Two St. Thomas university students were the only undergraduates attending the St. Nicholas of Myra Conference on Catholic Social Thought last month at Providence College in Rhode Island.
“We were endlessly fascinated during the ongoing lectures and discussions, many topical issues and questions were addressed surrounding the environment, pollution, animal rights, and poverty,” said Adam Blanchard, a third year student majoring in Religious and Catholic studies. “The folks at Providence were welcoming to us during our stay, in fact they were thrilled that two students from Canada travelled so far to appear at the conference.”
Dr. Mathew Dinan, chair in Catholic Studies at St. Thomas University, invited students to submit their papers and apply the information they had learned in the course.
The people who participated in the conference, mostly graduate students and professors, related their presentations to Pope Francis’ latest encyclical Laudato Si and the environment. Most students and professors participating at the event represented universities of the United States.
Blanchard and Jimy Beltran were the only students from Canada presenting.
“We were the only two undergraduate students present at the conference, which was intimidating at first,” said Blanchard. “After both our presentations, many applauded us and told us that they would never have guessed we did not have our bachelor’s degrees.”
In his paper, On private property and the common good, Blanchard wrote about water poverty. The paper explained the Catholic approach to the ownership of private property which interprets water as a human right and is connected to the concept of the common good.
“Pope Francis draws our attention to the issue of pervasive “water poverty,” especially among the economically disadvantaged,” said Blanchard. “A Thomistic lens offers a way to re-examine the issue of private property in a way that might offer solutions of maintaining this right while still contributing to the common good through fair access to water.”
Jimmy Beltran, a second year student majoring in Catholic studies and history presented Laudato Si: a response to Jose Benegas liberalism and a solution to Latin American dysfunctions. In his paper Beltran explains the relationship between Latin American politics and Christianity.
Beltran said the paper is a response to the Argentinean writer Jose Benegas, who argues that Christianity is guilty of Latin America’s political and economic dysfunctions. “This essay will argue, against Benegas, that the political theology of Laudato Si offers a Christian alternative to the regnant problems of Latin American politics,” he said.
Both students said it was an honour to have the opportunity to represent the university at the conference and a crucial experience in their development as “budding academics.”
“We would like to extend our gratitude to Dr. Matt Dinan, Fr. Bill Brennan, Vivien Zelaznzy and Fr. Don Savoie from STU Campus Ministry for their support and assistance to us in this endeavour,” said Blanchard.
