Kalamazoo 2022: an Exciting Slate of Sessions!

We’re excited to confirm that the ACS will be sponsoring multiple events at this year's virtual International Congress on Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo. Sessions will include:

• Cusanus and Ecology (Monday, May 9, 3 p.m. EDT)

  • Sponsors: American Cusanus Society, Episcopus Society

  • Organizer: Christopher Bellitto (Kean)

  • Presider: Evan A. Gatti (Elon)

  • Christopher Bellitto, "Bishops & Cardinals vs. Papal Authority: a Cusan Approach"

  • Margaret Meserve (Notre Dame), "Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini on Cusanus' Church & Career"

  • Emily O'Brien (Simon Fraser), "Letters to Cusanus: Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini & the Forging of a Papal-Imperial Alliance"

• Eschatology in the Bohemian Long Reformation, 1400-1700 (Tuesday, May 10, 9 a.m. EDT)

  • Sponsors: American Cusanus Society, Filosoficky ùstav, Akademie ved České republiky

  • Organizer: Christopher Bellitto (Kean)

  • Presider: Wendy Love Anderson (Washington University in St. Louis)

  • Pavlína Cermanová (Czech Academy of Sciences), "Omnes erunt docibiles Dei: Unmediated Knowledge of God's Word in Hussite Radical Apocalypticism"

  • Lucie Storchova (Czech Academy of Sciences), "Adapting Wittenberg Eschatology & Chronology to a New Confessional Environment: the Case of the University of Prague after 1540"

  • Petr Pavlas (Czech Academy of Sciences), "Quod perficit, absolutum esse debet: the Eschatology of J.A. Comenius' Universal Reform"

• New Approaches to Mysticism & Materiality in Medieval Studies: a Panel Discussion (Wednesday, May 11, 7 p.m. EDT)

  • Sponsors: American Cusanus Society, Mystical Theology Network (University of Oxford)

  • Organizer: Christopher Bellitto (Kean)

  • Presider: Samuel Dubbelman (Boston University)

  • Discussants: Lydia Shahan (Harvard), Kerilyn Harkaway-Krieger (Gordon College), Sean Hannan (MacEwan University), & W. Ezekiel Goggin (Independent Scholar)

Related to that last session: I'm happy to report that the book Mysticism & Materialism in the Wake of German Idealism, which I co-authored alongside Dr. Goggin, has just been released by Routledge (and we're looking forward to discussing it at Kalamazoo!): https://www.routledge.com/Mysticism-and-Materialism-in-the-Wake-of-German-Idealism/Goggin-Hannan/p/book/9780367546137 

We'll also be holding a virtual business meeting during Kalamazoo. It will be held on Monday, May 9, at 7 p.m. EDT. At a later date, our President, Il Kim, will circulate a Zoom link to folks who are interested in participating, but who may not be registered for the Kalamazoo ICMS. 

Francis & Francis: Encountering Muslims, Past & Present

On Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021, the American Cusanus Society and the Lumen Christi Institute teamed up to host the third and last of our series on “Catholics & Muslims: History, Theology, Encounters.” Fr. Jason Welle, OFM, of the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Rome, presented an excellent webinar entitled “Francis & Francis: Encountering Muslims, Past & Present.” The webinar drew both on the thirteenth-century visit of Francis of Assisi to a Muslim sultan in Egypt and on Pope Francis’ recent call for fraternity between Christians & Muslims.

You can view Fr. Welle’s talk by watching the embedded video above or clicking on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGcnM6EQhNo

Mary & Muslims: Bridge or Barrier?

On Aug. 2021, the American Cusanus Society’s own Dr. Rita George-Tvrtković delivered a talk as part of our webinar series, “Catholics & Muslims: History, Theology, Encounters,” a product of our collaboration with the Lumen Christi Institute in Chicago. Dr. George-Tvrtković presented on the topic of “Mary & Muslims: Bridge or Barrier?” The webinar was enriched by the participation of Dr. Zeki Saritoprak of John Carroll University.

Those interested in checking out a recording of this webinar should click on the YouTube video above or on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l3fPzaDzvQ

Nicholas of Cusa & Qur’anic Exegesis

On July 21, 2021, the American Cusanus Society teamed up with the Lumen Christi Institute in Chicago to host the first instalment in a series called “Catholics & Muslims: History, Theology, Encounters.” Dr. Pim Valkenberg of the Catholic University of America spoke on the topic of “Nicholas of Cusa & Qur’anic Exegesis.” The talk itself was followed by a question period, which gave Dr. Valkenberg a chance to delve deeper into the relationship between Cusanus and the interpretation of the Qur’an.

You can watch the recording of Dr. Valkenberg’s webinar by clicking on the YouTube video above or using the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toydKDFggdc

A Successful Leeds in Collaboration with the Cusanus Society of the UK & Ireland

We’re happy to report that the 2021 International Medieval Congress, hosted virtually by the University of Leeds, was a smashing success. In collaboration with the fairly recently founded Cusanus Society of the UK & Ireland, we presented a session on ecclesiology, church reform, & inter-religious dialogue in Nicholas of Cusa. Thanks go out to Chris Bellitto for organizing the session, which also featured ACS members Joshua Hollmann & Rick Serina, alongside Louise Nelstrop as moderator.

If you’d like to learn more about the Cusanus Society of the UK & Ireland (with whom we look forward to collaborating more in the future), check out their website here: https://cusanussociety.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/

Catholics & Muslims: History, Theology, Encounter

We're proud to announce another series of virtual talks organized in collaboration with the Lumen Christi Institute. Catholics & Muslims: History, Theology, Encounters will commence on July 21 with Wilhelmus Valkenberg (Catholic University of America) on Nicholas of Cusa & the Qur'an.

On Aug. 18, our own Rita George-Tvrtković (Benedictine) will deliver a lecture entitled "Mary & Muslims: Bridge or Barrier?" Her respondent will be Zeki Saritoprak (John Carroll University).

On Sept. 8, the third event (on Francis of Assisi & Pope Francis) will be led by Jason Welle, OFM (Pontifical Institute of Arabic & Islamic Studies in Rome). All sessions will begin at 6 pm CDT. Thanks are due to the fine folks over at Lumen Christi for all the work they put into hosting such events!

All of the details can be found on the Lumen Christi site:

https://www.lumenchristi.org/news/2021/06/catholics-muslims-history-theology-encounters