About the Lecture
Named after the first Archbishop of St. Louis, Peter Richard Kenrick, this lecture series fosters the spiritual and academic growth of priests, deacons, and others who serve the Church. The Class of 1944 established the Peter Richard Kenrick Lecture after deciding that they wanted to “contribute to the development of future priests and bishops.” Together, they created the Peter Richard Kenrick Chair of Pastoral Theology Endowment to perpetually fund the lecture series and provide lasting support to their beloved seminary. While many of the presentations have been recorded for public viewing, the lecture is an internal seminary community event that takes place each fall.
Previous Lectures
Click the speakers’ names to link to a recording of the lecture.
2023: Dr. David Fagerberg, The First to Live the Christian Life
2022: Dr. Cynthia Stollhans, Devotion and Spirituality in Italian Renaissance Altarpieces
2021: Fr. Joseph Carola, SJ, Maiorum Traditio: A Patristic Remedy for Modernist Woes
2020: Bishop Robert Barron, Knocking Holes in the Buffered Self: Approaches to the Question of God
2019: Dr. Steve Barr – Science and Religion: The Myth of Conflict
2018: Dr. Mary Healy – These Signs Will Accompany Those Who Believe: The Role of Healing in Evangelization
2017: Fr. Tadeusz “Tad” Pacholczyk – Pondering Imponderables: The “Infusion” of the Soul Into the Human Embryo (recording unavailable)
2016: Most Reverend Bernard A. Hebda– Canon Law: A Tool for Renewal and Reform?
2015: Most Reverend Peter J. Elliott – Sacred Liturgy: Great Mystery, Great Mercy
2014: Dr. Thomas Madden – Catholics and History: Seeking Truth, Dispelling Myths, and Finding the Holy Spirit Across the Centuries
2013: Reverend Dennis McManus – From Pius XI to Francis: Catholic-Jewish Relations Under Seven Popes
2012: Reverend James Swetnam, S.J. – Catholicism as Shared Adventure
2011: Reverend Roch Kereszty, O.Cist. – Priests for the New Evangelization: Reflections on the Priestly Ideal of John Paul II and Benedict XVI
2010: Reverend Joseph T. Lienhard, SJ – Pope Benedict XVI: Theologian of the Bible
2009: Reverend Thomas Weinandy, OFM, Cap. – The Council of Chalcedon and Some Contemporary Christology Issues
2008: Dr. Thomas Hilgers – NFP and NaPro Technology
2007: Rev. Monsignor Brian Ferme, D.Phil., JCD – Infallibility Revisited: Beyond Ex Cathedra Pronouncements
2006: Mr. George Weigel – Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Future: A Global View
2005: Reverend Joseph A. Fitzmyer, SJ – The Ossuary of James and Its Implications
2004: No Peter Richard Kenrick Lecture presented
2003: His Eminence Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ – Philosophy and Priestly Formation
2002: Rev. Monsignor Robert Sokolowski – Phenomenology and the Eucharist
2001: The Honorable Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court
2000: His Eminence Francis Cardinal George, OMI, PhD – A New Apologetics for a New Evangelization
1999: Dr. David L. Schindler, Ph.D. – The Catholic Academy and the Order of Intelligence: The Dying of the Light
1998: Sister Sara Butler, M.S.B.T. – Authority in the Church: Lessons from Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue
1997: Rev. Monsignor Kevin Irwin – Liturgical Method: Issues for the Third Millennium
1996: Reverend John Pawlikoski, O.S.M. Ph.D. – A Faith Without Shadows: Liberating Christian Faith from Anti-Semitism
1995: Rev. Monsignor John P. Meier – The Eucharist at the Last Supper: Did It Happen
About Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick (1843-1895)
In 1843, Peter Richard Kenrick became the second bishop of the Diocese of Saint Louis. Five years later he became its first Archbishop. During his more than 50 years as diocesan ordinary, Kenrick guided the Catholic Church in the Midwest through a period of unprecedented growth and expansion. He presided over a vast Archdiocese which included much of the northwest quadrant of what is now the continental United States.
Archbishop Kenrick was an academic and intellectual who made important contributions to the theological dialogue of his time. He was an active participant in several significant topics considered by the Fathers of the First Vatican Council. Furthermore, he was respected by his peers in the hierarchy of the Church as a skilled debater who brought knowledge and understanding to every conversation and inquiry. Throughout his years of service as Archbishop of Saint Louis, Peter Richard Kenrick maintained an unwavering commitment to priestly education and formation for the seminarians of his diocese. Today this Seminary proudly bears his name and honors him with the annual Kenrick Lecture.
