Priest/astrophysicist to lecture on engagement with mystery at Elmhurst College

Susan BarretoSusan is an author with a long-time interest in religion and science. She currently edits Covalence, the Lutheran Alliance for Faith, Science and Technology’s online magazine. She has written articles in The Lutheran and the Zygon Center for Religion and Science newsletter. Susan is a board member for the Center for Advanced Study of Religion and Science, the supporting organization for the Zygon Center and the Zygon Journal. She also co-wrote Our Bodies Are Selves with Dr. Philip Hefner and Dr. Ann Pederson.

Father John Francis Kartje, rector of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, will speak on Nov. 13 at Elmhurst College on “How to Engage Mystery: Advice from a Scientist for Nones, Nuns and All.”

With doctoral degrees in both scripture and astrophysics, he will bring unique insight to the exploration of how faith and science inform each other.

A native of East Chicago, Indiana, Father Kartje has been President of the University of Saint Mary since 2015. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics in 1987 from the University of Chicago. In 1995, the University of Chicago’s Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics conferred a Ph.D. degree on Father Kartje.
The title of his doctoral dissertation was “Models of the Optical/Ultraviolet Continuum Polarization in Active Galactic Nuclei: Implications for Unification Schemes.”

Father Kartje was ordained in the Archdiocese of Chicago and received a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree from the University of St. Mary of the Lake in 2002. He earned a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Catholic University of America’s Department of Biblical Studies in 2010. The title of his dissertation is “Wisdom Epistemology in the Psalter: A Study of Psalms 1, 73, 90, and 107.”

The Elmhurst College lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Frick Center.