William Hemsworth's Blog, page 22

Catholic Institute of Technology Becomes World’s First Catholic University Distinctively Focused on STEM Research

Boston, MA, December 4, 2023— Born from a vision to fuse rapid scientific and technological advancement with the wisdom of the Catholic faith, Catholic Institute of Technology forms scientists, engineers and mathematicians who are dedicated to upholding the Catholic faith. This brand new university will welcome students for the first time in Fall 2024 to its campus in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. 

“CatholicTech will pioneer a new generation of Catholic scientists, scholars and saints to allow Catholic wisdom a seat at the table of scientific and technological advancement,” said Bill Haughey, co-founder of Catholic Tech.  “Building a community such as this requires a dedication and focus that is only possible in a technical university and specifically a research university.”

This university is the first-ever Catholic institution created exclusively for research advancements in the fields of the sciences, engineering, technology and mathematics, and is pursuing the elite title of an R1 school. R1 research universities are doctoral institutions with the highest level of research activity, and it is an honor bestowed upon less than 200 universities worldwide. 

The initial vision for CatholicTech was first conceptualized in the minds of Alexis and Bill Haughey, the husband-and-wife team whose own experience drove them to desire a new paradigm in academia where Catholic ethics thrive.  Bill is an accomplished entrepreneur, and Alexis’ background is in academic research with an emphasis on technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.  With the support and influence of Bishop Arthur Kennedy, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston, distinguished educator, and now president of CatholicTech, this initial vision was able to come to life.

“Although the Catholic Church has a long history of cutting edge scientific breakthroughs and technological advancements, recent years have seen misinformation promoting the idea that faith and reason cannot exist cooperatively,” noted Alexis Haughey.  “CatholicTech was designed to uphold the legacy of the great Catholic scientists, providing undergraduate students with elite academic research opportunities with career paths in the fields of biology and biological engineering, computer science and civil, mechanical and electrical engineering.”  Many more majors are to be added each year, including neuroscience, astrophysics and nuclear science. CatholicTech students will also graduate with a minor in philosophy and theology, anchoring their work in the sciences to a Catholic foundation. 

CatholicTech is an American university, but has its campus in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, which has long been considered the historic center of Catholic science. Students will live within walking distance of the Vatican Observatory, where they will have the unique opportunity to take courses and conduct research with the world’s leading Catholic scholars, a collaboration that is not just academic but based on a shared mission to educate the faithful on the intersections of faith and science.  Additional partnerships have been established with CatholicTech that include the Angelicum, Gregorian, Santa Croce and Regina Apostolorum.

Jeff Kleck, Chair of Entrepreneurship & Technology Commercialization at CatholicTech, most recently of Stanford University, says the fusion of faith and science is the difference-maker in a CatholicTech education. “Our goal is to provide an immersive experience of the rich heritage of the Catholic faith for students, which includes theology and philosophy, but also includes a deep dive into what it means to change the world with your discoveries,” Kleck said.

Although research and study is the primary focus of CatholicTech, students are also offered a full campus life including social, cultural and liturgical offerings that can be found nowhere else. The unique character of CatholicTech culture is evident in every detail of university life, right down to the school mascot, Astronaut Mike, named for Mike Hopkins, the first Catholic to receive the Eucharist in space. 

In March, CatholicTech will open its doors to potential students serving up an immersive experience into campus life, academics, and research opportunities. More information about in-person campus visits can be found at their March Campus Visit Program Registration. 

A reflection for the Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

A reflection for the Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

A reflection for the Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

Priests taken by Russian forces in Ukraine still missing

Several priests in Ukraine who have been detained by Russian occupation forces are still missing, with their whereabouts unknown, a human rights website reported.  Two Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests – Fr. Ivan Levytsky and Fr. Bohdan Heleta – have been missing for 13 months. Ukrainian Orthodox Fr. Kostiantyn Maksimov has been gone seven months. No […]

Priests taken by Russian forces in Ukraine still missing

Experience the Miracle: Boy Barely Clinging to Life After Auto Accident Survives to Share Journey of Faith

PARK RIVER, ND — It was a cold Good Friday in April, and 16-year-old Ben Hylden was crunched for time. Running late for an appointment, he figured he could make good time on the seldom-travelled back road where he would often push his aging Buick Le Sabre to its limits. The combination of speed and half-frozen roadway proved to be an almost deadly combination, and Hylden would never be the same young man again.

In his powerful true story, Finding Faith in the Field, Hylden recounts in chilling detail the moment that he lost control of his car and the thoughts that swirled in his mind as he lay in agonizing pain in an icy field — until everything went black.

“Everything hurt; it felt like a bomb had exploded inside of me,” Hylden wrote in his book. “My lungs were filling up with my own lifeblood. I knew my life was about to be over. I didn’t think I could take much more. There was not enough air and too much pain. I never in my wildest dreams thought my life would end like this.”

He could faintly hear the voices of a man and a woman. In his mind, he called them “two nice people.” Little did he know, the “two nice people” were his parents, and his face was so badly damaged they hadn’t recognized their own son until they spotted a familiar winter coat that had been thrown from the car.

Riddled with severe internal injuries, a shattered face and a traumatic brain injury, Hylden was given just a 5% chance of survival.

