Events

Eighth Annual Catholic Immigration Summit: Uncharted Trails

Saturday, October 5, 2024
Seattle University – Student Center Le Roux Room
10am-4pm (doors open at 9:30am; Vigil Mass at 4pm)

Please join us for a day of dedicated to learning more about immigration and migration at the US/Mexico border and locally in the PNW. This free event includes lunch and parking, and a suggested $15 donation is appreciated to help offset the cost of hosting the event.

The summit includes:

• Morning prayer with Bishop Schuster
• Keynote speaker Dr. Alejandro Olayo-Méndez, SJ, Boston College School of Social Work – “People, Places, and Circumstances: Finding Hope along Migration Routes in Mexico”
• Chris Koehler, Archdiocese of Seattle, Immigrant and Refugee Ministry – “The PNW Context: Welcoming the Migrant and Refugee”
• Amanda Heffernan, SU Assistant Professor –  “Bridging the Gap: An Authoethnography of Asylum Accompaniment”
• A Presentation by the Tacoma Refugee Choir

In addition to hearing from Dr. Olayo-Méndez, his gallery show “In Search of a Dream” will showcase photography documenting life on the border for migrants. The summit concludes with a Vigil Mass at 4pm in the Chapel of St. Ignatius.

The annual Immigration Summit is co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of Seattle -  Immigrant and Refugee Ministry and Seattle University’s Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture

Click Here to Register (Required)

In Search of a Dream: Images from the US-Mexico Border

Reception: Monday, October 7
4pm in Gallery Two, Lemieux Library 2nd Floor

Artist: Alejandro Olayo-Méndez, S.J.
Show Curator: Arturo Araujo, S.J.

Show Dates: September 25, 2024 - January 5, 2025

Alejandro Olayo-Méndez, S.J., Assistant Professor at Boston College's School of Social Work, presents "In Search of a Dream," a compelling visual documentary that explores the profound experiences of migrants seeking a better life. This exhibition highlights the human dignity of migrants through intimate images capturing their faces, shelters, and current situations amid the immigration crisis.

Sponsored by: Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture and the Lemieux Library

Fall Catholic Heritage Lecture: Toward a Synodal Spirituality of Unity in Diversity

Tuesday, October 22 at 4pm
Le Roux Room, STCN 160 (or Zoom option available)

Dr. Allan Figueroa Deck, SJ
Loyola Marymount University

Click here to RSVP

The synodal reform of the Church under the energetic leadership of Pope Francis is his signature legacy for the Church and the world. He speaks of synodality as spirituality and as the way forward for the Church in the Third Millennium.  What is synodality, and how can it be understood as an applied spirituality conducive to the attainment of communion in diversity for Christians as well as for the whole human family? Father Deck will explore these questions from a variety of angles.

Jesuit Father Allan Figueroa Deck currently serves as Distinguished Scholar of Pastoral Theology in the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). Previously he held the Casassa Chair of Social Values at LMU. He earned doctorates in Latin American Studies at Saint Louis University and in Theology at the Gregorian University. In addition to teaching at Loyola Marymount he has lectured widely on Ministry, Faith and Culture, Intercultural Competence, and Latino/a Theology and Spirituality. Father Deck is the author or editor of nine books and more than sixty chapters in collections of scholarly articles or journals. In addition to teaching, research and writing.  He was first director of Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese of Orange and has served in leadership positions in many church-based, non-profit organizations. He was a co-founder and first president of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS) as well as of the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry (NCCHM). He was the founder and first director of the Instituto Hispano of the Jesuit School of Theology (JST) of Santa Clara University. Father Deck was selected to be the founder and first executive director of the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church which oversees and facilitates the relationship of the bishops with all racial/ethnic groups, refugees and migrants for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCC). He also currently serves as Assistant to the Provincial of the Western Province of the Society of Jesus and on the boards of Mt. Saint Mary’s University, Homeboy Industries, and the Loyola Institute for Spirituality (LIS). His most recent publications are Francis, Bishop of Rome: The Gospel for the Third Millennium, New York: Paulist Press, 2016, and a collection of Spanish-language reflections for each day of the year titled 365 Días con los Santos, Chicago: Loyola Press, 2021.

AI Ethics, Transhumanism, and Personhood

Fr. Paolo Benanti is on campus this summer and ICTC was fortunate to have an afternoon discussion with him! Friar Paolo Benanti, a visiting scholar at Seattle University, is an advisor to Pope Francis on Artificial Intelligence. Pope Francis has increased his focus on the moral issues surrounding AI informed by Benanti's expertise. The ICTC salon provided an opportunity to engage with Fr. Benanti about his work with Pope Francis on AI Ethics, and we also discussed his research on posthumanism and transhumanism using this recent Podcast interview for inspiration. Thank you to Dr. Jessica Imanaka for facilitating!

Picture: Dr. Jeanette Rodriguez, Fr. Paolo Benanti, and Dr. Jessica Imanaka