Catholic-Orthodox Community Gathering: From Ravenna to Alexandria: Synodality and Primacy
Sponsored by The Aquinas Center's Catholic-Orthodox Initiative.
Program Title: From Ravenna to Alexandria: Synodality and Primacy in Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue
Program Description: This presentation explores the themes of synodality and primacy as articulated in the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue through the Ravenna (2007), Chieti (2016), and Alexandria (2023) statements. It examines how these documents address the balance between collegiality and authority within the Church, highlighting convergences and remaining challenges in ecumenical understanding. The discussion will consider historical, theological, and practical implications for unity.
Doors open at 6:30pm for Happy Hour. Dinner and the program will begin promptly at 7:00pm. Registration is required.
Catholic-Orthodox Initiative: In 2017, the Aquinas Center began a Catholic-Orthodox Initiative, thanks to an endowment by Solon and Marianna Patterson. This Initiative consists of a series of programs and events promoting greater understanding and…
University Event Topic: Religion & Ethics. Department / Organization: Aquinas Center. Speaker/Presenter: Susan K. Wood is professor of systematic theology at Regis College, Toronto School of Theology, at the University of Toronto. She received her Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Marquette University. She has served on national and international official ecumenical dialogues with the Orthodox, Lutherans, and Baptists and is currently a co-moderator of the Peter and Paul Seminar and a member of the St. Irenaeus Working Group. She served as President of the Catholic Theological Society of America 2014-2015 and re… Cost: Free.
Thursday, February 12, 2026, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church
2855 Briarcliff Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30329.
Hindu and Catholic, Priest and Scholar: A Love Story
Join us for a lunchtime book talk with Fr. Francis X. Clooney of Harvard Divinity School as he discusses his journey and new book Hindu and Catholic, Priest and Scholar: A Love Story. Drawing on his decades of work across Hindu and Christian traditions, Clooney reflects on his personal faith, interreligious study, and immersive engagement with the Hindu tradition as a Jesuit priest. The conversation invites students to consider how scholarship, faith, and relationships can mutually deepen each other rather than compete, and how interreligious engagement can be both intellectually serious and spiritually meaningful. Lunch will be provided. Sponsored by the Emory University Chaplaincy with the Aquinas Center of Theology, the Religion Department, and Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies.
University Event Topic: Theology. Department / Organization: Aquinas Center. Speaker/Presenter: Father Francis X. Clooney, S.J. Harvard Divinity School. Event Open To: All (Public). Cost: Free. Registration / R.S.V.P. link: https://bit.ly/ClooneyBookTalk. Contact Name: Emory University Chaplaincy. Contact Email: religiouslife@emory.edu.
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Brooks Commons in Cannon Chapel
515 S. Kilgo Circle NE
Atlanta, GA 30322.
Racial Justice Speaks: Healing and the Catholic Church
The faith-based workshop "Racial Justice Speaks: Healing and the Catholic Church" is a personal spiritual formation program designed to immerse participants in a day of reflection on the individual and communal sin of racism. The journey is intended to open meaningful pathways to antiracism culture in the Catholic Church.
The program is not streamed or recorded. Registration is required and includes a lunch optionThere is space for up to 20 participants, so please register early! .For more information contact: iaministryatl@gmail.com or visit our website: www.ia-ministry.weebly.com. .
University Event Topic: Theology. Department / Organization: Aquinas Center. Speaker/Presenter: Interparish Antiracism Minstry (IAM) Atlanta. Event Open To: All (Public). Cost: Free. Registration / R.S.V.P. link: https://forms.gle/q5uhDyfoYYxVt83q6. Contact Email: iaministryatl@gmail.com.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
St. Joseph Catholic Church
87 Lacy Street
Marietta, GA 30060.
Catholic-Orthodox Community Gathering: St. Basil the Great and the Inexorable Demands of t
Sponsored by The Aquinas Center's Catholic-Orthodox Initiative.
Program Title: St. Basil the Great and the Inexorable Demands of the Bible
Program Description: St. Basil of Caesarea was a fourth-century bishop in what is now Türkiye who played a foundational role in the development and understanding of many aspects of the Christian life, including Nicene Trinitarian doctrine, monasticism, and the care of the poor, needy, and sick. In all these endeavors Basil grounded his teaching in the Bible, which he saw as providing unshakeable rule for all Christian doctrine and practice, an exacting guideline for Christian life and belief that is no less pertinent today than it was in his era.
Doors open at 6:30pm for Happy Hour. Dinner and the program will begin promptly at 7:00pm. Registration is required.
Catholic-Orthodox Initiative: In 2017, the Aquinas Center began a Catholic-Orthodox Initiative, thanks to an endowment by Solon and Marianna Patterson. This Initiative consists of a series of programs and…
University Event Topic: Religion & Ethics. Department / Organization: Aquinas Center. Speaker/Presenter: Dr. Mark DelCogliano is Professor of Theology and Chair of the Department of Theology at the University of St. Thomas. Dr. Cogliano also serves as Vice-President/President Elect (2025-2026) of the North American Patristics Society (NAPS). Cost: Free.
Thursday, March 26, 2026, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Transfiguration Catholic Church
1815 Blackwell Road
Marietta, GA 30066.
An Evening with Sr. Norma Pimentel, MJ
This program is supported by a grant from the Lumen Christi Institute with funding from the John Templeton Foundation (Grant #63614) and is in partnership with Candler School of Theology's La Mesa Academy of Theological Studies.
A heartfelt THANK YOU to our Sponsors of the Major Catholic Speaker Events!
Presenting Sponsors: Candler School of Theology, Catholic Charities Atlanta, Marie and Chris Marquardt
Sustaining Sponsors: John and Ann Bailey, Catholic Foundation of North Georgia, Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center
Sponsors: Kristen and Duncan Gibbs, St. Vincent de Paul Georgia
Program Description: Sr. Norma Pimentel, MJ will speak on immigration, human dignity and Catholic Social Teaching.
Webinar Registration: https://emory.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LTPdIcW2Rq69HWWWiuB1aw
St. Catherine of Siena Lecture:
Beginning in 2026, the Aquinas Center’s Major Catholic Speaker Lecture will be renamed the St. Catherine of Siena program. Named for the Dominican saint and Doctor of the Church, St. Catherine…
University Event Topic: Theology. Department / Organization: Aquinas Center. Building/Room: Cannon Chapel. Speaker/Presenter: Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ was born in Brownsville, Texas, where her Mexican immigrant parents had applied for residency. She started kindergarten in Matamoros, Mexico, and then moved to Brownsville, Texas. She describes herself as an American citizen by chance, having grown up on both sides of the border.
She entered religious life with the Missionaries of Jesus in 1978. Sr. Pimentel earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Pan American University, a master’s degree in theology from St. Mary’s Univer… Cost: Free.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Cannon Chapel
Emory University
1531 Dickey Drive
Atlanta, GA 30322.