Day three of ACME2024 provided some valuable time with the staff of the Vatican Observatory, Dr. Larry Lebofsky and Connie Trembly.
The day began with a presentation by Br. Guy that laid out the complex history of the Galileo affair. The core message was how the trial of Galileo had little to do with actual science and more to do with the political and social tensions of the time. Br. Guy’s brilliant tour through the science of the time, the family pressures that Galileo faced and the complex response from the Church was illuminating!
This was followed by a Skype presentation by Connie Trembley, science teacher and wife of our Bob Trembly. In her presentation she shared rather disturbing stories about how poorly our education system is teaching (or not teaching) not only Astronomy, but Science in general. Both Br. Guy and Connie’s presentations instilled a clear point of emphasis: We need to get our act together when teaching both science and the history of science. For a similar presentation on Galileo, listen to the two podcasts on the topic with Br. Guy and Chris Graney below.
After these presentations, Dr. Larry Lebofsky did his annual “meteorite vs. meteor-wrong” exercise. Starting with a candy bar, Larry taught us the basics of how science determines the difference between space rocks and earth rocks. For me, his presentation always reminds me of St. Bonaventure’s work, The Mind’s Journey Toward God. In the work, St. Bonaventure explains that the first step in the ascent toward God is to compare, contrast, and categorize the things of the natural world. In many ways, we can see the seeds of modern science in this approach that was, for Bonaventure, a spiritual pursuit. Can you tell if the images below are “meteorite or meteor-wrong?”
The day concluded with a presentation by Fr. Jean-Baptiste Kikwaya and a panel discussion with some of Jesuits from the Vatican Observatory.
Fr. Kikwaya shared a story of a trip he took to his home in the Congo. While at home, he gave a presentation on how he does his scientific work at Vatican Observatory. After his presentation, someone asked, “Can we do this type of research in the Congo?”
Fr. Kikwaya shared that his initial answer to the person was “no.” However, in time he needed to correct that answer through presenting us with a new vision for the future of the Vatican Observatory. It is a vision that will greatly broaden not only what the Vatican Observatory will do, but who will have the ability to do that research.
I will refrain from sharing what that vision is since it was unclear if this is public knowledge as of yet. What I can say is that the title of this post teases what those possibilities might be!
The day ended with a panel discussion with the Jesuits talking about the relationship between their faith life and their scientific work at the Vatican Observatory. We heard the vocational journey of each Jesuit and how God called them first to a life of service in religious community before their scientific work. I wish I would have recorded the discussion because it was a beautifully refreshing human display of how faith and science isn’t a battle to be fought, but a part of the human experience – An experience that is unique among the Jesuit scientists of the Vatican Observatory for sure, but also an experience that can include you and me.
Today our group will tour the observatories on Mount Lemmon. Say a prayer for us that we have good weather and I’ll check in with you tomorrow!
