Events
Explore upcoming lectures, discussions, and gatherings that engage faith, culture, and intellectual inquiry. From thought-provoking dialogues on contemporary issues to explorations of the deep-rooted traditions within Catholic thought, we serve as a hub for fostering meaningful conversations and fostering a deeper understanding of the relationship between spirituality and the modern world.
This year’s theme explores how the principles of Catholic Social Thought —human dignity, solidarity, the common good, and care for creation —inform and inspire engagement in public life. Through dialogue, reflection, and action, the theme invites the Seattle University community to consider how faith and justice intersect in shaping ethical leadership and a more compassionate society.
Our Programming
Catholic Heritage Series
The Catholic Heritage Series engages the community to explore the intersection of Catholicism and culture.
Catholic Intellectual Tradition
Exploring Catholic Intellectual Tradition's Influence on Culture, Learning, and Spirituality
Interreligious Dialogue Initiative
The Interreligious Dialogue Initiative fosters awareness of religious traditions and spiritual pathways.
Our Programming
Immigration Summits
Catholic involvement in immigrant justice and advocacy.
Faculty Research Presentations
Showcasing faculty research across disciplines.
Program Cards 3
Upcoming Events
Winter CHL - The Nonviolent Shift is Coming (If We Want It)
Ken Butigan, Senior Advisor to Pax Christi International’s Catholic Institute for Nonviolence
Tuesday, March 3, 4:30pm
Public reception at 4pm
LeRoux Room, Student Center 160
The greatest movement in human history is on its way. A movement-of-movements. A movement mobilizing the gale-force wind of people power. A movement that’s audaciously nonviolent. This unprecedented movement is coming because it has to – and because, once and for all, we’ve decided that we want it badly enough. Join changemaker, author, and professor Ken Butigan in unpacking how we all have more power than we think to build something better.
Ken Butigan is a changemaker who has organized campaigns and movements resisting war, challenging nuclear weapons, and standing with the unhoused. He was a founder of the Pledge of Resistance, which mobilized nonviolent direct action for a decade to end US military intervention in Central America. He works with Pace e Bene’s Campaign Nonviolence that mobilizes thousands of actions in the U.S. and around the world every year challenging war, poverty, racism, and environmental destruction. He is a senior advisor to Pax Christi International’s Catholic Institute for Nonviolence based in Rome. He taught for many years in the Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies Program at DePaul University in Chicago. He hails originally from Seattle.
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Training with Faculty, Staff, and Community: Can the University be a “House of Peace”?
Ken Butigan, Senior Advisor to Pax Christi International’s Catholic Institute for Nonviolence
Wednesday, March 4, 9am-12pm, with breakfast at 8:30am
Oberto Commons, Sinegal 200
Pope Leo has called on every community across the globe to become a “house of peace.” This workshop will use nonviolent tools and exercises to explore what this metaphor could mean in practical terms to Seattle University. Is it already a “house of peace”? How might it become more of a “house of peace”?
CANCELLED
We are sorry to share that author Chris White will not be travelling to Seattle in February due to an unexpected family illness. Watch for the rescheduled event in Fall 2026.
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Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy
Lecture with author Christopher White
Tuesday, February 17, 6:30 - 8:00 pm
Public Reception at 6:30 pm, Lecture at 7:00 pm
Student Center 160 - Le Roux Room
CANCELLED
In this special lecture, journalist and author Christopher White will share insights from his new book, Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy. Drawing on his years of Vatican reporting, White will take audiences inside the unfolding story of a modern papal election and explore how the first American pope is shaping the Church’s role in today’s complex global landscape. Blending storytelling, analysis, and reflection, this conversation invites audiences — especially students and emerging leaders — to consider how faith, leadership, and global change intersect in our time.
About Christopher White:
Christopher White is associate director and senior fellow at Georgetown University's Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life. His award-winning coverage of the Vatican for the National Catholic Reporter took him to over two dozen countries with Pope Francis. He is the author of the newly released book, Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy.
White holds a master's degree in ethics and society from Fordham University and a bachelor's degree in politics, philosophy, and economics from The King's College. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Forbes, Foreign Policy, New York Daily News, International Business Times, among many other print and online publications. He has regularly appeared on television and radio programs, including CNN, NPR, RTE, and BBC, and is a Vatican analyst for NBC and MSNBC.
This event is co-sponsored by St. James Cathedral and the Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture.