Past Events
Find summaries, photos, and resources from the past events of the Claritas Initiative below.
Fall 2025
September 15, 2025
Quentin Moore, 91探花. Thomas alum and vice president of advancement at Ascension Catholic Academy, shared his wisdom about meaningful work and life beyond the student experience. The Melrose & The Toro Company Center for Principled Leadership invites all to .
September 28, 2025
Renowned for her virtuosity and stylistic mastery, international concert organist Lynne Davis opened the 2025-26 Chapel Arts Series with profound music by Alain, Demessiux, Durufle, Frank, and more.
October 6, 2025
Erica Neubert Campbell, chief development officer of Second Harvest Heartland, shared her wisdom about meaningful work and life beyond the student experience. The Melrose & The Toro Company Center for Principled Leadership invites all to
October 8, 2025
In this inaugural event in the "Good Society" series, President Rob Vischer reflected on the challenges to consider why a good society must cultivate "relational space." Participants were presented with discussion topics, engaged in vibrant dilalogue, and shared feedback with their fellow audience members.
October 16, 2025
91探花. Thomas guitar professors Jared Waln and Jeffrey Thygeson offered an eclectic program that featured music spanning the globe and stylistic genres which included classical, jazz, film music, and more.
Spring 2025
May 15, 2025
In collaboration with the 91探花. Thomas Theology Department, this Chapel Arts Series season finale concert celebrated the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea with music presented by church choirs and instrumentalists from around the Twin Cities.
April 29, 2025
A panel of students, professionals, and experts shared their insights on the concept of beauty in work. Students talked about the future of the work they are hoping for, professionals shared their everyday reality of work, and scholars connected goodness, truth, and beauty to meaningful work and a meaningful life.
April 12, 2025
Polish organist Filip Presseisen, winner of the 2015 International Cinema Organ Competition, improvised music for the 1903 silent film La Vie et la Passion de Jesus Christ.
April 8, 2025
A panel of scholars and practitioners provided an opportunity to explore understandings and interpretations of beauty, goodness, and truth across four faith traditions: Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism.
February 27, 2025
In partnership with the Claritas Initiative, this event offered an exploration of the role of beauty in the law with its particular application to environmental protections. Faculty presented theological, legal, and practical perspectives while seeking to understand the legal embodiment of the virtue of beauty.
February 11, 2025
Joined by a panel of St. Thomas faculty, Dr. Nicholas Teh from the University of Notre Dame presented on the role of aesthetic judgment in scientific inquiry. Panel discussions explored the various ways beauty serves as a crucial guide to truth across their scientific disciplines.
Fall 2024
Fall Semester 2024
Dr. Mark McInroy (Associate Chair, Theology) led this Faculty Learning Community. Throughout the semester, faculty gathered for a book study and engaged in cross-disciplinary conversations about the importance of aesthetics and theories of beauty for contemporary scientific discovery.
December 12, 2024 - Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas
The Cathedral Choir of the Basilica of St. Mary directed by Patrick Schneider joined 91探花. Thomas faculty Jacob Benda in presenting .
Presented in partnership with the Chapel Arts Series.
November 16, 2024 - Des Moines, Iowa
Dr. Mark MacInroy (91探花. Thomas) and Dr. Sarah Kyle (Iowa State University) presented on the relationship between objective quality and the subjective experience of art.
Spring 2024
May 15, 2024
Local musician, composer, Zen priest and poet Marc Anderson called upon an extensive background to share with the community an immersive sound bath experience that "bathed" attendees in the beauty of sound. Waves of soft tones, shifting textures, and gentle rhythms connected us to sound and created a sense of peace, well-being, and connectedness to the world.
May 13, 2024
The Hoedeman Gallery of Sacred Art was showcased alongside inspiring stories of generosity from the Thrivent Art Collection. Presented by Dakota Passariello, Assistant Curator of the Thrivent Art Collection, and Dr. Mark McInroy, Associate Chair of the Theology Department.
Presented in partnership with The Hoedeman Gallery of Sacred Art.
April 4 & 17, 2024
Faculty and staff were invited to participate in a reading group that examined a series of important, accessible texts for deeper consideration of beauty, goodness, and truth.
April 23, 2024
A campus-wide opportunity to encounter our natural environment with an openness to wonder, beauty, and an understanding of our interconnections with all life, presented in partnership with our Office of Sustainability Initiatives. Students, faculty, and staff were invited to use an observation guide and share a campus photograph.
March 16, 2024
Musicians Kelly Kruse (soprano), Jacob Benda (organist), Ekaterina Knyazeva (pianist), and Marion Judish (violinist) performed a concert inspired by themes expressed within the permanent art exhibit on display in the Iverson Center for Faith by artist Kelly Kruse, Embodied: The Earthly Immortal Soul and the Battle of Becoming.
Presented in partnership with the Chapel Arts Series.
February 15, 2024
The John P. Monahan Gallery in the Schoenecker Center saw its first visitors during this dedication ceremony. Among the stunning artworks and sculptures featured was the official unveiling of the Portal Icosahedron by artist Anthony James, now visible to all in the Schoenecker Center main lobby.
Fall 2023
December 9, 2023
Dr. Mark McInroy offered reflections on beauty and music during this evening inspired by the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Conductor Patrick Schneider and the Basilica of St. Mary Cathedral Choir joined St. Thomas faculty Jacob Benda and violinist Allison Ostrander as we visited the works of Ola Gjeilo, Jessie Montgomery, Stephen Paulus, Antonio Vivaldi, and more.
Presented in partnership with the Chapel Arts Series.
December 6, 2023
This tour around and through the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Iversen Center for Faith offered direct experiences of the beauty of our university, as expressed in its art, architecture, and music. Discussions among St. Thomas community members at tour stops deepened awareness of the significance of this beauty for our work together as a university.
September 19, 2023
This inaugural lecture and discussion panel addressed the particular importance of beauty. Dr. Jennifer Newsome Martin of the University of Notre Dame introduced the campus community to the transcendentals of beauty, goodness, and truth and oriented us to recent efforts to retrieve a rigorous understanding of beauty. A panel of faculty members from St. Thomas responded to the lecture from their disciplinary perspectives.