June 9-14, 2024
The first summer faculty workshop sponsored by the San José-Lonergan Chair in Catholic Philosophy at St. Mary’s University took place in Bordeaux the week of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The workshop focused on themes that professors from across the various disciplines at this Marianist University built on the work that participants had already been exploring from the writings of Bernard Lonergan, SJ, over the past few years on their campus in San Antonio, Texas.
The workshop focused on the chair Dr. James Greenaway’s book Interiority: An Introduction to Bernard Lonergan’s “Transcendental Method.” Faculty, including professors from the Business School, the Biology Department and the Social Communications Department, were challenged to discuss Lonergan’s vision of a Catholic approach to higher education, the intersectionality of the various fields of study based on epistemological and scientific principles, and the universal goal of pursuing the truth as a means of recognizing the dignity of study as an expression of human dignity, promoting academic activity as fundamentally an aesthetic sensibility, and encouraging research in all fields as an instrument for building a just and good society.
Participants in the workshop had to choose an "area of responsibility" for "ATM" in order to adapt Lonergan's method to their own research and teaching. In the final session, each professor had to present their proposal. Before the beginning of the new academic year, each is responsible to present a written project to the chair for evaluation and suggestions for implementation.
"Experiencing the origins of the Marianist tradition at its birthplace in Bordeaux, France was an amazing, week-long experience. The cultural immersion enhanced the discussions on Catholic Intellectual Tradition and philosophy, making it more vivid and real." - Lori Boies, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, School of Science, Engineering, & Technology at St. Mary’s University.
“Keep doing this. Every St Mary’s University professor should attend a transformational workshop like this at least once during her/his time at our university.” - Sergio Palacios Wulschner, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Management (Entrepreneurship and Innovation) Director, Meadows Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Greehey School of Business at St. Mary’s University.
“I was unaware of the excellence and touch of class that Robert White’s Academie Cor Iesu brings to the workshops before travel. Indeed, Academie Cor Iesu provided a genuinely inspiring setting which made it easier for each of us to rise to the challenge of giving our best to the work of the workshop. Needless to say, St. Mary’s will be looking forward to future collaborations.” - James Greenaway, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, San José-Lonergan Chair in Catholic Philosophy at St. Mary’s University.
