The 2025 St. Albert Initiative on Science and the Catholic Faith was held on March 6 at Bellarmine University in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Two of us were there from the Vatican Observatory — me (no surprise) and VO astronomer Fr. David Brown, S.J.
The St. Albert Initiative (SAI) is sponsored by the Society of Catholic Scientists (SCS) and the Science and Religion Initiative of the McGrath Institute for Church Life at Notre Dame and is supported by generous grant funding from the John Templeton Foundation. The March SAI was a half-day program on science and faith for Catholic high school students, teachers, and parents as well as interested members of the general public (high school age and above). It featured short talks by Catholic scientists (including Fr. Brown and myself) and the opportunity to meet, eat with, and ask questions of Catholic scientists in many fields and at various stages of their careers.
Below are photos from SAI 2025 (courtesy Brendan J. Sullivan/Bellarmine University). The event was a huge success, with nearly 500 in attendance. This was nearly double the attendance at previous SAIs held in other cities.
And finally, since this is Sacred Space ASTRONOMY, lots of images of students looking (at a tree) through the nineteenth-century Bouchet Telescope that once belonged to the rector of the Louisville Cathedral:
Two items from the Archdiocesan paper, The Record:
- A nice video montage (click here)
This video features Archbishop Fabre’s opening prayer:
Heavenly Father, we gather in your presence seeking your guidance and your wisdom.
As we embark on the noble pursuit of knowledge, grant us the grace to recognize the harmony that exists between scientific inquiry and our faith in you.
Help us to understand that both paths seek the ultimate truth which is found in you alone.
We ask that you illuminate our minds and hearts, helping us to see the awe-inspiring beauty of your creation in every scientific endeavor. - A story on the SAI (click here)
