Tag Archives: Outreach

Across the Universe: The Art of Science

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This entry is part 166 of 191 in the series Across the Universe

This column first ran in The Tablet in March 2017 What do you tell a room of bright young high school science students? That has been my challenge recently, visiting Jesuit high schools across North America. Pope Leo XIII wanted the Vatican Observatory to show the world how the Church supports science; while the other Jesuits have been doing the science, I’ve been “showing the world”. The hardest but most important message for these students to hear is the need to look beyond the math and sciences they love, to treasure as well other course work that they might find more difficult to appreciate. Unlike in Britain, schools in America are less likely to narrow their focus purely into “arts” or “sciences” tracks, but the students themselves may well gravitate into the sciences because they feel awkward in the disciplines where they feel less talented. Science is a field of exciting ideas; but it’s the arts that provide an essential … Continue reading →

Across the Universe: Reaching out

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This entry is part 143 of 191 in the series Across the Universe

This column first ran in The Tablet in September 2015 Eighty years ago, on September 29, 1935, Pope Pius XI dedicated new quarters and telescopes of the Vatican Observatory in his summer palace in Castel Gandolfo. To celebrate the anniversary,in September 2015 we held a symposium in Castel Gandolfo, including a visit to the old domes that Pius XI had dedicated. The party ended in a private audience in Rome with Pope Francis (less than 24 hours before he left for Cuba and the US). After giving us a short address, the Pope looked up and caught my eye. He smiled, and said, “Ah! The New Director!” It’s true. As of that day, I became the new director of the Vatican Observatory. (I actually didn’t completely believe it until I heard him say it.) Would I continue to write articles like these (for the Tablet)? Yes, as long as there’s a place for me. It’s not only because I love being … Continue reading →

Diary: Where does the money go? (Part I)

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This entry is part 10 of 63 in the series Diary

In a recent post, I put out a short beg for folks to actually subscribe at $10 a month (more if you want!) and keep this blog, and the Foundation, going. This has brought up, quite rightly, a question about where exactly this money goes. The first item, of course, is to pay for the cost of this blog itself. At the moment, that’s covered. But the bigger goal is to have surplus from this funding go to support the Vatican Observatory Foundation and its works. What is it that the Foundation does? If you want to know what the Vatican Observatory Foundation has been up to lately, click here for a pdf of our most recent newsletter. What about the details of our funding? Where does it come from, where does it go? That’s covered in our annual report, (click here). The numbers in the annual report are the accountant’s numbers, which is different from actual cash flow. For one … Continue reading →

Apply Now for the January 2017 Faith & Astronomy Workshop!

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The annual Faith and Astronomy Workshop will be held next January 16 – 20, 2017, and applications are now open. What’s the FAW? Well… read on… What can modern astronomy tell us about creation – and its Creator? This four-day workshop, sponsored by the Vatican Observatory Foundation, is designed to bring those working in Catholic parishes an up-to-date overview of the universe: from the Big Bang, to the search for life in the universe, to our exploration of the planets… as seen through the eyes of the Jesuit priests and brothers who work at the Vatican’s own astronomical observatory. Our next workshop will be held the week of January 16-20, 2017, at the Redemptorist Renewal Center outside of Tucson, Arizona. Participants should plan to arrive on the afternoon of Monday, January 11; the work of the workshop begins that evening. Days and evenings are scheduled through Thursday. The workshop will end with Mass and breakfast on Friday morning, January 15. The workshop is designed for … Continue reading →

Across the Universe: Being Asked the Right Questions

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This entry is part 49 of 191 in the series Across the Universe

(This column first ran in The Tablet in November, 2007) I have a new [in 2007] book just published, and so I have been on “book tour” for the past month. The audiences have ranged from a friendly group at the Thomas More Center of Yale University, to a lively group who’d come for an argument at the New York City Public Library of Science, Industry, and Business. The highlight so far has been a three-hour interview on a popular American radio program, “Coast to Coast.” It broadcasts live from 2 am to 5 am (east coast time), which meant I had to stay up with a telephone at my ear during the wee hours of the morning. That was in fact no problem, since I did the interview while observing trans-Neptunian objects with the Vatican’s telescope in Arizona. While my colleagues kept track of our targets, I spoke to America’s insomniacs. The show is infamous for treating in utter … Continue reading →

Faith & Astronomy Workshop: Applications Open!

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  The annual Faith and Astronomy Workshop will be held next January 11 – 15, 2016, and applications are now open. What’s the FAW? Well… read on… What can modern astronomy tell us about creation – and its Creator? This four-day workshop, sponsored by the Vatican Observatory Foundation, is designed to bring those working in Catholic parishes an up-to-date overview of the universe: from the Big Bang, to the search for life in the universe, to our exploration of the planets… as seen through the eyes of the Jesuit priests and brothers who work at the Vatican’s own astronomical observatory. Our next workshop will be held the week of January 11-15, 2016, at the Redemptorist Renewal Center outside of Tucson, Arizona. Participants should plan to arrive on the afternoon of Monday, January 11; the work of the workshop begins that evening. Days and evenings are scheduled through Thursday. The workshop will end with Mass and breakfast on Friday morning, January 15. … Continue reading →

Another meta-posting…

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This entry is part 15 of 63 in the series Diary

I’ve just come back from a wonderful week at Notre Dame University’s Institute for Church Life, joining an all-star cast to talk about how science and religion can be taught in Catholic high schools. Naturally I spent no small amount of time bragging about this blog to the assembled high school teachers; I think what we have to offer here may well be the kind of content they’d enjoy seeing and sharing. And I’ve seen a nice upturn in our “hits” this week as a result; welcome! At the moment, we typically get 100 – 250 views a day, and I am delighted that these viewers – you – find our blog worth reading. But I would love to raise that number, by a lot. Surely a thousand or more visits a day ought to be possible? Surely on the internet there must be a thousand people who share our enthusiasm for space and our desire to blend together the science … Continue reading →

Talking Faith and Science, Part II (FAW): What works?

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As you recall, in January we held the first of what we hope to be an annual series of Faith and Astronomy Workshops. The 25 participants, educators, priests, and deacons from parishes from across the US and Mexico, gathered to learn a little astronomy from the inside while chatting about how we can combine astronomy into our ministries. In the first of these posts, I summarized how the participants described their experiences dealing with science and religion in their home parishes. In this post, I want to talk about their reflections on strategies that work… and don’t work. By the way, the participants all get a one-year membership to The Catholic Astronomer. I encourage them – and everyone else – to comment on this posting. Let’s keep the conversation going!   The second day, we addressed the question: What are basic strategies that have worked (or not worked)? The assumption is this: you are a scientifically literate member of a parish. How do you help others in your parish appreciate … Continue reading →

Br Guy Diary: February 7

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This entry is part 7 of 63 in the series Diary

It’s been a busy three weeks since my last diary… Since my last diary entry, we had the Faith and Astronomy workshop; I’ve posted about that and I plan to have another post on the topic Real Soon Now. The week of the FAW, I came down with that cold that’s been going around, so that by Friday I was threatened with laryngitis and saw a doctor… because I had a big talk to give on the following Monday. As a result, I really was giving a talk on steroids! It was the opening lecture of the University of Arizona’s College of Science annual series, this year on Life in the Universe. A link to my talk can be found here… I am told that eventually it will be uploaded to YouTube, with links to the podcasts on our lecture series website, Facebook, etc. Apparently they had a crowd of 800… in the overflow room! And another 2300 folks at Centennial … Continue reading →