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Shannon Lecture Series opens with Paul Wadell, November 10

Published October 05, 2022

by Jillian Setek

"What kind of life is truly worth living? "Who should I be?" Paul Wadell, Ph.D., will discuss how to live vocationally along every step of a personal journey as the first speaker in Nazareth's 2022-23 Shannon Lecture Series on Thursday, November 10, at 7 p.m., in the Otto Shults Community Center Forum. It is free and open to the public. 

This year's theme, Fanning the Flame of Hope, challenges us to act boldly and confront tragedies such as poverty, religious violence, and political polarization so all can live with dignity. "To live vocationally is to see ourselves not as tourists or spectators idly taking in the sites as we pass through life, but as people who are called and gifted to transcend ourselves in love and service to others," said Wadell. "When we live vocationally, not only will we have richer and more genuinely fulfilling lives, but the world will be better because of us."

Wadell currently serves as a member of the advisory council for the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education, or NetVUE, a nationwide network of colleges and universities formed to enrich the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation among undergraduate students. This initiative is administered by the Council of Independent Colleges. He is the author of "An Itinerary of Hope: Called to a Magnanimous Way of Life" in At This Time and In This Place: Vocation and Higher Education (2015) for the NetVUE Scholarly Resources Project.

"At every stage of our journey, we are called," said Wadell. "We are called not just at moments of major decision or times of transition in our lives, but every day. From this perspective, a vocation is not something we have, but is a particularly hopeful way of understanding who we are and what we are about. Moreover, we have multiple callings in our lives, different kinds of callings and different levels of callings."

The Shannon Lecture Series features speakers who draw on the Catholic intellectual tradition to engage the urgent issues of our day and identify thoughtful, creative responses for the well-being of all peoples and the earth.

See the full schedule of upcoming speakers and to learn more about the Shannon Lecture Series.

For More Information

Julie Long | Senior News & PR Officer | jlong2@naz.edu | (585) 389-2456 | (585) 781-8186 (cell)

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