Thomas More College is pleased to announce Dr. Robert Royal as the inaugural St. John Henry Newman Visiting Chair in Catholic Studies.
One of the foremost Catholic public intellectuals of our age, Dr. Royal is the author, editor, or translator of more than a dozen books, including the forthcoming Columbus and the Crisis of the West. He is the founder of the Faith & Reason Institute in Washington, D. C., editor of the daily online column The Catholic Thing, and a commentator with Raymond Arroyo on EWTN’s “The Papal Posse.”
“I am especially delighted to be the first St. John Henry Newman Chair at Thomas More College,” says Dr. Royal, “both because I’ve attempted to pattern my own life after these two great saints, and because I’ve been a longtime friend and admirer of this College.”
“We are grateful to the generous benefactor whose faith and trust in Thomas More College has made this Visiting Endowed Chair possible,” says President William Fahey. “We are delighted to have Dr. Robert Royal as the inaugural occupant of this Chair. His contributions to public discourse and his scholarly endeavors have proven him to be a much-needed Catholic voice for our times.”
Dr. Royal will be teaching a semester-long tutorial to upperclassmen entitled Apocalypses, Plagues, Utopias, and Dystopias. “At this point in our culture,” says Dr. Royal, “many things seem to be in chaos and we don’t know which way to turn. The Book of Revelation, the Apocalypse, seems to tell us that these sorts of things are going to happen in the course of human life. I’ve selected a number of literary works for the course that illustrate difficult times and how people have responded to them.” In addition to reading the Apocalypse, students will read More’s Utopia, Bacon’s New Atlantis, Robert Hugh Benson’s Lord of the World, Camus’ The Plague, Eliot’s The Wasteland, and works by Hawthorne, Ralph Ellison, Walker Percy, and others.
“It is so important in this moment,” says Dr. Royal, “that we form young people who are going to be able to maintain their faith and defend it in public, who are actually going to be able to advance what is essential for our country to survive and flourish. In my opinion, Thomas More College is at the top of the institutions undertaking that mission in the United States.”
In addition to teaching the tutorial, Dr. Royal will give public online lectures, lead faculty seminars, and work closely with students on research and writing projects. “I hope that this Chair will really be something that will enrich the life of Thomas More College,” says Dr. Royal.
To read Dr. Royal’s convocation address click here.
