For this year’s Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Lecture at Elmhurst University, members of the University community and the greater Catholic community will offer responses to Cardinal John Henry Newman’s book “The Idea of a University.”
As the University prepares to launch a Newman Center for Catholic campus ministry, the Bernardin lecture, to be held on April 30, will culminate a day of activities and reflection exploring Catholicism and what the Catholic faith means to campus leaders and Elmhurst students.
Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890) was an English theologian, academic, philosopher, historian, writer and poet, first as an Anglican priest and later as a Catholic priest and cardinal. His book “The Idea of a University” explores the purpose and mission of a Catholic liberal education, and the roles of intellectual freedom and moral authority in academic culture and Christian life.
Speakers at the Bernardin lecture will include:
- Justin Reyes, director of the Department of Catechesis and Evangelization, Diocese of Joliet
- Elaine Fetyko Page, head of technical services, A.C. Buehler Library
- Mike Murray, head football coach
- Joan Vilim, Elmhurst University trustee
- Nick Behm, professor and chair, Department of English
- Students from Fenwick High School and Elmhurst University
The Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Lecture honors the late Cardinal Bernardin of the Chicago Archdiocese, who died in 1996, 10 days before he was scheduled to speak at Elmhurst University. The intercultural and religious lectures at Elmhurst University support community engagement and lifelong learning, and prepare students to thrive as adaptive leaders.
The 2024 Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Lecture begins at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30, in Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel. Admission is free and all are welcome.
For more information, please contact the Office of the Chaplain at hscottm@elmhurst.edu or (630) 617-3025.