by Public Relations | January 10, 2022
LATROBE, PA – The Saint Vincent College chapter of the Society of Catholic Scientists (SCS) will be hosting a Gold Mass on Wednesday, January 26th, at 5:00 p.m. in the Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica.
The Gold Masses for Scientists that are sponsored by the SCS follow in the tradition of special Masses that are held for members of a given profession. The first and oldest of these Masses, having been introduced in the 13th century, is the Red Mass for Lawyers and Lawmakers. The tradition also includes White Masses for Healthcare Professionals and Blue Masses for Law Enforcement Personnel, both introduced in the 1930s.
According to its website, the SCS “hopes to create spiritual fellowship among Catholic scientists, science educators and science students at the local level.”
Saint Vincent’s chapter of the SCS was formed in the fall of 2020 by inaugural members Dr. Daniel Vanden Berk, SCS chapter president and associate professor of physics; Dr. John Smetanka, associate professor of physics; Dr. Stephen Jodis, Dean of the Boyer School; Dr. William Birmingham, professor and Chairperson of the Department of Computing & Information Systems; Rev. Shawn Anderson, O.S.B., associate professor of biology; Rev. Michael Antonacci, O.S.B., assistant professor of physics; and Br. Norman Hipps, professor of mathematics and former Saint Vincent College President. It hosted its first Gold Mass on April 28, 2021.
Fr. Lawrence Machia and Dr. Vanden Berk presented a paper at the SCS national conference in June of 2019 at the University of Notre Dame, entitled, “To Look to the Heavens: Galileo on the Potential of the Human Mind.”
A reception will be held following the mass in the Dupré Science Pavilion at 6:15, which will include a scholarly poster showcase and discussion presented by the Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing faculty and students. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to see shows in the Planetarium and demonstrations in the Human Anatomy Lab.
The mass and reception are open and free to the public. Those wishing to attend the mass and reception must RSVP no later than Jan. 19th and may do so by contacting Ms. Tammy Marsh either by phone at (724) 805-2631 or email at tammy.marsh@stvincent.edu.
As Saint Vincent continues to create a COVID-19 safe environment, the community is moving forward with a new initiative that ensures safety and fun for students, faculty and staff. Guests will be required to follow all COVID-19 mitigation strategies set forth in the Saint Vincent Health and Safety Plan while on campus. For the latest information about these protocols, please visit https://www.stvincent.edu/resources/covid-19-updates/index.html.
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PR2022-002
