Fr. Paul Nienaber, SJ

Science and Religion, Can they Co-exist?

Every few months there is a science based controversy in the media. Evolution, intelligent design global warming, and population explosion are just a few examples where supposed scientific arguements are used to challenge believers.

Fr. Paul Nienaber, SJ is a physics professor and Fermi lab researcher in the area of Neutrinos and building block particles. As a Jesuit priest, it is his vocation to straddle both worlds of theology and science, professor and pastor.

Fr. Nienaber is a very strict scientist. The way of science is the way of precision and exactness. When queried on specific areas of controversy, such as evolution, he carefully chose his words, and did not feel qualified as a physicist to answer questions in biology.

Father's presentation tracked the development of science in the West through such figures as Gallileo, Sir Isaac Newton, and Rene Descartes, and the shift in cultural mindset that they fostered.

Most of the areas of contention between science and religion come from people doing poor science and people preaching poor religion. The area of expertise of science is the empirical study of matter and its properties, and the area of expertise of religion is experience, the experience of individuals and communities as they feel the touch of the transcendant.

Vicki Thorn

Call to Be Catholic opened its 6th program year in 2009 with Vicki Thorn speaking at St. Joseph's in Owatonna. Vicki Thorn is the founder of Project Rachel, a program that ministers to women suffering from the trauma and effects of abortion. Beyond the questions of morality and politics which abortion brings to mind, there is still a human dimension to the situation which requires pastoral compassion.

The focus of Vicki's talk, however, was the alienation and suffering of the Generation X and Generation Y young adults who have grown up in post- 1960s culture. Vicki's approach to this topic was unique and candid, sharing many insights drawn from scientific sources.

It was this choice of sources which made Vicki's message so powerful. Without quoting scripture, theology, or any teaching document of the Church, Vicki made her pro - life, pro - family argument drawing primarily from biology.

The pheromones, the chemicals of attraction between men and women, are changed by chemical contraceptives, causing relational frictions at a very basic level when the woman's system is cleared of chemicals.

A woman's body is changed by pregnancy in ways that are continually being discovered, and some of these new discoveries lend further credence to the pro - life viewpoint. The link between abortion and breastcancer has been discussed in literature for several years, However, building on this point, it is now known that a great deal of a woman's future health depends on carrying early pregnancies to term.

Vicki Thorn gave an incredible presentation, and backed her position with solid biology and science, taking life issues out of the realms of philosophy and theology, and into the hard sciences.

Fr. Thomas Cook - St. Paul

Fr. Thomas Cook is a priest who knows his way around the Diocese of Winona. A native of Austin, he has served as a pastor in such varied communities as Easton, Truman, Madelia, and St. James. He was also a very popular instructor at Lourdes High School in Rochester. Fr. Cook is well known for his apologetic and catechetical talks, and Call to Be Catholic invited Fr. Cook to speak on the topic, "In Search of St. Paul." This year has been designated by Pope Benedict XVI as the year of St. Paul, marking the approximate 2000th anniversary of his birth as an occaision for deeper study into this key New Testament figure.

Fr. Cook placed great emphasis on the importance of understanding who Saul of Tarsus really was and how unique his formation truly was. The city of Tarsus, located in modern day Turkey was a trade center of some importance in the Ancient World. Land trade routes from the East met the Greco-Roman Mediterranean world at Tarsis. Saul of Tarsus thus grew up in a cosmopolitan atmosphere.

The formation of the man who was to become St. Paul was also cosmopolitan. Fr. Cook informed us that Paul was clearly educated in the Greek classics. Throughout the Pauline letters there are phrases and allusions to Greek literature. In addition to this, we know that Paul was a merchant, a tentmaker by trade who was a Roman citizen, a status which accorded him numerous privileges. This man who is so deeply immersed in classical knowledge is also a Jew, and quite proud of this aspect of his identity. Paul is proud of his membership in the party of the Parisees. St. Paul studied the depths of Judaism under the professorship of Gamaliel, one of the greatest Torah scholars of that time.

Saul of Tarsus, with this background, despised the new sect of Christians. His zeal for the law led him to be the most passionate persecutor of the new Faith. He was complicit in the martyrdom of St. Stephen, and was on the way to Damascus with the authority to search the synagogues and root out the Christians in its membership. It was then that Saul of Tarsus became St. Paul.

Fr. Cook was quick to point out that all of the paintings, statues, and images we have of this moment take great liberty with the Biblical text. It is nowhere said that Saul was knocked from his horse. After seeing the light, hearing the voice of the Savior identifying himself with his followers, Saul is led into Damascus, in the same manner he had thought to lead Christians out.

At numerous points throughout his talk, Fr. Cook made certain to bring the character of Paul alive for us today, and give day to day examples of how we face the same emotions, moral struggles, and moments of grace. Fr. Cook made particular mention of understanding God's will and God's plans, and how our resistance against the plans of God often is futile in the unfolding of events.

The audience connected well with Father. Questions and dialogue ranged from points about the live and writings of St. Paul to other questions regarding more general information about Catholic teaching in general.

This was a well attended event. It was wonderful to see people from all over the diocese.

If you have a question, I will be forwarding this to Fr. Cook. If you have a comment about the event or anything else to say, please comment below.

