Speaker Series
Tuesday, May 7
7:00pm in the O'Gara Center
Adult Beverages Will Be Served
Topic:
The Eucharist
Abbot Austin G. Murphy, OSB
About the Topic
Drawing on research into covenant renewal ceremonies in the Ancient Near East, Abbot Austin will note how the elements in these ceremonies are fulfilled in an extraordinary way in the Mass and he will explain how the Eucharist thus provides us with a model for how to live our lives as Christians.
Here are suggested readings from Scripture in preparation for the discussion:
Romans 2:12-16
Romans 12:1-2
Hebrews 9:23-10:10
Optional Readings
Scott Hahn, Letter and Spirit (Doubleday Books, 2005), chap. 4: "Covenant: The Bond of Unity" (the whole chapter is worth reading, but simply reading the opening section can help).
St. Augustine, City of God, bk. 10, chaps. 3-6 (these chapters, which are more like sections, discuss what kind of sacrifice or worship is owed to God; a free, online translation may be found here, although it is an older English that can be a little hard for us to read)
About the Speaker
Abbot Austin G. Murphy, OSB, is the 10th abbot of St. Procopius Abbey. He was born in Huntington, NY, in 1974 and attended the University of Chicago, receiving a BA in Economics in 1995. Soon after graduating, he came into contact with St. Procopius Abbey and, feeling called to the monastic life there, applied and entered. His jobs before becoming abbot have included teaching math and religion as well as being campus minister at the abbey's high school, Benet Academy. He studied for the priesthood at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, receiving his MA in Theology in 2003 and his MDiv and STB from there in 2004. In 2006, he began doctoral studies at the University of Notre Dame, working in the area of patristics, especially St. Augustine's thought. On June 16, 2016 Abbot Austin successfully defended his dissertation. He was elected abbot on June 24, 2010.