STEUBENVILLE, OH—What is faith? What is reason? Can one exercise the one without the other?

These and many other questions central to the mission of the more than 200 Catholic universities in the United States will be addressed at the Fidelity and Freedom Series symposium, “The Dialogue of Faith and Reason.”

The three-part series at Franciscan University of Steubenville celebrates the 25th anniversary of Ex corde Ecclesiae. Sponsored by the Henkels Lecture Series, the March 5-6, 2015, symposium is free and open to all interested persons.

“This symposium touches on a theme at the heart of every Catholic institution of higher education,” says Dr. Jonathan J. Sanford, symposium organizer and associate vice president for Academic Affairs. “Speakers and commentators will address how the Catholic university can foster a right relationship between faith and reason, and the role of Pope St. John Paul II’s apostolic constitution, Ex corde Ecclesiae, in keeping Catholic colleges true to their mission.”

Father Sean O. Sheridan, TOR, symposium host and president of Franciscan University, said “John Paul II maintained that a Catholic university is a community of scholars that advances the various branches of academic studies. But where some at Catholic universities might stop there, John Paul insisted that a Catholic university is also an educational institution that embraces and advances the principles of Catholicism as a defining component of its identity.”

The four main symposium presenters are:

• Father James J. Conn, SJ, professor of canon law at Boston College and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, who also serves as consulter of the Holy See’s Congregation for Catholic Education and Congregation for the Clergy;
• Sister Susan K. Wood, SCL, chair of the Department of Theology at Marquette University, associate editor of Pro Ecclesia, and president-elect of the Catholic Theological Society of America;
• The Most Rev. Mark L. Bartchak of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown who earned his doctorate in canon law from The Catholic University of America, and was a consultant for the USCCB Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance;
• Monsignor James Patrick Shea, president of the University of Mary in North Dakota since 2009, who has studied at the Vatican’s North American College, the Gregorian and Lateran universities in Rome, and has served on the National Advisory Council to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The first Franciscan University Fidelity and Freedom symposium, “Academic Freedom and Revealed Truth,” was held in November 2014. The concluding symposium will be held in fall 2015 and will focus on “Engaging the Culture.” All presentations will be recorded and made available online, and Franciscan University Press will publish the symposia papers.

“Fidelity and Freedom: The Dialogue of Faith and Reason” begins on Thursday, March 5, at 4:45 p.m. and ends on Friday, March 6, at 5:00 p.m.

For more information and to register, go to www.franciscan.edu/fidelityandfreedom or contact Dr. Jonathan J. Sanford at [email protected] or 740-284-5343.