On Sunday, October 19, over 120 guests enjoyed paella, tapas, sangria and beautiful sunny fall weather while celebrating the heritage of St. Dominic with our DSPT fundraiser, Sunday in Spain. Our annual auction, in the new venue of our own beautiful campus garden, was a great success, raising funds for the school through a silent auction, live auction and a special fund-a-need appeal for equipment to assist the DSPT distance learning program. This year’s event exceeded our goals on all counts.
Moving the event to our Berkeley campus afforded us a wonderful opportunity for our students and friends to gather to prepare for the event. Dedicated volunteers spent many fun hours, planning, cooking and preparing, both before and during the event, building a genuine esprit de corps within our community. A very special thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers!
On behalf of our President, Fr. Michael Sweeney, OP, we want to extend our thanks to the many benefactors who attended and supported our event. We are especially grateful to all who donated to the silent and live auctions, attended the dinner and generously bid on the wonderful items.
Lastly, thank you to our own Auction Committee: Event Chair and DSPT student, Debra Nichols and Committee members Eileen Bitten, Bill Comstock, Marilyn Knight and Ciel Mahoney. Thank you also to all our staff, who created such a successful afternoon, and to all our students, friends and supporters who helped to make this a memorable event. We sincerely hope to see you all again next year!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Advent Wreath and Pie Fundraiser
Christmas might seem a long way off, but you can begin to celebrate the season by supporting DSPT’s first Advent Wreath and Pie Fundraiser! DSPT will be offering fresh, handcrafted balsam fir wreaths and homemade pecan and apple pies baked by one of our very own DSPT students, Jamie Roberts. Take this opportunity to celebrate the Advent season with the fragrance and beauty of one of our wreaths or add to your family gathering with the delectable taste of a homemade pie! Advent wreaths and pies will also make fabulous gifts for family, neighbors, and friends.
Traditional balsam wreaths and balsam centerpiece wreaths are $35 each, while our homemade pies are $15 each. A percentage of the proceeds for each wreath and pie sold goes directly to support the educational programs offered at DSPT.
To order an Advent wreath or pie, simply e-mail your order to DSPT Advancement at advancement@dspt.edu. Be sure to include your name and complete address and telephone number, and then send your check for the total to DSPT Advancement, 2301 Vine Street, Berkeley, CA 94708. Orders will be accepted until Friday, November 14. The wreaths will be shipped directly to your home address. Pies will be available for pick-up at DSPT on December 3 and 4 between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m.
Spread the word! If you have family or friends who would be interested in an Advent wreath or a pie, tell them about this sale! For more information, contact Advancement at the e-mail address above, or call (510) 883-2085. Thank you again for your continued support!
Traditional balsam wreaths and balsam centerpiece wreaths are $35 each, while our homemade pies are $15 each. A percentage of the proceeds for each wreath and pie sold goes directly to support the educational programs offered at DSPT.
To order an Advent wreath or pie, simply e-mail your order to DSPT Advancement at advancement@dspt.edu. Be sure to include your name and complete address and telephone number, and then send your check for the total to DSPT Advancement, 2301 Vine Street, Berkeley, CA 94708. Orders will be accepted until Friday, November 14. The wreaths will be shipped directly to your home address. Pies will be available for pick-up at DSPT on December 3 and 4 between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m.
Spread the word! If you have family or friends who would be interested in an Advent wreath or a pie, tell them about this sale! For more information, contact Advancement at the e-mail address above, or call (510) 883-2085. Thank you again for your continued support!
New at DSPT: Heidi McKenna, Director of Communications
DSPT is proud to welcome Heidi McKenna as a part-time Director of Communications. She has 12 years of experience in Marketing and Communications, including product packaging, print production, audio and video production, web content management, on-location photography and more. Before her daughter was born in 2005 and her son in 2006, she worked for several years in catalogue production for Pottery Barn Kids and Restoration Hardware. Prior to that, she worked for Shaklee Corporation as an Account Manager on their nutritional and water and air purification products.
She came to know DSPT through Fr. Michael Sweeney, whom she met in 1993 through the RCIA program at Blessed Sacrament Church in Seattle while she was getting her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Washington. Heidi has been happy to jump right into all the projects at DSPT and join our staff!
