This week’s 90 seconds of quiet beauty from The Saint John’s Bible takes us to Esther. Illuminator Donald Jackson strove to convey Esther’s dual identities as steadfast Jewish woman and queen of Babylon, as well as ongoing violence in the Middle East. There is also a nod to the work of Gustav Klimt. If these weekly glimpses into one of UP’s great treasures arouse questions, feel free to contact Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center, at eifler@up.edu.
Garaventa Center
Weekly Moment of Beauty From The Saint John’s Bible
Enjoy this 90-second film of the illumination of The Ten Commandments from UP’s Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible. Fun fact: the artist, Thomas Ingmire, is something of an anarchist, so tackling one of humanity’s best-known sets of rules was a wonderful challenge for him! Video is at this link.
Person to Person Connections This Week
Joy Hunt, a member of the School of Education faculty, is the most recent person to have their name pulled from the raffle basket after reporting on making some Person to Person connections. She’ll enjoy a Starbucks gift card, as well as the satisfaction of nourishing the human relationships that make UP a special place. To enter the Person to Person raffle and help build toward the goal of 100 personal connections this semester, just drop Karen Eifler an email (eifler@up.edu) with the number of personal contacts you’ve made (no details necessary–we’re on the Honor System here), and that number of raffle tickets will go into the basket for next week’s drawing. An anonymous donor with a deep affinity for human connections has funded this endeavor for the Garaventa Center.
Mother Teresa & Christian Mental Health Stigma: This Tuesday Oct. 20
The Garaventa Center welcomes everyone to a free online lecture on Tuesday, October 20 at 5 p.m: “Mother Teresa: A Case Study in Christian Mental Health Stigma.” Here’s the Zoom Webinar link to join the live event, which is open to all.
Mother Teresa’s diaries made public the saint’s struggle with intense sadness and sparked debates about her mental health. Jessica Coblentz, assistant professor of religious studies & theology at Saint Mary’s College, will explore the assumptions about depression and Christian holiness that emerged in these debates. Coblentz will also invite participants to reflect on Christianity’s contributions to mental health stigma, as well as possibilities for counteracting it in church and society. For more information or questions: up.edu/garaventa or garaventa@up.edu.
A Moment of Beauty For the Week
Spend a minute and a half taking in the beauty of this illumination of Jacob’s Ladder from UP’s Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible: no words, just quiet music and a chance to breathe and simply BE for a moment of your teeming day. Click here for the video link.
A Weekly Moment of Beauty: “Garden of Eden”
For a moment of beauty with one of UP’s great treasures, The Saint John’s Bible, click here for an 85-second video of the Garden of Eden illumination. No words, just quiet music with a lustrous image. Check this space each week for a link to another image, courtesy of the Garaventa Center.
Follow Sr. Angela’s Example: Keep on Connecting!
The latest UP community member to win the weekly raffle in the Person to Person connections endeavor is Sr. Angela Hoffman, chemistry. She receives a Starbucks gift card, courtesy of a Garaventa Center donor who wants to support all of us in maintaining the personal relationships that make life at UP so special.
All staff and faculty are invited to participate in Person to Person: just email Karen Eifler (eifler@up.edu) and mention a number of human interactions you’ve had—no other names or details needed—with UP colleagues. Your name will go on as many tickets as the number of connections you report, and a name is drawn each week for a modest gift card.
A Weekly Moment of Beauty
Of course we miss UP’s people the most during these days of remote everything, but also the many chances to freely witness beauty on our campus. Beginning today, the Garaventa Center will post a link each week to an 85-second movie featuring one of the lustrous illuminations from UP’s great treasure, The Saint John’s Bible. The art is diverse and inclusive, and the experience is simply one of beholding something beautiful…there’s no narration; simply breathe, behold, and BE for a minute and a half. Click here for this week’s illumination, “Creation.”
Keep UP Person to Person Connections Alive and Well!
Over a dozen Person to Person connections have been noted in the first two weeks of outreach by the Garaventa Center, and it’s great to see those personal relationships that make UP a special place getting nourishment. The first two winners of Starbucks gift cards are Michele Leasor (Office of Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement) and Randy Hetherington (School of Education). Keep us posted on the connections you make (no details necessary). Just let us know that you made a personal connection with a UP colleague, by emailing eifler@up.edu.
Our goal is 100 encounters this semester. Everyone who reports making contact goes into the hopper for a gift card drawing each week, paid for through a gift from a donor who wants UP to stay strong in building human relationships, Person to Person.
2020 Zahm Lecture Available to View
For anyone who missed last week’s Zahm Lecture, or would like to see it again or share with their classes, the video is available at this link. Gintaras Duda of Creighton University offered a tour de force of art, Star Trek, theology, and particle physics in his talk entitled “From The Big Bang to The Saint John’s Bible: The Role of Astonishment in a Scientist’s Journey to Integrate Faith and Reason.”
For more information contact the Garaventa Center at garaventa@up.edu.