The Garaventa Center invites all faculty, staff, students, and the public to a free lecture, “Amazing Grace: Diversity, Deep Listening, and the Anatomy of a Song,” presented by Christopher Pramuk, on Wednesday, March 20, at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120.
Pramuk, who serves as chair of Ignatian Thought and Imagination at Regis University, presents the remarkable story of one-time slave trader John Newton, the composer of the song “Amazing Grace,” as a portal into the struggle for diversity and inclusion in the U.S. and beyond. He will also explore the many beautiful and often painful ways that grace can break open our social horizons, from the classroom to the political realm to our efforts to create a truly diverse and welcoming environment on university campuses. Pramuk is the author of Hope Sings, So Beautiful: Graced Encounters Across the Color Line.
For ADA accommodations or more information: x7702 or garaventa@up.edu.
All are invited to a meet-and-greet event with UP artist in residence Claudio Talavera-Ballón onWednesday, April 3, from 5 to 6 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. Talavera-Ballón is an oil painter and muralist who addresses the issues of migration and women in social justice in his work. Come meet him, learn about his work, and enjoy some refreshments. This event is for Spanish students and any others who are interested in the topics of migration, art, and social justice. The meet-and-greet will be followed by an all campus presentation in Buckley Center Auditorium at 7:15 p.m. Talavera-Ballón will speak on the relationship between art and social issues such as migration. He will also make reference to the role of women today in contexts that are adverse to social justice.
Mark Ruff, professor of history at Saint Louis University, will offer a lecture entitled “Turning a Pope’s Reputation Upside Down: Pope Pius XII and Nazi Germany” on Wednesday, March 27, at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. The lecture is free and open to all.
The next meeting of the Faith and Intellectual Life Discussion Group will be Friday, March 22, 3:30 to 5 p.m., in the Clark Library Conference Room (please note the change of venue from previous meetings this year). We will be reading “Archbishop Desmond Tutu: The Essence of What It Means to be Human” by Keymanthri Moodley and the Introduction and Chapter 6 of “Ecological Education and Spirituality” from Laudato Sí by Pope Francis. Readings are available on the 
All are invited to hear celebrated writers read from their works, followed by a moderated panel examining how their faith influences the inspiration, process, and products of their imaginations, on Thursday, March 28, at 7 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. Panelists include poet and scholar Sr. Eva Hooker, C.S.C.; novelist and essayist Allison Grace Myers; poet GC Waldrep; and poet and fiction writer Rachel Jamison Webster. The event, a collaboration by the Department of English, the Garaventa Center, and Portland Magazine, is free and open to the public.
We continue our look at the charisms—the purposes that ignite the work of the men and women who are part of the Congregation of Holy Cross—and remembering that they were formed in response to the wounds inflicted on the people of northern France during and after the French Revolution.
Campus Ministry and the Garaventa Center invite you to spend an evening with David Haas as he presents a free concert, “I Will Bring You Home: Songs of Prayer, Stories of Faith,” on Thursday, February 28, at 7 p.m., in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. Haas is the composer of “You Are Mine,” “Blest Are They,” “We Are Called” and many more beloved hymns. Open to all; reception to follow.
Every Catholic religious order was founded to address a particular problem of a time and locale. In the case of the Congregation of Holy Cross, that problem was the devastation wrought by the French Revolution, which had led to suppression of public worship and the shutting down of many Catholic communities. Nearly two generations of French Catholics were ill-informed about their faith. Basil Moreau’s band of priests, brothers, and sisters formed in order to be dedicated educators in the Catholic faith; that is the work the Church acknowledges that they do, and what their constitutions say they are to do. That is the principle of Holy Cross charism; several other charisms in the “DNA” of Holy Cross men and women fuel their audacious task. Among these are zeal (an unwavering spark for and commitment to living out their call), reliance on Divine providence (understanding that God can and does use any circumstance or human choice to reveal something of God’s love to a world ravenous for meaning and purpose ) and hospitality (commitment to be the face of Christ to all who show up and, perhaps more importantly, to see the face of Christ in all who show up).
Garaventa Center co-directors Karen Eifler and Fr. Charlie Gordon, C.S.C., will celebrate 10 years of their Bringing Eyes of Faith to Film series with a free showing of Groundhog Day at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, February 19, in Shiley Hall room 301. Enjoy themed movie snacks as Eifler and Fr. Charlie unpack surprising themes of grace and transcendence in this comedic classic.
All are invited to a free performance of Angel of the Amazon, a new American opera by Evan Mack, on Saturday, February 23, at 7:30 p.m., in Buckley Center Auditorium. The opera presents the riveting story of Sr. Dorothy Stang and her 2005 martyrdom as she worked to help the poor in the Brazilian rainforest, and features UP faculty member Nicole Hanig in a supporting role. Co-sponsored by performing and fine arts and the Garaventa Center. For ADA accommodations or more information: x7228 or