Transformation Through Encounter
The William H. Shannon Chair in Catholic Studies presents:
Rita George-Tvrtković
The Virgin Mary:
Bridge or Barrier between Catholics and Muslims
Thursday, March 21, 2019 - 7:00PM - 8:30PM
Shults Center, Forum
What Muslims Can Teach Catholics about Christianity
Friday, March 22, 2019 -1:30PM to 2:30PM
Linehan Chapel, Golisano Academic Center
Dr. Rita George-Tvrtković:
In a world that seems to believe that an unassailable barrier exists between Islam and Christianity, the work of Rita George-Tvrtković, Ph.D., holds a special importance. A specialist in Christian-Muslim relations, medieval and contemporary, she engages ethnography with textual study of the Bible and Qur’an to explore each tradition’s understanding of the other. Her efforts embrace persons much beloved within each tradition, Jesus/Isa and Mary/Maryam, to help us grasp, and then ponder, the significance each tradition’s understandings holds for the other.
George-Tvrtković teaches in the Department of History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies at Benedictine University in Illinois. Her books include A Christian Pilgrim in Medieval Iraq: Riccoldo da Montecroce’s Encounter with Islam (2012) and Christians, Muslims, and Mary: A History (2018), as well as a co-edited volume, Nicholas of Cusa and Islam: Polemic and Dialogue in the Late Middle Ages (2014). She is former associate director of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and currently serves on the U.S. Bishops’ National Catholic-Muslim Dialogue.
“At the beginning of dialogue there is encounter. This generates the first knowledge of the other. If, indeed, we start from the presumption of our common human nature, it is possible to overcome prejudice and falsehood, and to begin to understand the other from a new perspective." ~ Pope Francis
In a time when division leads to polarization and the mass migration of displaced and suffering people results in the building of border walls, we have chosen to focus on the transformative power of human encounters across and between religious traditions. Our theme also has a local source of inspiration: the dynamism of an unwavering commitment to interfaith relations here in Rochester, N.Y.
Pope Francis speaks directly to the transformative power of encounter with the other. He identifies it as a dynamic moment, offering clarity, insight, and truth—about ourselves and the other. Each of our speakers will address how this encounter has transformed her or his life’s work: the questions raised about one’s Catholic identity when dialogue with the other begins in earnest, the insights gleaned when one perceives that faith communities are organically interrelated in unexpected ways, and the understandings that demand to be integrated into one’s scholarly worldview.
Taken as a whole, this series invites us to experience theological method at its best: engaging human experiences, seeking the meaning of those experiences in light of our faith commitment, and challenging us to live our faith beliefs through practices that infuse our world with a hope that stands in spite of disappointment, tragedy, or injustice.
Dr. Susan E. Nowak, SSJ
William H. Shannon Chair in Catholic Studies
Email: snowak8@naz.edu
Website: https://www2.naz.edu/shannon-lecture
Location: Nazareth College, East Avenue, Rochester, NY, United States
Phone: 585-389-2728