Panel to conduct ‘Inter-Religious Dialogue’ Oct. 3 at Saint Mary’s University

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University is inviting the public to an “Inter-Religious Dialogue” Monday, Oct. 3.

Three guest speakers will discuss how Christianity, Islam and Judaism relate the dignity of the person to the intersection of faith, work and vocation.

Michael Naughton is the holder of the Alan W. Moss Endowed Chair in Catholic Social Thought at the University of Saint Thomas. He is also the director of the John A. Ryan Institute for Catholic Social Thought, at the Center for Catholic Studies, which examines Catholic social thought in relationship to business theory and practice.

Brian Shapiro, associate professor in the Accounting Department of Saint Thomas, co-teaches with Naughton on the senior capstone theology course on the intersection of faith and management. He is an active member of Bet Shalom, a Reform Jewish Congregation in Minnetonka.

Tamim Saidi, born in Afghanistan, was forced to escape Pakistan as a teenager and came to the U.S. in 1990. He is vice president of the Islamic Resource Group and a vice president and founding member of the Northwest Islamic Community Center. He also participates in a writers group for EngageMN.com, a local group with a mission to improve the understanding of Minnesotans about their Muslim neighbors and Islam.

The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Figliulo Recital Hall, located in the SMU Performance Center.

Co-sponsors include SMU’s Offices of Campus Ministry and Academic Affairs, the Office for Mission, the Theology Department and Student Activities.

For more information, contact Dennis Gallagher at (507) 457-6936.

Commonweal speaker Dennis O’Brien to discuss ‘Is a Catholic College Possible’

WINONA, Minn. — As a part of the Commonweal Lecture series, Dennis O'Brien, Ph.D., will be speaking on “Is a Catholic College Possible?” Thursday, April 10, at Saint Mary's University. The lecture is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Salvi Lecture Hall, located in Saint Mary's Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

O'Brien is president emeritus of University of Rochester and an editor for the biweekly Commonweal Magazine, a review of politics, religion, and culture, run by lay Catholics. A philosopher by training, he is the author of many critically acclaimed books, including The Idea of a Catholic University and most recently, Finding the Voice of the Church.

Through the Commonweal Speakers series, universities across the United States are chosen to host free public lectures from the nationally respected editors at Commonweal. The Commonweal Speakers Program is made possible thanks to a generous gift from James H. Duffy.

For more information on Commonweal Magazine, visit www.commonwealmagazine.org. For more information, contact Dr. Susan Windley-Daoust at (507) 457-1995.