Events
Explore upcoming lectures, discussions, and gatherings that engage faith, culture, and intellectual inquiry. From thought-provoking dialogues on contemporary issues to explorations of the deep-rooted traditions within Catholic thought, we serve as a hub for fostering meaningful conversations and fostering a deeper understanding of the relationship between spirituality and the modern world.
This year’s theme explores how the principles of Catholic Social Thought —human dignity, solidarity, the common good, and care for creation —inform and inspire engagement in public life. Through dialogue, reflection, and action, the theme invites the Seattle University community to consider how faith and justice intersect in shaping ethical leadership and a more compassionate society.
Upcoming Events
Caring for Creation: Finding Common Ground
Annual LSM-WA Earth Day Summit
Saturday, April 25, 2026
8:30am – 4:30pm
Seattle University, Student Center LeRoux Room
The Laudato Si’ Movement Washington (LSM-WA) invites you to attend the annual Earth Day Summit – Caring for Creation: Finding Common Ground on April 25, 2026. Join us for a day of building bridges through the love for creation with a diverse group of presenters from across Washington State.
Registration is required for the summit. All are welcome to attend this free event; during registration you may choose to help offset the cost of your attendance by making a donation (estimated cost to attend: $15 parking; $15 lunch; $10 refreshments).
Summit highlights include:
- The day includes parking on campus, morning and afternoon refreshments, a vegetarian lunch, and time for prayer and spiritual reflection.
- Morning keynote “Our Sacred Earth: The Care of Creation as a Spiritual Imperative” with Sr. Mimi Maloney, SNJM (Spokane), and Sr. Mary Ellen Robinson, SNJM (Yakima), and Eleana Pawl (Seattle)
- Special guests:
- Lynda Mapes, retired Pulitzer Prize Nominated Environmental Reporter for the Seattle Times and National Outdoor Book Award Winner
- Ashton Picard, Vice Chair of the Nez Perce Tribe
- Dick Warwick, Cowboy Poet and retired farmer
- Joshua Wright, Program Director and youth forest activist for the Legacy Forest Defense Coalition
- Afternoon breakout sessions include:
- Going beyond nice: effective conversations on divisive topics
- Navigating the Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP)
- A poetry writing workshop
- Protecting the Pacific Temperate Rainforest
The summit is sponsored by Laudato Si’ Movement Washington (LSM-WA), Seattle University’s Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture, the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center (IPJC), and St. James Cathedral.
ICTC Faculty Research Colloquium
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
12:00pm - 1:30pm
Seattle University, Oberto Commons, SINE 200
You are invited to the Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture's Faculty Research Colloquium, a lunchtime gathering highlighting the work of this year’s Faculty Summer Research Fellows. These fellowships support scholarly projects that advance the University’s Jesuit Catholic mission by engaging the Catholic intellectual tradition across disciplines—from the humanities and arts to the natural and social sciences, ethics, and social movements.
During the colloquium, faculty fellows will share insights from their current research projects, which explore themes such as Filipino art song and cultural identity, community water management in Colombia amid climate and socioeconomic challenges, Asian and Asian American theological ethics, and narratives of relational and inclusive identity. Together, these presentations illustrate the breadth of scholarship inspired by the Catholic intellectual tradition and its relevance to contemporary global questions.
All are welcome. Lunch will be provided.
Spring Catholic Heritage Lecture - Women's Contributions to Catholic Social Teaching
Dr. Carolyn Woo, former CEO of Catholic Relief Services
Wednesday, May 6, 4:30pm
Publis reception at 3:45pm - Please join us!
Seattle University, Student Center LeRoux Room
Carolyn Woo came from Hong Kong to Purdue University in 1972 with limited funding and, through scholarships, completed her bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. in Strategy by 1979. After a brief time in industry, she joined Purdue’s faculty and later moved into administration, where she strengthened graduate business programs and gained national recognition as a young leader.
From 1997 to 2011, she served as dean of the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, emphasizing teaching quality, curriculum innovation, and ethics in business education. Under her leadership, the undergraduate program achieved top national rankings, and she became the first female chair of AACSB International, helping launch the UN’s Principles for Responsible Management Education.
She later served as CEO of Catholic Relief Services (2012–2016), overseeing global humanitarian and development programs reaching millions across more than 100 countries. Recognized internationally for her impact, she has also served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards and helped convene global leaders through initiatives like the Vatican Dialogues on Energy Transition.
Woo is widely honored for her leadership, scholarship, and writing, and is the author of two books on leadership and social impact.
Women Engaging the Catholic Social Tradition: Solidarity toward a Common Good
A Lunchtime Discussion with
Dr. Erin Brigham, University of San Francisco
Thursday, May 7, 12-1:15pm
ADAL, Rolfe Room
Lunch and book provided
Faculty and Staff - Click Here to Register
Join ICTC for a discussion with Dr. Erin Brigham, one of the editors of Women Engaging the Catholic Social Tradition, a work that invites us to broaden, deepen, and in many ways reimagine how Catholic social thought is lived, taught, and embodied.
This text is particularly meaningful in our context. As a Jesuit institution committed to justice, dialogue, and the formation of the whole person, we are continually called to ask: whose voices are shaping our understanding of the Catholic Social Tradition? And just as importantly, whose voices have been missing, overlooked, or underheard?
Women Engaging the Catholic Social Tradition does not simply add women’s perspectives as an afterthought—it centers them. Our reading for this discussion will be the forward written by Dr. Diana Hayes and the afterword by Sr. Simone Campbell. Participants will receive a copy of the book before the discussion.
Erin Brigham directs the Joan and Ralph Lane Center for Catholic Social Thought and the Ignatian Tradition and teaches in the department of Theology and Religious Studies. She also directs the St. Ignatius Institute, a living-learning community rooted in academics, spirituality, and solidarity.