Lecture Series

The Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture hosts four lectures each fall semester.  These lectures are intended to reflect the mission of the Institute and to engage the public academically, spiritually and culturally.  They are held in Rosary Hall of the Newman Center, 16th & Q Streets, Lincoln, Nebraska. The lectures are free and open to the public. The lectures begin at 7 p.m., followed by a period of Q&A and refreshments.

September 4: "Newman's Model for Defending the Church" - Rev. Nicholas J. Rouch, S.T.D.

Blessed John Henry Newman often stepped into controversies to defend the Catholic Church from enemies and critics. In his 1877 preface to Via Media, a work he had written four decades earlier as an Anglican, Newman retracts his earlier anti-Catholic interpretations and defends Catholicism by describing the dynamic interplay of the Church's work as priest, prophet and king. These three offices, he argues, keep each other in check and maintain the holiness of the Church. As Newman addresses various heresies, scandals, and corruptions, he provides valuable insights to our current challenges, and a way to understand the need for Church reform. Newman is to be canonized in the fall of this year.

Rev. Rouch is Vicar for Education for the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, where he also serves as Vice-Rector of St. Mark Seminary. He has taught at Gannon University, and at the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University, Omaha. At Gannon, Fr. Rouch was also Chaplain and Vice President for Mission and Ministry. He completed his doctorate at Rome's Angelicum, writing his dissertation on Cardinal Newman. He has directed retreats and days of recollection for priests, seminarians, married couples, and laypersons. In 2016 he was appointed by the Holy See as a Missionary of Mercy.

October 9: "Towards an Authentic Christian Cinema” - Dr. Barbara Nicolosi

The film industry is often indifferent or even hostile to religious belief in general, and Christianity in particular. Yet in recent years a number of serious, well-made films, from The Passion of the Christ and Silence, to Thirteen Days and Unplanned, have been part of a growing movement among producers, directors, screenwriters and actors to present theism in a new light, free from the prejudices of those who dismiss belief as mere superstition or worse. Dr. Nicolosi will speak about this movement from an insider's perspective and will discuss the challenges of re-presenting Christian truth in cinema to a culture that is increasingly agnostic.

Dr. Nicolosi is Associate Professor in the Honors College of Azusa Pacific University, in California. She was co-founder of Act One, Inc., and a founding partner of Origen Entertainment. She has produced five plays for Hollywood's Actors Co-op Theater, including Fools and The Devil's Disciple. Dr. Nicolosi has also served as consultant for numerous media projects, including The Passion of the Christ, Joan of Arcadia (CBS) and Saving Grace (TNT). Her blog, Church of the Masses, has had over a million hits, and she has appeared as commentator on NBC, NPR and BBC Radio. Her most recent book, Notes to Screenwriters (2015), was published by Michael Wiese Books.

November 6: "Building the Civilization of Love: The Work of the World Youth Alliance" - Anna Halpine

The World Youth Alliance (WYA) is a global coalition of youth who work to defend human dignity. Taking its inspiration from Poland's Solidarity movement, WYA strives to cultivate a "forest of awakened consciences" around the world. From the United Nations to rural villages in Africa, WYA defends the human person in public policy, and proposes cultural change through its Human Dignity Curriculum and corresponding women's health program, FEMM.

Anna Halpine is WYA's founder and first president. She is currently CEO of the FEMM Foundation, a research and evidence-based program committed to improving women's health. She holds a Masters in Philosophy of Religion from Yale University Divinity School. She lives and works in New York City.