Mount Marty University to host seventh annual Aquinas Lecture

Mount Marty University's seventh annual Aquinas Lecture will be held at the Cathedral of St. Joseph Parish Hall in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Tuesday, March 24, at 7 p.m., with a reception to follow. 

The Aquinas Lecture is an annual event hosted by Mount Marty University and the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls. The event was created to help deepen conversation in the diocese and region on topics related to Catholic intellectual life.

This year's keynote speaker is Kevin Gary. Gary has a master’s degree in systematic theology from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Loyola University Chicago. He spent 10 years teaching in the high school setting before receiving his doctorate in philosophy of education from Loyola University Chicago and becoming a professor. Gary currently works at Hillsdale College, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in philosophy of education, the history of liberal education, and logic and rhetoric. Prior to working at Hillsdale, Gary taught classes at Valparaiso University in education, theology, the freshman Core program, and in Christ College Honors College.

Gary’s presentation is titled, “Boredom and the Quest for the Good Life.” He will be examining the problem of boredom avoidance, the harms it causes and how to overcome it. “Boredom avoidance is a pervasive and chronic feature of modern life,” Gary said. “The problem is that in avoiding boredom, we easily lose sight of and miss out on restorative forms of leisure. I hope attendees gain a clearer sense of how easily we are drawn into boredom avoidance strategies that undermine human flourishing. This talk will provide directives for how to pursue meaningful and restorative forms of leisure.”

Joe Rutten, director of the Benedictine Leadership Institute, said, “I'm excited to hear Dr. Gary as he gives the seventh annual Aquinas Lecture. The topic is accessible to everyone. Being bored is part of being human. The choice we have to make is what to do with boredom. Is it a problem to be avoided or an opportunity to be taken advantage of? I think boredom is like a rabbit hole I need to enter to discover the secrets to the good life. The real adventure is found in the everyday activities of life, and oftentimes being bored is the pathway to discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary. 

“Everyone should attend the Aquinas Lecture because it's a one-of-a-kind event in the state. It is the only lecture in the area that explores the human journey of the mind to God through the Catholic intellectual tradition and, in this case, the journey of the human mind to God might just take us through the rabbit hole of boredom — but we will have to wait until Kevin lets us know where the rabbit hole of boredom might lead us.”

Doors to the event open at 6:30 p.m. To attend the Aquinas Lecture, register here.

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About Mount Marty University

Founded in 1936 by the Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery, Mount Marty University is South Dakota's only Catholic, Benedictine institution of higher education. Located along the bluffs of the Missouri River in Yankton, with additional locations in Watertown and Sioux Falls, Mount Marty offers undergraduate and graduate degrees focusing on student and alumni success in high-demand fields such as health sciences, education, criminal justice, business, accounting, recreation management, and more. A community of learners in the Benedictine tradition, Mount Marty emphasizes academic excellence and develops well-rounded students with intellectual competence, professional and personal skills and moral, spiritual and social values. To learn more, visit mountmarty.edu.