"Career, Calling, and the Meaning of Life: Lessons from a Medieval Beggar"
Ed Hahnenberg, PhD
Thursday, March 27, 2025
7:30 p.m.
Welsh Parlor - Haggar College Center
Livestream option available: https://www.youtube.com/live/MSKfJUOOkGg
Meet our 2025 Joyce McMahon Hank Aquinas Scholar in Residence
Edward P. Hahnenberg, Ph.D., is the Breen Chair in Catholic Theology at John Carroll University, where he also serves as Chair of the Department of Theology & Religious Studies and Director of the Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding. He taught previously at Xavier University in Cincinnati and at the University of Notre Dame, where he received his Ph.D. in 2002. Dr. Hahnenberg is the author or co-editor of eight books—including most recently, The Legacy and Limits of Vatican II in an Age of Crisis; Transforming Ministry Formation; and Theodore Hesburgh, CSC: Bridge Builder. Dr. Hahnenberg is a past delegate to the U.S. Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue and former theological consultant to the U.S. Bishops’ Subcommittee on Lay Ministry in its preparation of the document Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord. The recipient of John Carroll University’s Distinguished Faculty Award and Culicchia Award for Teaching Excellence, Dr. Hahnenberg received the 2019 Called and Gifted Award from the Association of Graduate Programs in Ministry in recognition of his contributions to the church’s ministerial life.
About His Lecture
Who am I called to be? What am I called to do? When will I know where my life is headed? As we struggle to make our way in this modern world, it may seem strange to turn to the Middle Ages for guidance. But the theological insight of St. Thomas Aquinas offers a surprisingly fresh take on the questions that come whenever we start thinking seriously about life's meaning and purpose. Aquinas saw how God's grace meets an individual personality in a way that fosters our freedom and points the way forward through some of life's most difficult decisions.
The Aquinas Scholar in Residence is sponsored by the Joyce McMahon Hank Aquinas Chair in Catholic Theology, held by Professor Anita Houck.
For further information, please contact Department of Religious Studies and Theology, (574) 284-4534 or email ahouck@saintmarys.edu.