Ignatius meets Benedict through Followers and Friends

Try to imagine an encounter between the 6th century Italian, Benedict of Nursia, and the 16th century Basque, Ignatius of Loyola. Born over 1000 years apart in very different worlds, these two prominent saints founded historically significant Catholic religious orders that continue to influence Catholic, Christian, and interreligious dialogue today—and especially so in educational circles. Join us for a conversation between two colleagues and friends who have grown to appreciate the obvious (and perhaps not so obvious) connections between the Benedictine and Ignatian traditions—and thus the rich spiritual practices of each. 

 Friday, March 22
12:20 – 1:20pm Quad 264
Saint John’s University 

Columba Stewart

Fr. Columba Stewart, OSB, D.Phil., is a professed monk of Saint John’s Abbey, Executive Director of the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML), and is currently a resident scholar at the Collegeville Institute. A graduate of Harvard, Yale, and Oxford universities, Fr. Columba has published extensively in his research field of early Christian monasticism. His international work on behalf of HMML links the ancient past with current events in some of the world’s most volatile regions, and provides a stark contrast to the steady routine of Benedictine monastic life in central Minnesota. 

Gretchen Van Dyke

Gretchen J. Van Dyke, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science, is in her 25th year on the faculty at The University of Scranton, Scranton, PA, one of the country’s 28 Jesuit colleges and universities. Among her accomplishments, Gretchen has completed the Ignatian Colleagues Program, an intensive 18-month journey in Ignatian spirituality and Jesuit education offered to lay administrators and faculty leaders by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. This academic year, she is on sabbatical leave as a resident scholar at the Collegeville Institute, working on an edited collection project titled, “Teaching Mission as Vocation in the Jesuit Tradition.” 

This event is cosponsored by the Benedictine Institute.