>>> DAY ONE / Opening Remarks & Presentations
Welcome and Introductions [VIDEO (19 minutes)]
Jim Ennis is the executive director of Catholic Rural Life, based in St. Paul, Minn. In addition, he is currently the president of the International Catholic Rural Association, which is based in Rome, Italy. Ennis facilitated this initial Symposium and will manage the proceedings of the Faith, Food and Environment program over the next year, including a second symposium to be held in Milan, Italy, in mid-2015.
Welcome from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace [VIDEO (18 mins)]
Rev. Michael Czerny, SJ is the Chief of Staff to the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. He is introduced by Bishop Paul Etienne, Diocese of Cheyenne, and current president of Catholic Rural Life.
Opening Remarks by Sen. Amy Klobuchar [VIDEO (19 Mins)]
In 2006, Amy Klobuchar became the first woman to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate. She has assumed leadership on a number of policy issues, from antitrust and competition policy to export and commerce standard. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Sen. Klobuchar worked closely with Minnesota farmers during the 2008 and 2014 reauthorizations of the Farm Bill. Her remarks highlight critical policy concerns; she is introduced by Doug Peterson, current president of the Minnesota Farmers Union and one of the hosts of the Symposium.
1st Presentation: The Question of Work in Human Ecology [VIDEO (29 mins)]
Dr. Michael Naughton is the director of The Center for Catholic Studies at the University of Sat. Thomas. In partnership with the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, he led the development of The Vocation of the Business Leader, a resource that provides practical guidance informed by Catholic social teaching to those in the business world. Dr. Naughton is the director of John A. Ryan Institute for Catholic Social Thought, and also currently serves as the interim director of the Center for Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas.
2nd Presentation: The Person in Human Ecology [AUDIO (29 mins)]
Dr. Christopher Thompson is the Director of Theological Formation at Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. Since 2006, he has served as the academic dean of the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity, where he also teaches moral theology. An expert in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, Dr. Thompson has also written extensively on the connection between Catholic moral teaching and care for the environment. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Chapelstone Foundation, an organization that promotes the concept of “Green Thomism,” and is also a board member of Catholic Rural Life and the International Catholic Rural Association.
Public Lecture: Faith and the Call for a Human Ecology (VIDEO 1 hr, 20 mins)
Rev. Michael Czerny, SJ is the Chief of Staff to the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. His remarks reflect the thinking of Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice & Peace, and one of the Vatican’s most influential leaders. Cardinal Turkson is globally regarded as an authority on the ethics of ecology and is currently drafting Pope Francis’s forthcoming encyclical on the environment, expected to be published in early 2015.
>>> DAY TWO / Food Supply; Culture & Agriculture; Care of the Environment
3rd Presentation: Providing a Sustainable Food Supply [AUDIO (26 mins)]
Dr. Fred. Kirschenmann is a long-time national leader in sustainable agriculture. He is currently a distinguished fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, where he also teaches in the Department of Religion and Philosophy. Additionally, he oversees the management of his family’s 1,800-acre farm in North Dakota, which was converted into a certified organic operation in 1976.
4th Presentation: Culture and Agriculture: A Dakota Perspective [AUDIO (23 mins)]
Dr. Clifford Canku, retired professor of Dakota Studies, North Dakota State University, is a revered elder of the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota Oyate. Dr. Canku, whose first language is Dakota, is an expert on Dakota history, culture, and language instruction. Most notably, he was one of three academics who translated the letters of Dakota prisoners of war during the 1862 Dakota Conflict.
Response: Culture and Agriculture: A Cross-Cultural Response [AUDIO (9 mins)]
Dr. Craig A. Hassel is an associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. He explores issues of food and health with cultural communities that hold knowledge that does not correspond to Western science perspectives. Dr. Hassel’s work aims to create models of cross-cultural engagement that reform scientific inquiry to be more respectful of diverse ways of knowing. Additionally, Dr. Hassel is an extension nutritionist, and works closely with Native American communities in Minnesota to develop and implement culturally-based food and nutrition programs.
5th Presentation: An Environmental Ethos: Teachings from Scriptures [AUDIO (28 mins)]
Dr. Calvin DeWitt, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, is an expert on faith-based environmental stewardship. He has been a professor at the University of Wisconsin’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies for over four decades. Dr. DeWitt’s early work focused on the stewardship and care of wetland ecologies. An Evangelical Christian, Dr. DeWitt is also a leader among faith-based coalitions that aim to connect Christian theology and ethics with environmental stewardship.
Response: Environmental Ethics – A response to Dr. DeWitt [AUDIO (12 mins)]
Dr. Mark Neuzil, Director of Office of Mission, University of St. Thomas, also has fifteen years of journalism experience with organizations such as the Star Tribune and the Associated Press. During his time as a reporter, Dr. Neuzil developed a specialty for covering environmental subjects. This interest has carried over to his academic career; among his published works are Mass Media and Environmental Conflict: America’s Green Crusades and The Environment and the Press: From Adventure Writing to Advocacy.
>>> DAY THREE / Reflections & Closing Remarks
On the third and final day of the symposium, participants presented their reactions and reflections, addressing the highlights as well as what they felt was missing or required more attention.
This morning session began with expressions of gratitude from the hosts. Then in due respect to the international observers from Uganda, the Philippines and France, they were invited to offer their reflections. Click here for the Transcript.
The middle part is a series of remarks and constructive comments from 21 participants. Click here for the Transcript.
The last 20 minutes cover final words from Symposium presiders, followed by closing reflections from two bishops. Click here for the Transcript.
VIDEO (2 hrs, 35 mins)