The William H. Shannon Chair in Catholic Studies presents...

Integrating Faith and Science:
Dilemmas, Debates, and Decisions

It is fitting that this year’s lecture series, sponsored by the William H. Shannon Chair in Catholic Studies, consider the compelling, and sometimes contentious, relationship between science and religion. This series celebrates the opening of the Integrated Center for Math and Science in Peckham Hall, where Nazareth students and faculty plumb the secrets of the natural world. In a special way the series honors the memory of our beloved William H. Shannon, who died on April 29, 2012. Father Shannon applauded Vatican II’s recognition of the recent studies and findings of science that “raise new questions which influence life and demand new theological investigation.” He was instrumental in promoting conversation about the relationship of religion and science at the College and in the larger community.

Our speakers—all well versed in both science and religion, particularly the Catholic tradition—will help us continue that conversation and see our world with new eyes and deepened understanding. They will challenge us to draw on both the knowledge of science and the wisdom of faith as we face perennial and contemporary questions. How did the universe come to be? What is our place in it? How are we to live? What is the human impact of technology? How shall we make personal decisions and shape public policy? Our speakers will invite us to explore issues at the intersection of science and religion as they discuss evolution, cosmology, technology, bioethics, ecology, spirituality, and theology.

Please join us in welcoming to the Shannon Chair podium our distinguished speakers: George V. Coyne, S.J., Ilia Delio, O.S.F., Lisa Sowle Cahill, Celia Deane-Drummond, and Mary Evelyn Tucker.

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