COLUMBIA — The University of South Carolina will hold its inaugural Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Lectureship Thursday, Nov. 18, in honor of the late Roman Catholic cardinal and South Carolina native. The lectureship, “On Common Ground,” is free and is intended for the public
“We will explore the legacy of Cardinal Bernardin and his encouragement of cooperative efforts by various faith communities in addressing shared moral, ethical and spiritual concerns,” said Dr. Hal French, coordinator of the lectureship and distinguished professor emeritus of religious studies in USC’s College of Liberal Arts, in press information.
The featured speakers are Dr. Eugene Kennedy, Loyola University psychology professor and primary biographer of Cardinal Bernardin; Msgr. Kenneth Velo, the cardinal’s executive assistant in Chicago for nine years; and Dr. Brian Hehir, a close theological associate of the cardinal and chairman of the executive committee at Harvard Divinity School.
USC Cardinal Bernardin Lectureship schedule:
• 1 p.m. — “The Man Bernardin … Was a Man of Peace,” lecture by Msgr. Kenneth Velo. Lumpkin Auditorium, The Darla Moore School of Business
• 2 p.m. — “Cardinal Bernardin: The Church and Public Policy,” lecture by the Rev. Dr. Brian Hehir. Lumpkin Auditorium, The Darla Moore School of Business
• 3:30 p.m. — Small group discussions. Classrooms in The Darla Moore School of Business
• 4:45 p.m. — Vespers. USC Thomas More Center on Greene Street
• 8 p.m. — “My Brother Joseph,” lecture by Dr. Eugene Kennedy. St. Peter’s Church on Assembly Street
• 8:45 p.m. — Responses by Msgr. Velo and Hehir to Kennedy’s lecture.
A question-and-answer session will conclude the 2 p.m. lecture and will be followed by a light reception. The public is encouraged to participate in the 3:30 p.m. discussion groups, the location of which will be announced at the afternoon lectures. For more information about the lectureship, call (803) 777-4100.
Cardinal Bernardin, a Columbia native, was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Charleston in 1952. He became the youngest bishop in the country in 1966 when he was named auxiliary bishop of Atlanta. After serving as secretary and as a member of the executive committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, he was named archbishop of Cincinnati. He was later appointed archbishop of Chicago and, in 1983, was elected cardinal, an office he held until his death in 1996.
He was a prolific writer and one of the Roman Catholic Church’s strongest advocates for social involvement. He was awarded the Albert Einstein International Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He launched the Catholic Common Ground Project, an effort to open dialogue with Catholics who differ on church teachings.