Leo Elders s.v.d. (1926-2019): R.I.P.

Dear Friends,

I bring the sad news that on October 14 at 14.15 pm after a short illness, Father Leo Elders s.v.d. passed away in the house of the Dutch provincialate of his religious congregation, the Society of the Divine Word of which he was a member for almost 75 years. His funeral will take place on Saturday October 19 at 14.30 h at the chapel of the SVD provincialate in Teteringen (Netherlands). There he will also be buried.

Please join me in prayer for his soul. May Our Blessed Lady guide Father Elders, a faithful disciple of St. Thomas and a tireless worker for the Kingdom of God, to the reward he so richly deserves.

St. Albert and St. Thomas

Some interesting news from The Albertus Magnus Institut in Cologne

- An Albertus Magnus bibliography database is now online, covering (for now) the primary and secondary literature from 2001 onwards. It currently has 98 entries also dealing with Thomas Aquinas

- Their primary objective, the critical edition of Albert’s works (the so-called Cologne edition) is advancing steadily with in the last few years one volume every two years (De praedicamentis, 2013; Super I librum sententiarum : distinctiones 1-3, 2015; De nutrimento et nutrito ; De sensu et sensato cuius secundus liber est De memoria et reminiscentia, 2017).

The latest volume, which has just come out and edited by Ruth Meyer, has Albert’s Super Threnos and Super Baruch.

It might be interesting to see whether the introduction touches upon the In Threnos Jeremiae expositio, attributed to Thomas Aquinas or whether a future comparative analysis might shed a light on this question.

Philosophisches Jahrbuch digitalized

Some time ago I wrote about the exciting news that one of the oldest Thomistic journals Divus Thomas (Fribourg) had been digitalized. The same holds true for another important journal Philosophisches Jahrbuch. Started in 1899 by the Görres-Gesellschaft, a German learned society, based in the Catholic tradition, it contains numerous important articles for Thomists, although the journal never was Thomistic in a more strict sense of the word.

The 116 volumes (until 2009) contain 62 articles dealing explicitly with St. Thomas and features such illustrious names as Martin Grabmann, Erich Pzrywara, Bernhard Geyer, Franz Pelster, Kurt Koch, Bernhard Lakebrink, Martin Honecker (who rejected Karl Rahner’s Spirit in the World), Horst Seidl and many others.

For those interested in recent Thomism, Albert Mitterer’s 1957 article ‘Formen und Missformen des Thomismus’ is a must. He sharply distinguishes between ‘integral Thomism’ on the one hand and various forms of ‘Pseudo-Thomism’ on the other such as ‘totalitarian Thomism’, ‘ecclectic Thomism’, ‘opportunistic Thomism’, etc.

XI International Thomistic Congress in Rome, September 2020

The Pontifical Academy of Saint Thomas Aquinas, together with the Thomistic Institute of the Angelicum, is organizing its XI International Thomistic Congress, to be held in Rome from Monday 21 September to Friday 25 September 2020. The conference is entitled “Vetera novis augere. The resources of the Thomist tradition in the current context” and aims to consider the vitality of the resources of the Thomist tradition in contemporary theological and philosophical debates. The website of the Thomistic Congress ( http://romathomism2020.com) contains a Call for Papers with a deadline of April 15, 2020.

The website also offers the full collection of papal speeches to the previous conferences which in itself already offers an interesting perspective on the varied approaches to Thomism undertaken by the different Pontiffs, (for instance Pope Pius XII’ lengthy reflections on the essence of matter in light of contemporary science). On Saturday, September 26, the participants can join in a pilgrimage in the footsteps of Saint Thomas Aquinas to Roccasecca, Aquino and Fossanova.

Call for Papers: Aquinas at Kalamazoo

The Center for Thomistic Studies and the Thomas Aquinas Society, under the leadership of Steven Jensen and John Boyle, respectively, have announced a call for papers for their six sessions at the 2020 International Congress for Medieval Studies. The Congress is held every May at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. These sessions are devoted to Medieval theology and philosophy, especially that in the Thomistic tradition and found in the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas himself. For consideration, submit a 300-word abstract to jfboyle@stthomas.edu and to jensensj@stthom.edu by September 15, 2019.

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Call for Papers: Fr. Dewan Symposium

Dominican University College in Ottawa is hosting its annual Symposium from Thursday, September 19 to Friday, September 20 in honor of the great Dominican scholar, Fr. Lawrence Dewan. Fr. Dewan was an incredibly gifted teacher whose impact on the study Thomistic metaphysics, natural philosophy, and ethics cannot be overstated. This year’s Symposium takes as its theme, The Study of Philosophy, and will feature Gregory T. Doolan as its keynote speaker. “The specific theme of The Study of Philosophy is intended in part to elicit thinking on the personal contribution of Father Lawrence Dewan to Thomistic philosophical thinking.” The organizers have issued a call for papers in either English or French, requesting full-page abstracts to be submitted to rene.fehr@dominicanu.ca by Friday, August 2. More information can be found on the Symposium webpage here.

