MISSION AND MINISTRY | Mission and Ministry is rolling out a new and innovative partnership with faculty, staff and students by teaming up with each of the colleges.
“We are trying to transform our office,” said John Sebastian, Ph.D., vice president of mission and ministry. “We want to go out to where our colleagues are, to learn about the work they are already doing in the classroom and figure out how Mission and Ministry can best support it, rather than simply inviting folks to come to us.”
When Sebastian arrived at LMU in 2017, he noticed the great work being done by Mission and Ministry, however it was not expanding to serve different populations. “It was more of a retail model program of mission,” said Sebastian. “Programs were on display and people may have chosen one or two, but we basically were inviting people to come to us. Now, if the various colleges have programs, the Office of Mission and Ministry wants to come to them, too.” He believes the best way to infuse Ignatian pedagogy across the campus is to meet people where they are. Sebastian saw that the LMU Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering could be a pioneer of this new program.
To that end, Mission and Ministry is co-hosting an event with Seaver College. Gustavo Vejarano, associate professor in electrical and computer engineering, was tasked with finding a speaker who would bring faith and science into dialog to create intentional thoughtful conversations. “I wanted to find a speaker who looks at the universe and understands it, but also goes further in that context and recognizes that there is also a God who created it,” said Vejarano. He found the right fit.
Guy Consolmagno, S.J., the director of the Vatican Observatory will speak on Thursday, March 11 from 5-6 p.m. as part of the Seaver Spotlight series. His talk, “Your God is Too Small,” will discuss the work being done at the Vatican to address the big questions of astrophysics and cosmology; and what it means to be a creature in an expanding cosmos.
Brother Consolmagno has a reputation for bringing people together from the sciences and faith, and asking provocative questions. “Science and faith do not have all the answers,” said Sebastian. “These disciplines are about asking questions. Good scientists and good theologians are always asking the next question and pushing things further along. They are both interested in the mysteries of the universe and they both take our understanding beyond where it currently exists.”
To register for this event click here. https://t.e2ma.net/message/n7p5xo/fpihxfb
