The Rev. Jan Michael Joncas will speak on "Hymnody as Ecumenical Bridge" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, in Somers Lounge on The College of St. Scholastica campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.

'Hymnody' refers to the singing of hymns. Father Joncas composed "On Eagles' Wings," one of the most popular liturgical songs of recent decades.

He is an associate professor at the University of St. Thomas in the departments of Catholic Studies and Theology. He is also a regular visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame.

He has written 17 collections of liturgical music and is the author of several books, including "From Sacred Song to Ritual Music: Twentieth Century Understandings of Roman Catholic Worship Music." He has authored more than 100 journal articles published in, among others, Worship, Modern Liturgy, Pastoral Music, and Catholic International.

He has a master's degree in liturgical studies from the University of Notre Dame and advanced degrees from the Pontifical Liturgical Institute at the College of Saint Anselm in Rome. He was ordained a priest for the archdioceses of St. Paul/Minneapolis.

His talk is part of the "Here Comes Everybody" lecture series sponsored by the Braegelman Catholic Studies Program at St. Scholastica.

Additional lectures in this series:

"God's House Is Our House" by The Rev. Richard Vosko
6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21
Cathedral of Christ the King, Superior
Father Vosko is the author of "God's House Is Our House" and a liturgical design consultant who led the redesign of Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior, WI.

"Hymnody and Ecumenism" by Don E. Saliers, Ph.D.
7 p.m. Thursday, April 3
Somers Lounge
St. Scholastica campus
Saliers is the former William R. Cannon Distinguished Professor of Theology and Worship at Emory University. His is the coauthor of "A Song to Sing, A Life to Live" with daughter Emily Saliers, who is a member the folk-rock duo Indigo Girls.

"Is a Catholic College a Contradiction in Terms?" by Dennis O'Brien, Ph.D.,
7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8
Somers Lounge
St. Scholastica campus
O'Brien is the author of "The Idea of a Catholic University" and "All the Essential Half-Truths about Higher Education."

The Braegelman Catholic Studies Program at St. Scholastica explores the Catholic intellectual tradition with students and the larger community. "Here Comes Everybody" takes its name from author James Joyce, who offered the phrase in his definition of Catholicism. For more information contact The Rev. William Graham at (218) 723-6699 or wgraham@css.edu.