Benedictine offers essay contest on impact of Vatican II
Nearly 50 years have passed since Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council, a “back to the sources” call on the Roman Catholic Church to return to a liturgical and pastoral approach to the world.
The office of university ministry at Benedictine University will mark that milestone in church history with an essay contest and symposium for high school and college students, “Light of the Nations: Reflecting on Vatican II.”
The essay contest for high school and college students will be divided into two divisions. High school students will be invited to write 1,000-word essays that draw in part from historical and theological primary sources, while college division participants will be invited to write a 1,500-word essay drawing extensively from historical and theological sources.
The topic of the essay and the question the symposium will try to address is, “Why did Pope John XXIII, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, convene the Second Vatican Council?”
Essay winners in both divisions will receive certificates and monetary awards applicable to tuition credit at Benedictine University. First prize is $500, second prize is $250 and third prize is $100.
The winning essays will be published on “Constellation,” Benedictine University’s online journal that is part of the searchable “GoogleScholar” collection.
Submissions for the essay contest should be made electronically through Feb. 3 at ben.edu under the Vatican heading.
A symposium for students who submit papers will be from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 3, in the Krasa Student Center on the Benedictine University campus, 5700 College Road, Lisle. The panel will feature area academicians and religious scholars who will reflect on the forces that shaped Vatican II and the impact it had — and continues to have — on the modern-day church.
Panelists for the symposium include Rita George Tvrtkovic, assistant professor of theology and religious studies at Benedictine; Christine Fletcher, assistant professor of theology and religious studies at Benedictine; and John O’Donnell, youth and campus minister and theology and English teacher at Benet Academy.
Other panelists will include sister Susan Quaintaince, faculty member at St. Scholastica Academy in Chicago; the Rev. Jeff Smialek, campus minister and theology teacher at Joliet Catholic High School; Benedictine University alumnus Nick Scipione, chairman of the science department at Glenbard East High School; and Benedictine alumna Donna Hrozencik.
For information, contact Mark Kurowski, director of university ministry at Benedictine University, at (630) 829-6020 or mkurowski@ben.edu.