Theologian John Klassen will speak on “Reconciliation: A Scarred Church Faces the New Century,” at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel on The College of St. Scholastica campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Klassen is the first of three speakers this spring who will be featured in the Here Comes Everybody lecture series, sponsored by the Braegelman Catholic Studies Program at St. Scholastica. The theme for all three lectures this year is “Reconciliation in the New Age.”
During his talk, Klassen will address the topic of reconciliation and healing from several perspectives: the sex-abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, and more specifically, how it has affected the interactions among bishops, priests, and laity; same-sex relationships, marriage and procreation; and, sharing in ministry and clerical-lay partnerships.
Klassen is in his 10th year as leader of Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, MN. He leads a community of 145 Benedictine monks who sponsor and work at Saint John’s University, Saint John’s Preparatory School, the Liturgical Press, as well as in parishes, hospitals and retirement centers in Minnesota and also at Trinity Benedictine Monastery in Fujimi, Japan.
Klassen earned a degree in bio-organic chemistry from The Catholic University of America in 1985. He taught organic chemistry and other courses at Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict from 1983-2000 before being elected abbot. He is frequently asked to give presentations and retreats for monastic communities.
The Braegelman Catholic Studies Program at St. Scholastica explores the Catholic intellectual tradition with students and the larger community. “Here Comes Everybody” takes its name from author James Joyce, who offered the phrase in his definition of Catholicism. For more information contact The Rev. William Graham at (218) 723-6699.
