The Benedictine University (BenU) community experienced a profound exploration of the relationship between faith and science this week. The Sister Judith Ann Heble, OSB Center for Benedictine Values and the Society of Catholic Scientists co-sponsored a two-day series of events that inspired dialogue and reflection.
The gathering began on Thursday, Nov. 13, with a the Gold Mass in St. Benedict Chapel. Celebrated by Fr. Eddie Haule, the Mass honored the vocations of scientists, researchers, and science students, blessing their pursuit of knowledge as a sacred calling. The Chapel, filled with a congregation of students, faculty, staff, and community members, provided a serene start to an evening dedicated to the harmony of belief and inquiry.
The celebration continued with a dinner and keynote lecture in the Kindlon Hall. The event featured Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD, a renowned theologian and scientist who holds the Connelly Chair in Theology at Villanova University. In her lecture, “Christianity and Evolution,” Sr. Delio wove together insights from her dual doctorates in Pharmacology and Theology. She presented a compelling vision of an evolving universe charged with divine presence, challenging the audience to see evolution not as a challenge to faith, but as the mechanism through which God continues to create.
The conversation deepened on Friday, Nov. 14, with the Faith and Reason Symposium, centered on the theme “Faith and Evolution” – held in the Daniel L. Goodwin Hall of Business’s Sorensen Hall of Leaders.
The morning was packed with engaging panels featuring Benedictine University’s own experts. Panel I, moderated by Ellen Ziliak, PhD, featured insights from Preston Aldrich, PhD, Robert McCarthy, PhD, and Tim Marin, PhD, ’96.
“The Benedictine University Faith and Reason Symposium gives our academic community a rare chance to have honest, intellectually serious conversations about big questions, especially those at the often-avoided crossroads of science and religion,” said Dr. Marin. “It reminds us that genuine learning happens when we are willing to bring our diverse convictions, doubts, and disciplines into the same room and engage one another with openness, respect, and joyful curiosity.”
This was followed by Panel II, moderated by Joy Matteson, MLS, which included discussions by Blair Nelson, PhD, Peter Huff, PhD, and Phil Hardy, PhD.
A standout Interfaith Student Panel moderated by Jayashree Sarathy, PhD, gave voice to BenU students Katie Brill, Khushi Joshi, and Osman Khan, who shared their unique perspectives on navigating their faith in their academic and personal lives.
The symposium culminated in a capstone presentation by Alfred Martin, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Biological Sciences, titled “How Science and Religion Fit Together to Explain Reality.” Dr. Martin’s talk served as a powerful synthesis of the two days, offering a coherent framework for understanding scientific and religious truths as complementary, rather than conflicting, ways of understanding our world.
These events underscored Benedictine University’s unique role as a place where the life of the mind and the life of the spirit are not only welcomed but are seen as essential partners in the pursuit of truth.
