Astronomy for Catholics in Ministry and Education (ACME) is a four day workshop sponsored by the Vatican Observatory Foundation. It is designed to bring those working in Catholic schools and parishes an up-to-date overview of the universe: from the Big Bang, to the search for life in the universe, to our exploration of the planets and exoplanets… as seen through the eyes of the Jesuits priests and brothers who work at the Vatican’s own astronomical observatory.
Formerly known as the Faith and Astronomy Workshop (FAW), we took a break for COVID, and returned with a new name, and reworked some of things we did during the workshop.
Some things do remain the same, however. We’re still meeting at the beautiful Redemptorist Renewal Center outside of Tucson, gathering on a Monday in January, and finishing Friday morning, spending the three days in between in an intensive immersion in the world of astronomy during morning workshops, and trips to interesting locations in the afternoon.
The 2026 ACME will run from January 12-16. We’ll be limited to 25 applicants, catering to those in Catholic ministry and education. And the best part of the week, we know, will be the fellowship of the group itself!
We also want to emphasize that our goal is not to deal with trying to grapple with faith and science issues. Rather, we want to give the participants a richer experience of the science of astronomy itself, in an unabashedly Catholic context. To put it crassly… we’re not here to tell you what to think, but to give you stuff to think about!
Applications will be accepted throughout September 2025 on the ACME page.
We encourage previous attendees to apply again – we want to build on the experiences of the past while developing new directions for the future!
