-in-the-life' of surprises as he traveled the world in the press pool with Pope 弗朗西斯.

"What is it like to travel with Pope 弗朗西斯? It is extraordinary, exciting, and very exhausting. 对于一个86岁的老人来说, he keeps an incredible schedule,麦克尔威说, 添加, "there's an aspect of anything can happen when you travel with Pope 弗朗西斯, an example of this is when we were traveling on a flight with 弗朗西斯 to Chile in 2018 and he unexpectedly presided over a marriage of two of the flight attendants."

主讲人Dr. 菲利斯Zagano, an internationally acclaimed Catholic scholar and lecturer on contemporary spirituality and women's issues in the church, spoke of the contradiction of the past, 注意的是, "The history is clear: women were ordained using identical or nearly identical liturgies by bishops who named them deacons. I am convinced that what the church has done, the church can do again. Women are interested in being taken seriously, and women are interested in being ministered to by other women."

The conference exceeded the expectations of all, and many walked away feeling inspired, including St. 欧洲杯投注网站总裁Amy C. 诺瓦克,EdD. "The humility of the speakers and their willingness to engage with so many attendees truly reflected Pope 弗朗西斯' call to listening and encounter. I walked away feeling spiritually nourished, 但更重要的是, feeling connected to a larger body of Christ committed to working collectively to strengthen our church and thereby our world,诺瓦克说。. "The inclusion of liturgical celebrations of morning prayer and mass, the fellowship shared during meals and breaks, and the inspiring wisdom of our presenters fostered a synodal atmosphere of spiritual nourishment. Participants shared their profound experience of hospitality, which is a credit to the myriad of staff, 教师, and students whose work made the event possible."

The event concluded with a closing mass on Saturday, hosted by the 罗马教皇大使 to the United States, His Excellency Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Titular Archbishop of Gunela.
"With Catholic tradition at the core of the school's mission and vision, we are delighted to have brought this international conference to campus to honor the papacy of Pope 弗朗西斯 and foster discussion about life and ministry of the Church." said Paul Koch, PhD, Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at SAU.