‘Ignatian Humanism’ lecture in Jesuit Centre Galway
A leading US theologian who studied under Hans Kung and Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) will give a lecture on Transforming Education: The Ignatian Vision for the 21st Century in Croí Nua, Rosary Lane, Taylor’s Hill, Galway on Wednesday May 28 2008 at 8pm. Dr Ronald Modras, Professor of Theological Studies at Saint Louis University in the States , comes at the invitation of the Jesuits in Ireland and his visit to Galway is organized by the Jesuit Centre of Spirituality and Culture in the city.
Dr Modras argues in his book Ignatian Humanism: A Dynamic Spirituality for the 21st Century that Ignatian spirituality which is rooted in a respect for difference and things not necessarily religious, has powerful relevance for our contemporary society with its rapid and often confusing shifts in technology, science, business and education. He explores the history of some well known Jesuits, and the not so well known but controversial Fr Friedrich Spee SJ. Fr Spee was appalled at the torture and execution of the many innocent German women falsely accused of being witches, as part of the infamous witch trials that swept Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. He heard their confessions, accompanied them to the stake and even wrote tracts in their defense.
Dr Modras is the author of six books and has written widely on a variety of topics, including Catholic- Jewish relations. He has lectured throughout the US and Europe and received his doctorate in theology from the University of Tubingen, Germany where he studied under Professors Hans Kung and Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.
Dr Modras will be accompanied on his visit to Ireland by his wife Mary Elizabeth. Other engagements while here include a breakfast seminar to businessmen and women in the Irish Chamber of Commerce in Dublin and a lecture on Ignatian Humanism and education in the National College of Ireland, NCI, Dublin. The Galway and NUI lectures are open to all and admission is free
