Wednesday September 16th &
Thursday September 17th
4pm-6:30pmPT | 7pm-9:30pmET
Upcoming Events:
Participation | Dignity | Elections
A Virtual Catholic Theological Conference
Catholic teaching does not baptize any particular model of democracy. For decades, however, Catholic teaching has embraced democratic governance as the best way of institutionalizing the core values at the heart of Catholic teaching: human dignity, religious freedom, shared public life, and the participation of all in the civic sphere.
This Catholic embrace of democratic governance leads the Church to encourage citizens to participate fully in electoral processes, speak out for fair and transparent elections, and call people to respect electoral outcomes.
This webinar brings responsible voices of Catholic ecclesial leaders and scholars to bear on the upcoming US elections. By understanding the current moment within a worldwide context and offering practical tools for promoting fair elections, the webinar will empower Catholic leaders—homilists, liturgical ministers, teachers, as well as bishops, priests, religious, and deacons—to speak faithfully and prayerfully into the polarization surrounding the upcoming elections.
Past Events:
Called to Love:
Engaging Across Difference –
Race and Religion Today
The Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC hosts two presentations and panel discussions with prominent theologians, Dr. Vincent Lloyd, from Villanova University, and Dr. Jonathan Tran, from Duke Divinity School, as they discuss how our society can move beyond racial identity as the primary way to think about race in America. They will share how Christian theological sources offer a path to move beyond racism.
Dignity From Below: Race and Religion Today
Co-sponsored by the USC Caruso Catholic Center
Thursday, April 9, 4:00 p.m.
Called to Love: Engaging Across Difference
Saturday, April 11, 9:00 a.m.
Cultural Center 3rd Floor
Christ Cathedral
Catholicism at a Crossroads: Insights for Parish & Public Life
A Book Talk by Maureen Day, PhD
Tuesday, September 30
Caruso Catholic Center
Watch her presentation on the IACS YouTube channel.
Praxis of Encounter:
Forming Catholic Leaders for a Public and Synodal Church
Wednesday, May 21 – Friday, May 23, 2025
University of San Francisco
McLaren Conference Center
Invitation only
Learn more: iacs@usc.edu
Journal of Social Catholic Thought Online Discussion
January 17, 2025
Online
A conversation with editors and authors behind the new issue of the Journal of Catholic Social Thought, including IACS President Dr. Richard Wood. The journal’s articles explore how we can most effectively organize in Catholic spaces for the healthiest future for the Church and for American democracy.
Sponsored by the Collaborative for Catholic Organizing and the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC.
Humanity in the Digital Age
December 16 and 17, 2024
Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican
Part of the IACS project Humanizing Networks, and held in collaboration with the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University and the Domus Communis Foundation in Rome.
“Beauty at Work: the Role Beauty Plays in our Lives and the Work We Do”
A presentation by IACS Hancock Fellow Brandon Vaidyanathan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology
The Catholic University of America
The Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC hosted Brandon Vaidyanathan, Ph.D., in April 2024 for a presentation titled “Beauty at Work: the Role Beauty Plays in our Lives and the Work We Do.”
Dr. Vaidyanathan discussed his groundbreaking research on the role of beauty in people’s lives, and how beauty contributes to professional excellence and human thriving.
Dr. Vaidyanathan is associate professor and department chair of sociology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he directs the Institutional Flourishing Lab.
His work examines the role of culture in religious, economic, and scientific institutions around the world, and how cultural and institutional factors shape mental health and well-being.
Watch his presentation on the IACS YouTube channel.
Gustavo Gutiérrez:
Between Memory and Prophecy
Theological insights emerging from Latin America have left an indelible mark upon both Christianity and public policy.
On both fronts, Gustavo Gutiérrez’ work has been seminal.
In a lecture hosted by the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC, Leo Guardado, Ph.D., assessed the past fifty years of Gustavo Gutiérrez’ theological contributions, the global impact and reception of a commitment to doing theology from the perspective of the poor and insignificant, and the ongoing challenges liberation theology presents for a global Catholic Church.
Leo Guardado, Ph.D., is the inaugural DePaul Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC and an assistant professor in the Department of Theology at Fordham University.
Watch his lecture on the IACS YouTube Channel.
Co-sponsors:
Nova Forum, the USC Center for the Political Future, the Center for Religion and Civic Culture and the USC School of Religion.
