2013 Distinguished Faculty Lecture
Given by William Short, OFM, Franciscan School of Theology
Christopher Ocker, San Francisco Theological Seminary, respondent
Tuesday, November 5, 7:00 pm,
Chapel of the Great Commission, Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Avenue, Berkeley
Franciscans arrived in medieval Paris (1219) and, despite dramatic conflicts, made significant contributions at the University there, moving from philosophy to theology. Cisneros, the Franciscan founder of Alcala (1499), reimagined the University through the study of languages to theology, a preparation that helped Franciscans in founding the College of Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco in Mexico (1533).
These changes can serve as a metaphor for the changing face of theological education today, in California and around the world. The 2014 move of the Franciscan School of Theology from the GTU in Berkeley to affiliation with the University of San Diego serves as the occasion for exploring this topic in the GTU Distinguished Faculty Lecture this year.