“Many miracles happened on that day for my life to be saved,” Hylden recounted. “Yet the greatest miracle on that day remained a secret, even from me, until much later.”

In Finding Faith in the Field, Hylden shares with readers the secret that was revealed to him when he revisited the site of his crash as well as his long road to recovery and his remarkable journey of faith — a journey that ultimately taught him what truly matters most in life.

About the Author

Ben Hylden grew up on a dairy farm near Park River where he played sports and went to high school. After high school, he attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, where he was inspired to write his life story. After the release of Finding Faith in the Field, his career as a motivational speaker took off. Along with being an author and public speaker, he is also a health coach and founder of a new clothing brand, Ajabu.

For more information, visit www.benhylden.com, or follow the author on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/findingfaithinthefield.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Faith-Field-Benjamin-Hylden/dp/1643498800/

Prospective Catholic Priest Ordained a Transitional Deacon in Nation’s Capital

WASHINGTON, DC – The Reverend Mr. Jacob P. George was ordained a transitional deacon on Friday, Dec. 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, in the main chapel of the Edwin Cardinal O’Brien Pastoral Center in Washington, DC, home base for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). The new deacon is on track to be ordained a priest next year. 

The Rev. Mr. George’s diaconal ordination was celebrated through the laying of hands and the prayer of consecration invoking the Holy Spirit by His Excellency, the Most  Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The rite took place in a 10:00 a.m. Mass attended by friends and family including the new deacon’s parents, Mr. George Jacob and Mrs. Teresa George Jacob of Houston, TX, sisters Celine and Elizabeth, and brothers Joseph and John, along with fellow seminarians and mentors from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD. The concelebrants included Monsignor Anthony R. Frontiero, S.T.D., Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the AMS; the Moderator of the Community of Grace, Father Brillis Mathew; and the Rector of the same seminary, Monsignor Andrew R. Baker, S.T.D.

The Rev. Mr. George, 35, was born in Bangalore, India, but spent his childhood in the United Arab Emirates where his parents moved their family when he was young. The new deacon is a 2012 graduate of Purdue University where he earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Since entering formation at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, he has earned a Pontifical Bachelor of Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) degree in affiliation with the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington; a Master of Arts (M.A.) Degree in Theology, and a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) Degree. The Rev. Mr. George is now pursuing a Licentiate in Canon Law at the Catholic University of America while serving as a Canonical Assistant under the watchful eye of AMS Judicial Vicar Father Mark Rutherford, J.C.L.

The new deacon says he first sensed a call to priesthood while in Fourth Grade at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Dubai, when his teacher asked the class how many would like to be priests. “I thought about that for about two seconds,” he says, “and raised my hand. Since then, the thought never left me…. Later on, I came in contact with a lay community called the Community of Grace which further clarified and guided my vocation.”

Commenting on his diaconal ordination, the Rev. Mr. George said, “I feel very blessed and happy! I feel especially privileged to have had the ordination here with my new family at the AMS. I remember the words of St. John Paul II: ‘In the designs of providence, there are no mere coincidences.’ There were many so-called ‘mere coincidences’ that led to this current moment, and looking back at the path through which God has led me leaves me with no option but to praise and thank Him for the marvels he has worked in my life. My heart is echoing the words of the Psalmist: ‘You are my God, I thank you, my God, I praise you. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love endures forever.’ (Ps 118:28-29) Being ordained a deacon was a moving experience as it makes me connect with the ministerial aspect of ordained ministry: Not to be served but to serve! At the same time I realize the period leading up to my priestly vocation is very short and is a time for me to reflect and pray for the great task of ministry to all those who may cross my path that lies ahead as a priest.”

While his home diocese is Miao in Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India, the Rev. Mr. George remains open to serving someday on active duty in the U.S. Military, although he is not currently a chaplain candidate.

Young men interested in discerning a priestly vocation, and the vocation within a vocation to serve those who serve in the U.S. Military, can find more information at milarch.org/vocations, or may contact the AMS Vocations Office at vocations@milarch.org or (202) 719-3600. 

U.S. bishops: Vatican declaration does not change Church teaching on marriage

Fiducia Supplicans states that the Church cannot permit a liturgical blessing for same-sex couples because it would “offer a form of moral legitimacy to a union that presumes to be a marriage or to an extra-marital sexual practice.”  Yet, the declaration states that the prohibition on liturgical blessings does not preclude priests from offering “spontaneous”…

U.S. bishops: Vatican declaration does not change Church teaching on marriage 

MONDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT, YEAR B DECEMBER 18, 2023

The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him […]

MONDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT, YEAR B DECEMBER 18, 2023

Sunday Mass Readings

Alessandro Allori, The Preaching of St John the Baptist (public domain) Sunday, December 17 Third Sunday of Advent Roman Ordinary calendar St. Josep Manyanet y Vives Book of Isaiah 61,1-2a.10-11. The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal […]

Sunday Mass Readings

Third Sunday of Advent

Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) Readings: Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11; Luke 1:46-50, 53-54; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28 17 December 2023   “The Lord has anointed me. He has sent me.” – Isaiah 61:1   I’ve been leading a program of parish renewal for the past 16 months which, through a reliance on…

Third Sunday of Advent

A reflection for the Thursday of the Second Week of Advent

A reflection for the Thursday of the Second Week of Advent

A reflection for the Thursday of the Second Week of Advent