Holy Humans - a Lenten Series

Wednesdays, February 22 - March 29
5:00 pm | Chapel Library
If you’ve ever questioned whether holiness is attainable in our complicated modern world, let your mind be at ease knowing that we’ve come a long way in the last several centuries. How have these blessed men and women evolved and where are we going in sainthood?  Join us for a different speaker each week!

February 22

Ash Wednesday with Dr. Thomas Donlan, Brophy College Preparatory
The Holy Independence of Francis de Sales
Dr. Thomas Donlan will explore saints within Catholic tradition and, in particular, St. Francis de Sales. Pope Alexander VII’s canonization of de Sales in 1665 defined the priest’s holiness largely in terms of his opposition to Calvinism. This presentation will consider the evolution of de Sales’s spirituality and argue for an alternative interpretation of his sanctity.

Dr. Thomas Donlan teaches History of Catholicism at Brophy College Prep High School in Phoenix. He earned an MA in Religious Studies from Yale Divinity School and a PhD in European History from the University of Arizona. He specializes in the study of Francis de Sales and French Catholicism and in 2018 the Centre for French History and Culture at St Andrews University in Scotland published his The Reform of Zeal: François de Sales and Militant French Catholicism.

March 1

with Dr. Elizabeth Ursic, Mesa Community College
Holy Women Through the Ages
Join us for an informative evening about holy women through the ages. Some of the women were famous in their day, others became famous later, and still others continue to be less well-known. All of these women courageously transformed society through their gifts, wisdom and faith!

Dr. Elizabeth Ursic is Co-Chair of the Women’s Caucus at the American Academy of Religion. She holds a PhD in Religious Studies from Arizona State University, an MDiv from Yale Divinity School, and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. Her book, Women, Ritual, and Power: Placing Female Imagery of God in Christian Worship was published with SUNY Press in 2014, and her music has been heard on over one hundred radio stations and streaming platforms. Locally, she is a professor of World Religions at Mesa Community College and is a spiritual director at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale.

March 8

with Dr. Michael Hegeman
Saints Who Caused Scandals
Sometimes the people of God do outrageous things challenging the status quo, bucking social norms and even causing uproar in the church itself.  These men and women abandoned it all for the sake of the call.  Join us to learn and become inspired by this grace-filled ruthlessness.

Rev. Michael Hegeman holds a PhD in Homiletics (Preaching) and New Testament from Princeton Seminary where he taught speech, preaching and liturgy. An Arizona resident since 1978, Michael graduated from Grand Canyon University with a degree in Music Education. He taught at the First Presbyterian Academy, formerly housed in the Historic First Presbyterian Church (Phoenix), where he also served as an elder. Michael teaches courses in Spiritual Studies and frequently lectures on diverse topics dealing with faith and religion around Phoenix. In addition to his theological background, Mike is an active musician and composer.

March 15

with Dr. Lorraine Brugh, Valparaiso University - Senior Research Professor of Music
WWCD ~ What Would Calvin Do?
This session will first consider John Calvin's ideas about saints. As the primary Reformation theologian who shaped what we know today as Presbyterian theology, we may find some surprising proposals among his writings. We will turn to two 20th-century saints whom the ecumenical church currently recognizes. We will look at the official process of sainthood as the Roman Catholic church still practices, through the canonization of Archbishop Oscar Romero in 2018.  Broadening to the Protestant church we will look at the example of Harriett Tubman, whose commemoration day is March 10. Finally, we will consider the saints in our own lives who have guided us on our spiritual journey.

Lorraine S. Brugh is Senior Research Professor of Music at Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana. She is a past president of Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and a charter member. From 2021-2022 Dr. Brugh served as Artist in Residence at Pinnacle Presbyterian Church in Scottsdale, Arizona. She served as a reviewer and wrote short descriptions of hymns for the hymnal supplement from Augsburg Fortress, All Creation Sings, published in November 2020. On the occasion of a festschrift in honor of Gabe Huck, she contributed a chapter, “Where Do We Go from Here?” The book, Fully Conscious, Fully Active: Essays in Honor of Gabe Huck was published by Liturgy Training Publications in 2019. She is a member of the North Academy of Liturgy, the American Guild of Organists, and currently resides in Peoria, Arizona.

March 22

with Rev. Margo Walter, Spiritual Director
Spiritual Disciplines of Holiness
Are Holy Humans spiritual Olympians that have summited St. Everest, a goal unattainable for you and me? Are “Holy” and “Humans” mutually exclusive terms? How in the world can we be holy and what in the world does God want from us? Come discuss the spiritual discipline of holiness, and how we can be inspired by examples of Holy Heroes while cultivating God’s gift of the Holy Spirit within ourselves.

Rev. Margo Walter enjoys serving God and community in many ways, including as ordained pastor, hospice chaplain, certified spiritual director, and wife-mother-grandmother-friend (not to mention civil engineer, state prayer leader, Sunday school teacher, dog-mom and more). Her desire to do justice and to be blessed is the common thread. She is a child of the Deep South, who raised a family and built a community in the Northeast, and now has moved to the Southwest with spouse Frank. She is excited by what God and community can accomplish together. She has come to love the questions more than theanswers, and so she continues a hopeful, contemplative, prayerful walk.

March 29

with Dr. Wes Avram
Ordinary People
Join Dr. Wes Avram as he discusses the spiritual longings of ordinary people that have shaped the most progressive political, cultural and spiritual movements. Their thoughts and actions have foregrounded these individuals as “holy humans” up against the background of obscurity. 

Rev. Wesley Avram, PhD, has served as the Pastor of Pinnacle Presbyterian since 2009. He has served in this role in Presbyterian congregations in Bryn Mawr, Penn., and Wilmette, Ill., as College Chaplain at Bates College, in the Clement–Muehl Chair of Communication at Yale Divinity School and as Assistant Professor in Yale’s Institute for Sacred Music. He has degrees from Northwestern University and Princeton Seminary, and is the author of Where the Light Shines Through: Discerning God in Everyday Life (Brazos, 2005) and Anxious About Empire (Brazos, 2004). While not leading this work, Wes enjoys opportunities to travel.