That’s a wrap. March Recap.

That’s a wrap. March Recap and in case you missed it…

March was full of energy, inspiration, and thought provoking events here at the Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination. Unteachable, a new play by Dr. Kelly Younger, kick started the month. The first half of the play was presented with professional actors followed by an engaging Q&A by faculty, staff, students, and community members. The play centers on a professor coming to terms with tradition, trigger warnings, words that inflict as well as instruct, and his interactions with fellow colleagues and students. Dr. Kelly Younger brilliantly and thoughtfully weaves together the lives of students and professors in ways that many can resonate and identify with one or more of the characters. Dr. Younger plans to stage a full production of Unteachable soon, and we’ll share information about how and when to see the play as soon as it’s available.

Our “The Idea of the Catholic University in the 21st Century” conference was a great success! Scholars from across the states and from varying disciplines – humanities, arts, social sciences, sciences, and professional schools – came to Loyola Marymount University to engage in dialogue about what makes Catholic colleges and universities distinctive. That is to say, in what respects should Catholic colleges and universities differ and in what respects should they not differ from other institutions, whether large state-sponsored schools or non-Catholic liberal arts colleges. Each presentation and panel discussion was carefully crafted and allowed ample time for discussion afterwards. ACTI looks forward to continuing the conversation and connections made, as well as witnessing the fruits to come from such dynamic dialogue.

Our last event was “Virtuous Imagination, Ignatian Spirituality, and Jesuit Rhetoric.” Drawing on previous lectures in the Virtuous Imagination series, Dr. Stephen Mailloux addressed the question: How are intellectual virtues and moral virtues related within Ignatian spiritual and Jesuit educational traditions? He discussed Ignatian “compositions of place” as connected to moral and intellectual virtues through three ways of obedience: the obedience of action, obedience of will, and obedience of understanding. Dr. Mailloux offered new ways of viewing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises in context with virtue ethics and epistemology. He reminded us that movements of self turned inward to reflect and contemplate with the use of the Spiritual Exercises thus become outward movements to be for others. For Dr. Mailloux, the exercises give practice in discernment through rhetorical deliberation, motivating people to take a stand on their own being, combining virtuous self-reformation with political-theological action.

And now for April…please join us for our Town Hall Discussion April 10, 2018 in the Collins Center at 11:30 am. Come and share your thoughts on where to go from here. Throughout this academic year, ACTI’s “Idea of the Catholic University in the 21st Century” series and the university engagement with the Mission Priority Examen have yielded valuable insights into LMU’s current understanding of its mission, identity, and priorities.

Join us for a summary of the year’s events and the results of the Mission Priority Examen, then collaborate with fellow LMU community members in generating ideas for the future.   

Lunch provided. Open to all faculty and staff with registration.