The McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, the Office of Catholic Schools and Holy Family High School invites school educators and administrators across the state to the first-ever Institute Day for teachers, a one-day workshop where attendees will have the opportunity to learn teaching methods to enhance dialogues between science and religion in Catholic education.
The Institute Day will take place Feb. 13 at Holy Family High School and will incorporate a range of topics including creation and evolution, modern science, formation, science and the bible as well as other subjects and disciplines.
Institute Day is a great opportunity for teachers and administrators to gain value and better understand how to unite faith and science in their approach to catechesis about Creation and evolution. Religion educators will explore how science informs and enhances their appreciation of God’s creation and action, while science teachers will learn how to engage the Catholic vision of creation and the human person while upholding the integrity and value of independent scientific investigation.
“The goal is to show that because God is the author of everything, he is the source of all creation to show that his fingerprints are in everything we encounter in the world,” said Brittany Storgaard, Theology teacher at Holy Family High School. “Not just the Bible, but our biology, mathematics, the way the universe works, the way the solar system is aligned, literature, beauty, art… all of it. And so, the goal of the McGrath Institute is just to provide content education for teachers to be able to present those realities to their students.”
Attendees will have the opportunity to listen to inspiring talks from well-known scientists, theologians and professionals that will innovate teaching strategies and share their stories. Among these speakers are Stephen M. Barr, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Physics, University of Delaware, Christopher T. Baglow, Ph.D. Director, Science & Religion Initiative, McGrath Institute for Church Life, University of Notre Dame, and Christian Bobak, current and all-time winningest head men’s soccer coach at Franciscan University of Steubenville.
“We would love to have anyone and everyone who cares about the mind, body and soul of our students to help them delve into the intimate and incredible relationship between God, our creator and all of the things that he has created in whatever field of study that might be,” added Storgaard. “And that’s really the heart of this institute day, and one of the common goals of Catholic education: is to show our students how to encounter God through everything they encounter in their lives, especially through their education, as they pursue knowledge of him through knowledge of the created world.”
In addition, Holy Family High School, in conjunction with the McGrath Institute and CU Boulder Fiske Planetarium, will be providing a public showing of All Creation Gives Praise, a program that bridges science and religion in an unforgettable way, inviting the audience to give praise to the Creator in awe and gratitude. All Creation Gives Praise is presented by Dr. Leonard DeLorenzo and Dr. Phil Sakimoto. The presentation will be first shown to students during the school field trip to CU Boulder Fiske Planetarium on Feb. 28 and then a public viewing that evening.
Institute Day is free of charge for teachers who register by February 6, 2020. Teachers can register at: https://mcgrath.nd.edu/conferences/academic-pastoral/science-and-religion-institute-days/upcoming-events/institute-day-holy-family-high-school/ Late registration fee, February 7 or later, will be $25.