What's Happening

January 13, 2023, Rome – Pope Benedict XVI was an “accomplished pianist and scholar” who set a precedent for future popes in his surprising decision to retire from the papacy and leave it to another to lead the Catholic Church.

Sister Durstyne Farnan, OP

That’s how Sister Durstyne Farnan, OP, Dominican Representative to the UN, remembered Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. She was among a group of Catholic Sisters who reflected on his contributions to the Church shortly after he died on December 31, 2022.

Sister Durstyne was quoted in a January 5, 2023, Global Sisters Report article saying she believes that Pope Benedict will be remembered “as a shy scholar who led the church for eight years,” and as a “student of the Word [who] desired to know Jesus intimately.” She noted his three-volume work on Jesus, which he wrote while in retirement.

Like many others, Sister Durstyne pointed to the importance of his decision to retire. “It paves the way for any pope in the future to do likewise,” she said. “Perhaps this is one of the additional gifts Benedict leaves the Church today.”

Read more of Sister Durstyne’s comments and the reflections of other Sisters in the Global Sisters Report article by Chris Herlinger and Dan Stockman.

January 6, 2023, Adrian, Michigan – St. Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican Friar, was a fierce proponent of science and religion working together in the revelation of God’s creation. Episcopal priest and theologian Rev. Matthew Fox, PhD, explores the relevance of St. Thomas Aquinas for our world today during a live stream presentation, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times. The program is offered by Weber Retreat and Conference Center from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 26, 2023.

In his presentation, Rev. Fox explores a number of Thomas Aquinas’ rich teachings, including the “original goodness” and love of God in everyday things; the primacy of conscience; the common good; compassion and justice; and non-dualism. 

Rev. Fox, a proponent of Creation Spirituality for more than 50 years, founded the University of Creation Spirituality in 1996 to establish a new pedagogy for learning spirituality that was grounded in an effort to reawaken the West to its own mystical traditions in figures such as Thomas Aquinas, Hildegard of Bingen, and Meister Eckhart. He has given lectures and retreats and written numerous books, including The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times (2020).

The cost for the presentation is $20. Registration is required to receive the live stream link. Registration is available at www.webercenter.org; click on “programs.” Registrations may also be made by calling 517-266-4000 or emailing webercenter@adriandominicans.org. Limited scholarships are available.