“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things” (St. Paul to the Philippians 4:8).
The St. Anselm Institute for Catholic Thought is a voluntary organization of Catholic faculty and others dedicated to promoting the vast, life-affirming riches of the Catholic intellectual tradition at the University of Virginia and beyond. Founded in 2000, the Institute supports several activities, including a public lecture series, various reading and discussion groups including a Doctors of the Church lunch seminar series, Catholic arts programs, faculty-student dinners and local field trips, Lenten retreats, and our annual appeal to support Catholic education in Saltadère, Haiti.

Spring 2023: Beauty and the Catholic Imagination Minicourse

5 Fridays 10:30-11:30am (UVA Location: Minor Hall Auditorium) 
Beauty is an experience we all seem to recognize...yet it frequently escapes explanation, even in an academic setting! In one hour-long discussions students and faculty will explore how the Catholic faith perspective reveals something different: Beauty’s urgent and transforming call to respond to the greatest Reality.

All students are invited to register for this free, faculty-led minicourse. Prior experience not necessary, only an openness to considering the call and response to beauty in nature, art, liturgy, the every day of a life lived well. Sign-up using this form or by emailing Dr. Jocelyn Moore at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Feb. 3: Our Experiences of Beauty. Dana Gioia, “Why Beauty Matters”; Richard Wilbur, “Hamlen Brook,” Gerard Manley Hopkins, "God’s Grandeur"

February 10: Who is the Artist? John Paul II, "Letter to Artists" (1999)

February 17: Revelation of Beauty in Christ & the Eucharist. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, "The Feeling of Things, the Contemplation of Beauty" (2002); Selections from Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis (2007)

February 24: How Can an Image of a Crucifixion be Beautiful? Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, “The Question of Images" (2000)

March 3: Sacramental Beauty in the "Ordinary" Moments of a Life Well-Lived. Angela O’Donnell, “The Sacrament of Beauty,” Mortal Blessings (2015) 


The St. Anselm Institute for Catholic Thought | P.O. Box 6432, Charlottesville, VA 22906 |  info@StAnselmInstitute.org
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