New York, N.Y. (July 31, 2014) – Father Matt Malone, S.J., Editor in Chief of America and Monsignor Peter I. Vaccari, Rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary and College, announced today a new event series to take place over the next year at St. Joseph’s Seminary and College in Dunwoodie, Yonkers, New York. The three part series will begin with a Flannery O’ Connor Symposium to take place October 17-18, 2014.
The event will feature a keynote talk by Professor William A. Sessions, Regents’ Professor of English Emeritus, Georgia State University. Sessions will include presentations by Dr. Susan Srigley, Chair, Department of Religion & Cultures, Nipissing University, North Bay, ON, Canada, Dr. Ralph Wood, Professor of Theology & Literature, Baylor University, Texasand Dr. Christina Bieber Lake, Professor of English, Wheaton College, Illinois. The event will conclude with a panel of the scholars moderated by Rev. Matt Malone, S.J., Editor in Chief of America.
The event partnership between America and St. Joseph’s Seminary and College came out of discussions to offer events to celebrate great voices and perspectives within the Catholic Church. “We are delighted to offer this event series to discuss key issues in the Church today,” said Father Malone of America. “This partnership is a wonderful way for St. Joseph’s Seminary and College to serve the community and collaborate with the expertise that America brings to the Catholic media world,” added Monsignor Vaccari of St. Joseph’s Seminary and College. The Flannery O’Connor Symposium will also honor the 50th Anniversary of her death this year.
Subsequent events will include The Catholic Media & The New Evangelization Symposium on December 13, 2014. The symposium will mark the 50th Anniversary of the Decree on Social Communications of the Second Vatican Council and include representatives from the Catholic media to address the vital role it has to play in re-proposing the Gospel in the contemporary United States. The third and final event will take place on March 28, 2015 as a symposium on Pope Francis and the culture of the internet.
About St. Joseph’s Seminary and College
St. Joseph’s Seminary and College, founded in 1896, is the major seminary of the Archdiocese of New York. Its primary mission is to serve the Church by forming men for the Catholic priesthood. Beginning in 2012, St. Joseph’s functions as the principal institution of priestly formation for the Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Brooklyn, and the Diocese of Rockville Centre. St. Joseph’s also welcomes seminarians from other archdioceses, dioceses, eparchies, and other religious congregations. St. Joseph’s also serves the Church through its three Master’s Degree programs for qualified lay women and men, courses are offered on three campuses – Yonkers, Huntington and Douglaston.
