"The Heavens Declare the Glory of God." Many of us enjoyed Br. Guy Consolmagno's inspiring presentation on the wonders of the cosmos and the importance of our diligent, scientific study of his handiwork. If you would like to make a donation to the Vatican Observatory Foundation, please do so here: https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/support
What a blessing to have a visit from Vatican Astronomer, Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J. on October 20th & 21st. On Sunday he spoke to parishioners, including Faith Formation students. On Monday he spoke again to parishioners and this time the Middle School students from Saint Paul Catholic School were able to attend.
From Catholic School kid to MIT to the Peace Corps to the Jesuits to the Vatican, Brother Guy has lived quite a life. He loved studying space and rocks (especially meteorites) as a kid and young adult. Eventually he felt guilty for entertaining those interests while others were starving. He joined the Peace Corps. Even in the Peace Corps he was assigned to teach at the best high schools in Kenya and then to study at the university. After the Peace Corps, he found the Jesuits who asked him if he had considered a vocation to the priesthood. He knew the priesthood was not for him, because he "was a nerd" and did not particularly want to listen to people's problems. He wanted to study! At the age of 40, he became a Brother with the Jesuits.
His life came full circle when the Jesuits "ordered" him to go to the Vatican observatory, live in a palace, and eat Italian food. His job is now to do the very things he loved to do as a kid and his job doesn't feel like work at all! He encouraged the children present to always look up at the sky, to be aware that the universe is bigger than them. He also encouraged them to pray! "God will give you hints," he said. "If God shows you that you're going in the wrong direction, turn around." Thank you Brother Guy!
Thank you to Hannah Castillo for photographing Brother Guy's talk on Sunday.
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