Garaventa Center: Center for Catholic Intellectual Life and American Culture
The Garaventa Center for Catholic Intellectual Life and American Culture was dedicated in June 2005 with a gift from the Garaventa family of Concord, California. The mission of the Center is rooted in the identity of the University as a Catholic, Holy Cross, and American institution of higher learning.
The Garaventa Center is a thriving enterprise on campus that brings people together around our mission as a Catholic university. Through lectures, conferences, symposiums, art exhibits, and concerts, the Center explores the Catholic intellectual tradition from an array of perspectives and disciplines.
Recent speakers and artists hosted on The Bluff by the Garaventa Center include:
- Helen Alvare, Vatican advisor
- Michael Behe and Jack Haught, Intelligent Design vs. Evolution dialogue
- Alice Cahana, Holocaust survivor and artist
- Timothy Carney, U.S. Ambassador
- Elias Chacour, Archbishop of Galilee
- Jim Towey, Director of White House Faith-based and Community Initiatives
- David Fagerberg, Iconographic scholar
- Jonathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace
- Antonin Scalia, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
The Garaventa Center has a strong interdisciplinary focus, which includes Fr. Jim Lies, C.S.C.'s role as advisor to students pursuing an academic minor in the Catholic Studies or Social Justice programs. These programs encourage students to deepen their understanding of Catholicism's rich and lively heritage while challenging them to understand and contribute to the transformative power of Catholic teaching.
Led by Fr. Jim Lies, C.S.C., Executive Director, and Jamie Powell, Director, the Garaventa Center strives to deepen the conversation on campus about what it means to be a Catholic in America. Your generous support will help fund our many endeavors in this regard. If you would like to make a gift to the Garaventa Center, please call (503) 943-7702 or email us at powell@up.edu.
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