She came to know DSPT through Fr. Michael Sweeney, whom she met in 1993 through the RCIA program at Blessed Sacrament Church in Seattle while she was getting her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Washington. Heidi has been happy to jump right into all the projects at DSPT and join our staff!
November 2008: Faculty and Alumni News
November promises to be a busy month as many of our faculty members attend the annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature. This year, our very own Barbara Green, OP will be delivering two papers at the Society of Biblical Literature meeting in Boston. The first, titled “Marriage Counseling in Jeremiah 2-9: Human and Divine Spouses, Prophetic Therapist, Reading Interns,” makes use of Bakhtinian dialogic and utterance strategies to explore new ways of understanding Jeremiah. The second, “Cognitive Linguistics and the Idolatry-Is-Adultery Metaphor,” will use the strategies of cognitive linguistics to discover fresh insights and suggest how this metaphor in biblical texts can be used to disclose valuable information about God and us.
Last month, Fr. Anselm Ramelow, OP gave a talk titled, “When Reason Seeks Understanding,” at a symposium on “Faith and Reason in Christianity and Islam” at the University of Washington in Seattle. His talk looked at what appears to be a rejection of classical models of rationality (from Christian theology and philosophy) by modern science, making it difficult for modern science to have a rational dialogue with the Muslim world. He further discussed how the rationality of modern science is rooted in late medieval nominalism and how, instead, classical Christian theology and philosophy, especially that of St. Thomas Aquinas, would be able to engage both the Muslim world and modern science.
Fr. Bryan Kromholtz, OP, who joined our Theology faculty this fall, just returned from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he successfully defended his doctoral dissertation, titled On the Last Day: The Time of the Resurrection of the Dead According to Thomas Aquinas. Fr. Bryan’s work shows how the promise of the resurrection in the Angelic Doctor’s work has important implications for our faith in Christ (who will raise us), for our life as a Church (which is the community with whom we will be raised) and our place in the cosmos (which will be renewed when we are raised). The dissertation was accepted with the distinction insigni cum laude. His committee included Fr. Richard Schenk, OP, who was invited to sit on the committee for his expertise in medieval and contemporary eschatology, and Fr. Michael Sherwin, OP, a former faculty member of DSPT.
DSPT alumna, Elissa McCormack, recently published an article titled “Inclusivism in the Fiction of C.S. Lewis: The Case of Emeth” in the Fall 2008 issue of Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture. Her article is inspired by the scene at the end of The Last Battle where Emeth, a Calormene who had always worshipped the god Tash, finds himself faced with Aslan in the New Narnia. The salvation granted to this character raises questions about C.S. Lewis’s beliefs surrounding the possibility of salvation in non-Christian religions. Her article examines this thread in C.S. Lewis’s fiction, including the Chronicles of Narnia, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and Till We Have Faces, concluding that, for Lewis, it is not holding a correct belief that is ultimately necessary for salvation, but rather committing your life to a constant and sincere search for Truth.
Last month, Fr. Anselm Ramelow, OP gave a talk titled, “When Reason Seeks Understanding,” at a symposium on “Faith and Reason in Christianity and Islam” at the University of Washington in Seattle. His talk looked at what appears to be a rejection of classical models of rationality (from Christian theology and philosophy) by modern science, making it difficult for modern science to have a rational dialogue with the Muslim world. He further discussed how the rationality of modern science is rooted in late medieval nominalism and how, instead, classical Christian theology and philosophy, especially that of St. Thomas Aquinas, would be able to engage both the Muslim world and modern science.
Fr. Bryan Kromholtz, OP, who joined our Theology faculty this fall, just returned from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he successfully defended his doctoral dissertation, titled On the Last Day: The Time of the Resurrection of the Dead According to Thomas Aquinas. Fr. Bryan’s work shows how the promise of the resurrection in the Angelic Doctor’s work has important implications for our faith in Christ (who will raise us), for our life as a Church (which is the community with whom we will be raised) and our place in the cosmos (which will be renewed when we are raised). The dissertation was accepted with the distinction insigni cum laude. His committee included Fr. Richard Schenk, OP, who was invited to sit on the committee for his expertise in medieval and contemporary eschatology, and Fr. Michael Sherwin, OP, a former faculty member of DSPT.
