Our programs
Making the Catholic intellectual tradition a vital part of the Church and the university in Milwaukee
The Legacies of Nicaea I and Vatican II: An Inheritance Unfolding
The Legacies Conference, scheduled for September 4-7, 2025 in Milwaukee, will commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea (325) together with the 60th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council (1962-5). In doing so, it will reflect on the Church’s rich conciliar tradition as a whole. The conference will gather prominent scholars and Catholic clergy, along with students, seminarians, and lay participants, to reflect on these significant events and their legacies in a context aimed at benefiting both the Church and the academy.
Event details
The Legacies Conference opens at 7:00 PM on Thursday, September 4 with the Archbishop's Annual Pallium Lecture, delivered this year by Most Rev. Daniel E. Flores, S.T.D. On Friday, September 5, two esteemed scholars of Nicaea I (Lewis Ayres and Robin Darling Young) will deliver keynote addresses on the Council and Legacy of Nicaea, to which two prominent scholars will respond (Ellen Scully and Marcus Plested). On Friday evening, Most Rev. Gregory John Mansour will deliver a second public lecture (free and open to all) on the Catholic conciliar tradition. On Saturday, September 6, two esteemed scholars of Vatican II (Stephen Bullivant and Susan Wood) will deliver keynote lectures on Vatican II and its Legacy, with responses by Shaun Blanchard and David Luy. The conference will close on Saturday evening with a panel discussion on living and teaching the legacies of Nicaea I and Vatican II and on Sunday morning with Mass at the Cathedral with Archbishop Grob.
Fides Patrum
Fides Patrum (“The Faith of the Fathers”) is a seminar series dedicated to exploring the rich and extensive theology of the Church Fathers. Each fall and spring we run a new five-part series. Past series have explored such texts and topics as St. Irenaeus’ Against Heresies; Origen’s On First Principles; St. Athanasius’ On the Incarnation; St. Gregory the Theologian’s Five Theological Orations; St. Augustine's Confessions; Asceticism; the Holy Spirit; and the theology of St. Augustine.
Upcoming events
The First Council of Nicaea: The Great and Holy Synod
1,700 years ago, in A.D. 325, 318 fathers of the Church gathered together in the city of Nicaea for the first Ecumenical Council to condemn the views of a certain Arius of Alexandria as heretical and proclaim the Son of God as homoousios—“of one substance”—with the Father. As a result, the theology and culture of the Church—Her biblical interpretation, metaphysics, liturgy, and spirituality—would be forever marked by the council. This fall (2025), the Fides Patrum Seminar will examine the council, its context, and its reception by some of the great fourth-century fathers of the Church. Please join us at the UWM Panther Catholic Newman Center (3001 N. Downer Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53211) on the scheduled Saturdays at 10:30am-12pm, preceded by a 9am Mass and coffee hour.
Fall 2025 Schedule:
Sep. 20: Preludes to a Council: Origen, Arius, and Alexander
Oct. 11: The Creed and Council of Nicaea
Oct. 25: Athanasius Against the Arians
Nov. 15: Nicaea and Asceticism
Dec. 6: Constantinople I and Cappadocian Reception
Contact: Micah Hogan (Fides Patrum Coordinator): micah.hogan@marquette.edu (916-660-6708)
University Lectures
Each academic year the St. Irenaeus Institute hosts two universities lectures.
The St. Irenaeus Lecture in Patristics, which takes place at Marquette University, is delivered each January by an esteemed patristics scholar. It aims to provide a high-level and thought-provoking introduction to the text, topic, or figure under discussion in the Spring Fides Patrum series. Past lectures have been delivered by Marcus Plested (on Origen’s On First Principles), Fr. Andrew Summerson (on St. Gregory’s Theological Orations), and John Cavadini (on Augustine's Confessions).
The other university lecture, which takes place at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is delivered each year by a noteworthy Catholic scholar on a pressing topic or question that calls for a robust engagement between Catholic and pagan learning. The inaugural lecture was given by Jennifer Frey on "The Life of the Mind: Intellectual Virtues and Human Flourishing."
"Augustine's Confessions: An Ancient Text for the Modern World"
We are pleased to announce that this year the St. Irenaeus Lecture in Patristics will be delivered by distinguished Catholic theologian John Cavadini (Notre Dame/McGrath Institute) on "Augustine's Confessions: An Ancient Text for the Modern World." The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place on Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. in the beautiful Eisenberg Reading Room of Marquette University's Sensenbrenner Hall. It will be preceded by Mass at 9:00 in Gesu Church next door and followed by a reception at 11:00. Parking is available in Lot J behind Gesu Church (tell the attendant you have come for the theology lecture). Registration kindly requested.
This year's St. Irenaeus Lecture in Patristics is co-sponsored by the Marquette University Theology Department and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
Other events