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Job Opening at Christendom College

Christendom College in Virginia is conducting a search for a full-time theologian in the “Catholic and Thomistic tradition“ at the rank of assistant professor, to start in August 2020. Specialization should be in historical or systematic theology, with competence in Scripture, sacramental theology, or Thomistic moral theology preferred. “Christendom College is committed to Thomistic programs of instruction in theology and philosophy, which are taught according to the spirit, method, and principles of the Common Doctor.” Applications are due by August 15, 2019 in order to be eligible for full consideration.

More information can be found on the Christendom College website and on HigherEdJobs.com.

Call for Papers: Thomas Aquinas & the Crisis of Christology

The Aquinas Center for Theological Renewal (at Ave Maria University) and the Thomistic Institute (at the Dominican House of Studies) are teaming up once again for a February 2020 academic conference to be held in Ave Maria. This year’s theme is, “Thomas Aquinas and the Crisis of Christology.” The Sacra Doctrina Project’s own Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P., will be featured as one of two keynote speakers.

A call for papers is open, but the deadline for abstracts is August 1, 2019. More information can be found on AMU’s Graduate Theology blog and at the Ave Conferences page.

Summer Theology Program - St. Thomas on Galatians - to be put on by the Albertus Magnus Center

August 12 - 16; Wausau, WI

The Albert the Great Center is expanding its offerings by holding a summer theology program in the USA for the first time in collaboration with The Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine. The primary focus of this week-long intensive course will be the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians, supported by St. Thomas Aquinas' commentary on the same epistle.

The daily academic schedule will include both lectures and discussion-style seminars. The seminars focus on a detailed reading of the great texts of the theological tradition, the aim of which is to arrive at a deeper knowledge of truth through a collaborative work of reasoned dialogue. The lectures provide an opportunity for certain topics that arise out of the reading to be explored in greater depth. One of the highlights of the course is the formal scholastic disputation to be held on Thursday, August 15, in honor of the solemn feast of Our Lady's Assumption.

In addition to the academic program, there will also be ample opportunity to participate in the rich liturgical life of St. Mary's Oratory with the canons of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. Daily Mass and prayers of the divine office will be available in the usus antiquior('extraordinary form') of the Roman Rite, as well as the sacrament of confession. 

Faculty for the program will be Fr. Thomas Crean, O.P., Dr. John Joy, Dr. Alan Fimister, and Dr. Taylor Patrick O’Neill.

For more information about attending, see here.

Tom Hibbs named president of the University of Dallas

UD alumni received an email today informing us that Tom Hibbs has been named our ninth president. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am about this news. Hibbs seemed one of the obvious choices to me and was on my personal short list. UD is (in my humble opinion) among the best of The Newman Guide schools. Through the travails of the past few decades, under leadership that often seemed (to put it mildly) out of step with its spirit, UD somehow managed to maintain its excellent and demanding core, which really is its heart. Hibbs is also a UD alumnus, so I know he gets that.

Congratulations to the Board of Trustees and the search committee on this superb choice!

Our readers, I’m sure, are aware of Hibbs’s work in the Thomistic tradition.

S.M.A.R.T. CALL FOR PAPERS AT NOV. ACPA

S.M.A.R.T. Call for Papers The Society for Medieval and Renaissance Thomism (S.M.A.R.T.) is planning a session for the 2019 meeting of the American Catholic Philosophical Association in Minneapolis, MN, 21-24 November 2019. It is accepting papers on all aspects of Thomism from 1274 to the publication of the Carmelite Cursus Theologiae (1631-1701). This year we are particularly interested in papers on the signification and supposition of terms and their use in arguments, but we remain open to all areas. Please send papers and direct enquiries to Domenic D’Ettore at ddettore[at]marian[dot]edu. Papers and abstracts received by 15 May will receive full consideration. Selection preference will be given to complete papers. The submission of an abstract alone should be accompanied by a Curriculum Vitae. A final version of the paper is required by 15 September 2019 in order to facilitate a response paper which will be given during the conference session.

Thomistic Symposium "Thomas Aquinas on Creation and Nature", Rome, October 3-5, 2019

The Thomistic Institute at the Angelicum in Rome has announced a Symposium, entitled “Thomas Aquinas on Creation and Nature” which will be held October 3-5, 2019 in Rome.

Keynotes will be given by Eleonore Stump, Serge-Thomas Bonino O.P. and Paul Clavier. Other speakers include Michael Dodds O.P., Kevin Flannery S.J., Dominic Legge O.P., John O’Callaghan and many others.

Proposals for papers can be submitted by March 1, 2019. For more information, click here