Thomas More College of Liberal Arts recently welcomed national and international scholars to campus for the first “Recovering the Gift of Creation” Symposium, which was held on campus from May 27–29. This event was organized by Teaching Fellow Dr. Michael Dominic Taylor and featured lectures from speakers such as D.C. Schindler (Pontifical John Paul II Institute), Sr. Damien Marie Savino (Aquinas College), and Matthew Ramage (Benedictine College), among others.
“We believed that it was important to have a dedicated time and space to reflect on the primordial Catholic doctrine of Creation, for its foundational importance for every branch of knowledge but also in the context of the acceleration of the environmental movement and the Catholic Church’s response,” said Dr. Taylor. “The richness of the doctrine of Creation is absent from ecological reflection or is even blamed for the current ecological crisis. As Cardinal Ratzinger pointed out in the seventies, the spirit of modernity is marked by the rejection of Creation. This has not been sufficiently attended to within the Church, which must lead by clarifying this doctrine and its many consequences.”
In addition to the academic lectures, presentations were given by TMC Guildmaster Anton Kaska, who spoke about the Saint Hubertus Outdoorsman Guild, and Christopher Lanciotti of Creatio, a Catholic nonprofit that facilitates encounters with God in the wilderness. The Symposium was brought to a close with remarks by President William Fahey.
“These days were a privileged opportunity to reflect on the significance of Creation while building a community of friends from a broad range of disciplines,” remarked Dr. Taylor. “It was a wonderfully rich event that will hopefully be repeated.”
Speakers and Titles
Michael Dominic Taylor (Thomas More College):
“‘…Only if we do not lose creation’: Five Ideas to Recover the Gift of Creation”
D.C. Schindler (Pontifical John Paul II Institute):
“The View from Somewhere: Senses, Place, and the Meaning of Nature”
Mary G. Taylor (Communio International Catholic Review):
“Nunc et in Hora: The Celestial Horologe, Dante, and the Gift of Time”
Anton Kaska (Thomas More College):
“The Saint Hubertus Guild and Responsible Use of Our Outdoor World”
Pablo Martínez de Anguita (Laudato Si’ Institute, Spain):
“The Ecology of the Family”
Matthew Ramage (Benedictine College):
“Inhabiting God’s Garden: ‘The Covenant between Man and the Environment’ according to Joseph Ratzinger”
Christopher Lanciotti (Creatio):
“Creatio: Nature, Beauty, and Realism”
Sr. Damien Marie Savino (Aquinas College):
“Unearthing the Franciscan Roots of Laudato Si’: Digging Deeper into Sacramental Reality”
Nick Healy (Pontifical John Paul II Institute):
“The Sacraments of the Church and the Doctrine of Creation”
María Ángeles Martín (Laudato Si’ Institute, Spain):
“Resolving Environmental Conflicts in the Light of the Social Doctrine of the Church”
Larry Chapp (Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Farm):
“The Nullification of God in Modernity and the Catholic Worker Movement”
William Fahey (Thomas More College):
Closing Reflections
For further reading:
Dr. Taylor Accepts Expanded Reason Award in Research Category
Thomas More College Sponsors Catholic Homeschooling Conference