Record Staff Report
Bellarmine University will host a series of free, public events this fall to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s publication of his 95 Theses.
The series will begin with an ecumenical worship service at Bellarmine’s Our Lady of the Woods Chapel Oct. 29 at 3 p.m.
“The 95 Theses of Martin Luther were a critical event in the history of Christianity,” said Dr. Bill Fenton, dean of Bellarmine’s College of Arts and Sciences. “Consistent with the mission of Bellarmine University is to promote ‘thoughtful, informed consideration of serious ideas, values and issues,’ the 500th anniversary of this event provides a worthy opportunity for reflection through the lenses of worship, history, theology, music and art.”
Luther’s 95 Theses — a list of questions and propositions — was published in an “attempt to spark debate among scholars of the time regarding the Catholic Church’s theology of indulgences and, ultimately, the authority of the papacy,” according to a news release from the university.
Luther’s publication was instrumental in the start of the Protestant Reformation, “ultimately shaping the course of Western Christianity,” the release said.
The series will continue on Nov. 2 with a concert held at 7 p.m. in the Wyatt Center’s Cralle Theater. The performance will include Bellarmine choirs and the Louisville Civic Orchestra.
On Nov. 9, there will be a lecture on the current relations between Lutherans and Catholics, delivered by ecumenical scholar Dr. Kathryn Johnson. The lecture will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the George G. Brown Center’s Frazier Hall.
The closing event will be an art show, opening at Bellarmine’s McGrath Gallery in the Wyatt Center on Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. and continuing through Nov. 30.