Larry Price - Annulments

Larry Price does not wear a hooded cloak, peering over ancient tomes in a smoky, candle lit room. That is the image many seem to have of the Catholic Church's annulment process. The truth, however, is radically different.

This area of marriage and marriage dissolution is one of the most misunderstood aspects about the Church's life and teaching. Larry Price educated the Call to Be Catholic audience on this topic. A background in canon law and extensive experience with the diocesan marriage tribunal make Price an individual of expertise in this area.

The Church does not have "divorce", per se. It does not end a marriage that for some reason has fallen apart. What an "annulment" really says is that a marriage as a sacramental union never got off of the ground.

Consent is a key to determining if a sacramental union existed. Immaturity, coercion , mental imbalance, and abuse history can all contribute to flaws in this area which might permit the granting of an annulment.

Price made certain to emphasize that the Church's first job is the salvation of souls, and even a seemingly bureaucratic and legalistic type process as an annulment is meant to serve this end goal. In a civil divorce, the focus of the proceeding is on the distribution of assets and spousal/child support. The annulment process actually provides a venue for healing and grace, as the whole relationship from the beginning to end is examined and an opportunity exists for the healing process to begin.

The audience was also given an overview of the process, which can take several months. Paperwork needs to be submitted and witness statements are taken. It is important to know that the annulment process is not done in secret, the ex-spouse will be contacted and interviewed about the relationship. In a civil criminal action, there is a presumption of innocence of the accused, the prosecution must prove guilt. Likewise, in the annulment process, the presumption exists that the bond was valid. There is even an appointed individual, the Defender of the Bond, whose function in the proceeding is to support the finding that the marriage was valid. In the even that the tribunal returns a decision in favor of declaring the bond null, that decision is reviewed by the archdiocese.

Price made every effort to make the audience aware that God's love does not end with divorce. These matters are close to the heart and deal with people's most intimate and sensitive issues. Ministry to those in these situations is at times heartwrenching, but is also an opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ to those in what might be the most broken parts of their lives.

Dr. Janet Smith - Conscience

Dr. Janet Smith's topic - The Role of Individual Conscience in Making Decisions About Right and Wrong is something that challenges each of us and our own little voice. Often, we hear people talk about their conscience as though it were a trump card, that their conscience overrules the mandates of scripture and accepted morality. Dr. Smith's talk showed us that conscience is both a student and a teacher. It is our duty to form our conscience by prayer, study, and a lively spiritual life. Dr. Smith used some examples of her own inner monologue to give examples of how small and insidious the small temptations of our lives are. These humorous anecdotes were a terrific means to take wordy moral theology and show how it applies to our daily life.
Drawing heavily from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Dr. Smith touched on the elements of will and consent in the sinfulness of a particular act. Although the Church's teaching may sound legalistic it is rooted in Scripture and and the experience of the Saints and thinkers of the Church's life throughout the ages.
Dr. Smith provided examples of the use of conscience from such wide examples as such seemingly innocuous things as overly enjoying and confiding in someone of the opposite sex and seeking out their companionship over that of spouse to lofty questions of the morality of organ donations of live ovaries.
Always we must keep in mind our human weakness, and our tendancy to rationalize. Our conscience is a tool for interpreting Scripture and the Church's teaching in our daily lives. Like any tool, however, our conscience must be honed and kept sharp by grace and diligence.

Dale Ahlquist - Beyond Left and Right

Call to Be Catholic opened its year's line up of spearkers with Dale Ahlquist, President of the American Chesterton Society, EWTN personality, and prolific author. So much of the public debate about Catholic thought revolves around politically hot issues like abortion, homosexuality, and euthanasia. The Church's teaching is far deeper than mere political rhetoric and slogans, however, and as our title suggests, is beyond left and right.
Dale draws much of his material from G.K. Chesterton, a British author and intellectual from the early 20th Century who scandalized British society by converting to the Church. Chesterton went on to write both some of the finest Catholic apologetics and some of the best English literature of his time.
Dale's talk focused on how normal, down to Earth, and sane the Church's teaching really is. Normal people, according to Dale, fall in love, get married, and have families. This natural situation is what the Church fosters and nurtures. What does this have to do with politics? Dale notes that most of those with the time and energy to become politically active are those who have not fallen in love, gotten married, or started families. Thus, though we may have the right to vote, we do not have the right to choose what to vote about. The activists and polemicists who drive most of the media and social debate.
It is from this basis that Dale begins to explain modern Catholic Social teaching. Beginning with Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, the Church has set forth some guiding principles of social justice which affect people in industrialized, modern societies. Chief among these are the ideals of distributivism and subsidiarity. Distributism deals with the idea that property is a good, and the just stewardship of resources is part of God's command. Flowing from this, the necessities of life and dignified existence flow from the just use and distribution of property. Subsidiarity is best summarized as "Small is Better." Problem solving and human societies function best when decisions are made at the lowest possible level. Human to human interactions are far more just and equitable than bureaucratic actions. These two principles tend to frown on both big business and big government.
Reaction to Dale's talk was spirited. He has the ability to talk about very dense ideas in an engaging and humorous manner. Ive known Dale for awhile and he is a fine gentleman and has a contagious enthusiasm for his topic. His ability to connect with an audience and present such high level material to a non-academic audience was a terrific start to the year.