DSPT alumna, Elissa McCormack, recently published an article titled “Inclusivism in the Fiction of C.S. Lewis: The Case of Emeth” in the Fall 2008 issue of Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture. Her article is inspired by the scene at the end of The Last Battle where Emeth, a Calormene who had always worshipped the god Tash, finds himself faced with Aslan in the New Narnia. The salvation granted to this character raises questions about C.S. Lewis’s beliefs surrounding the possibility of salvation in non-Christian religions. Her article examines this thread in C.S. Lewis’s fiction, including the Chronicles of Narnia, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and Till We Have Faces, concluding that, for Lewis, it is not holding a correct belief that is ultimately necessary for salvation, but rather committing your life to a constant and sincere search for Truth.
Alumni Profile: Eiyad al-Kutubi
Recent DSPT graduate, Eiyad al-Kutubi (who goes by David) was a physician who found his real passion in philosophy. He is an active member of the Fatimyah Islamic Center in Hayward and frequently gives talks there for their Thursday night community gatherings. He came to DSPT because it gave him the opportunity to put Muslim and Christian philosophers in dialogue. His thesis, Mulla Sadra's Theory of Substantial Motion, discussed the theological implications of the theory of substantial motion for the idea of bodily resurrection. Mulla Sadra was a 15th-century Muslim philosopher who is popular for his works reviving ancient philosophy, similar to the work done by St. Thomas Aquinas. Currently, he is looking for a PhD program in philosophy that will allow him to continue to study the writings of Mulla Sadra. He reports:
DSPT offered me the opportunity to study classic and medieval philosophy, something that I could not find anywhere else in California. When Sr. Marianne Farina introduced me to the faculty and mission of DSPT, I realized that it was just what I was looking for. Having finished my Master’s, I am completely convinced that this was the right choice. The professors are open-minded, knowledgeable, and excel in their skill of articulating and communicating difficult questions in philosophy to their students. I hope to keep the good relationship that I have with DSPT for years to come.
DSPT offered me the opportunity to study classic and medieval philosophy, something that I could not find anywhere else in California. When Sr. Marianne Farina introduced me to the faculty and mission of DSPT, I realized that it was just what I was looking for. Having finished my Master’s, I am completely convinced that this was the right choice. The professors are open-minded, knowledgeable, and excel in their skill of articulating and communicating difficult questions in philosophy to their students. I hope to keep the good relationship that I have with DSPT for years to come.
November 2008: A Culture of Philanthropy
The Advantages of Making a Gift through your Will
A simple, effective, and flexible way to make a substantial gift to DSPT is to leave a bequest in your will. A bequest offers tax benefits for your estate and provides the satisfaction of knowing that you have invested in an institution you believe in.
Through a will bequest you may be able to make a larger gift than you could have afforded in your lifetime and you are not limited to gifts of cash. You can also leave stocks, bonds, art work, real estate, or other assets. In return, your estate will receive a tax receipt for the full value of your bequest. The receipt may also be carried back and claimed in the year prior to death.
Will bequests can be arranged in a variety of ways and can be drafted to reflect even the most specific wishes. We recommend that you seek advice from your lawyer and financial advisor to ensure that your gift meets your goals and provides the maximum benefits to both your beneficiaries and to DSPT.
Giving Cart
Did you know that you can support DSPT through your online purchases? Go to http://www.givingcart.com/ and select the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology as your cause when you do your shopping through this site.
A simple, effective, and flexible way to make a substantial gift to DSPT is to leave a bequest in your will. A bequest offers tax benefits for your estate and provides the satisfaction of knowing that you have invested in an institution you believe in.
Through a will bequest you may be able to make a larger gift than you could have afforded in your lifetime and you are not limited to gifts of cash. You can also leave stocks, bonds, art work, real estate, or other assets. In return, your estate will receive a tax receipt for the full value of your bequest. The receipt may also be carried back and claimed in the year prior to death.
Will bequests can be arranged in a variety of ways and can be drafted to reflect even the most specific wishes. We recommend that you seek advice from your lawyer and financial advisor to ensure that your gift meets your goals and provides the maximum benefits to both your beneficiaries and to DSPT.
Giving Cart
Did you know that you can support DSPT through your online purchases? Go to http://www.givingcart.com/ and select the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology as your cause when you do your shopping through this site.
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