Annual Theology Lecture Set for April 15

On Tuesday, April 15, Clarke University will welcome theologian Dr. Matthew A. Shadle to campus to discuss the Synod on Synodality in the Catholic Church for this year’s Frederic and Emma Schemmel Lecture in Theology. The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in Jansen Music Hall and is free and open to the public.

From 2021 to 2024, Catholics worldwide engaged in a “synodal” process of listening, dialogue, and prayer across all levels of the church, according to Associate Professor of Religious Studies Bill Gregory. From these sessions, the church sought to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to it at present to help it better fulfill its mission to the world. Through his presentation, “The Future of the Synodal Church in the U.S.,” Shadle will expand on the importance of the recent Synod, its reception in the U.S. church, and its potential to inform social and political life.

Shadle is a prolific author and educator who has published extensively on Catholic social teaching and fundamental moral theology, especially on the topics of war and peace, the economy, and immigration. Currently, Shadle is Academic Assessment Coordinator for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa, and editor of the Window Light newsletter on Catholic theology and ministry.

The Frederic and Emma Schemmel Lecture in Theology was established by a generous gift from Clarke alumnae Dr. Rachel Schemmel ’51 in memory of her parents. After her time at Clarke, Schemmel had a successful career spanning nearly five decades as a professor of food science and nutrition at Michigan State University.