Dr. Seguda Acosta addressed the community of Christendom College on February 28, with a talk entitled “Diabolical or Psychological: The Differentiation of Psychological Diseases from Diabolical Disorders”.

Dr. Seggy Acosta is a Catholic stress and pain specialist in private practice with S.T.R.E.S.S. CENTRE INC., located at 601 Jefferson Davis Hwy., suite 101, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401. She believes in the integration of her Catholic Faith into psychotherapy. She does individual, couple, and family therapy. In addition, she treats all types of pain conditions using non-pharmacological approaches to healing.

She received her doctorate from the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland with a Ph.D. in Stress Management and sub-specialty in Pain Management. Her Master’s of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree with a specialty in Psychiatric-Mental Health was at Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. She received her undergraduate studies from the University of Sto. Tomas, Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree.

Francis Cardinal Arinze, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, delivered a talk entitled “The Year of Faith and the Apostolate of the Laity” to the students and faculty at Christendom College on February 4, 2013.

Cardinal Arinze was ordained a priest in 1958 and was consecrated bishop in 1965. In 1979 his brother bishops elected him president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, a position he held until 1984, when Pope John Paul II asked him to serve as president for the Secretariat for Non-Christians (now the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue). One year later, he was appointed Cardinal by Pope John Paul and, in 1999, he received a gold medallion from the International Council of Christians and Jews for his “outstanding achievements in inter-faith relations”.

From 2002-2008, he served as Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Cardinal Arinze remains active as a highly-sought speaker and catechizer, being featured in programs and events that cover Pope John Paul II’s encyclicals and apostolic letters, Vatican II, and many other topics. He is also the author of several books and has been a frequent guest on Christendom’s campus.

Thomistic scholar and author, Rev. Thomas Joseph White, O.P., delivered the annual St. Thomas Aquinas Lecture on January 28, 2013 at Christendom College. The talk explored the doctrine of the resurrection of the body and its influence on philosophical thought. Delving into the thought of modern philosophers on the relation of the body to the soul and Pope Benedict XVI’s response to them, Fr. White demonstrated that it was philosophically natural to hope in the resurrection from the dead.

On September 5, Professor J. Michael Brown gave a talk entitled “Wonder and Fear in the Pursuit of Wisdom” to the Christendom College community. He discussed the void of wisdom in the age of skepticism. Wisdom is now falsely understood as relative and subjective, a view we must fight against in the pursuit of becoming wise. 

Michael Brown is an assistant professor in the Philosophy department at Christendom College. Graduating from Christendom College with a Bachelor’s in English, he went on to receive both his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Catholic University of America. Michael Brown is in charge of various events and activities that take place on campus.

Virginia’s Attorney General, Kenneth Cuccinelli II, spoke to the Christendom College community on the topic of “Living the Catholic Faith in Politics and Government” on April 2.

Before a crowd of about 400 college students, faculty, staff, and guests, Cuccinelli, who plans on running for the Governorship of Virginia next year, encouraged all present to be active in the political process and to be Catholic leaders in all areas, but particularly in the areas of science, media, and politics.

On March 20, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano gave an address to the Christendom faculty and students. He emphasized the opportunity of reflection and grace in the season of Lent.

Archbishop Vigano was ordained a priest in 1968. He earned a doctorate in utroque iure (both canon and civil law). He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1973, and worked at the papal diplomatic missions in Iraq and Great Britain. From 1978 to 1989, he held posts at the Secretariat of State. He was named Special Envoy and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg in 1989. He is fluent in Italian, French, Spanish and English.

Historian Dr. Emmet Kennedy delivered a lecture entitled The Survival of a Non-Juror: the Abbé Sicard and the Founding of the National Institute of Deaf-Mutes during the Reign of Terror. He explored the life of Roch-Ambroise Sicard, a priest who educated the deaf and mute during the Reign of Terror. Sicard avoided execution twice during the tumultuous times of the French Revolution. Kennedy examined whether Sicard was a “girouette,” that is, a turncoat who changed with every regime and tailored himself to meet the new requirements.  

Kennedy is a world-renowned expert on the French Revolution and author of many celebrated works on it, including A Cultural History of the French Revolution.

Author and Professor Dr. Susan Hanssen delivered a lecture entitled “Henry Adams on the Sanity or Suicide of America” to the students and faculty of Christendom College on February 27. The lecture examined the history of education in America and Henry Adam’s perception of it.
Henry Adams voiced concerned over the choices the nation would face, and spoke of the special importance of young woman in the future of America.  

Hanssen, an associate professor of history at the University of Dallas, received her doctorate from Rice University in Houston, Texas. She was the 2010-2011 Garwood Fellow at the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, where she prepared her forthcoming book on The Education of Henry Adams and the role of education in maintaining cultural identity in America.

Renowned scholar and author Russell Hittinger delivered the annual St. Thomas Aquinas lecture to the students and faculty of Christendom College on January 27, 2012. The talk, which examined the nature of societies and marriage, was entitled: “Are Societies Made Unto the Image and Likeness of God?: A Thomistic Response to a Disputed Issue. Hittinger delved into the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, Pope Leo XIII, and other popes to illustrate how the image of God is reflected in a society.

Since 1996, Hittinger is the incumbent of the William K. Warren Chair of Catholic Studies at the University of Tulsa, where he is also a research professor in the School of Law.  Specializing in issues of philosophy, theology, and law, he is a former Christendom College professor and has taught at Fordham University and at the Catholic University of America, among other schools.  His books and articles have appeared in the University of Notre Dame Press, Oxford University Press, Columbia University Press, Fordham University Press, the Review of Metaphysics, the Review of Politics, and several law journals.

Fr. Brett Brannen gives a talk to the Christendom College community entitled “Fraternal Charity”. He discusses the importance of charity in the Christian life, as well as the difficulties that accompany being a follower of Jesus.
 

Born in Louisiana, Fr. Brett grew up with a Catholic background. He was ordained a priest in 1991. Father Brett Brannen is the author of two books about the priesthood: To Save a Thousand Souls and A Priest in the Family.