On Nov. 15, a Gold Mass was celebrated in the Basilica of the University of Notre Dame followed by a lecture by Prof. Jonathan Lunine of Cornell University (pictured left above), who is Vice President of the Society of Catholic Scientists. Notre Dame plans to make the Gold Mass and an associated lecture an important annual event.  This year over 250 people attended the mass and the lecture.  Prof. Lunine’s lecture was enitled “Lemaitre, Modern Cosmology, and the Question of the Compatibility of Science and Faith.” For a detailed account of both events, with photographs, and a video of Prof. Lunine’s talk, click HERE. Fr. Georges Lemaitre (pictured right above) was a theoretical physicist and Catholic priest who proposed what is now called the Big Bang Theory of cosmology.      

There was one Gold Mass in 2016 (at MIT). In 2017, seven Gold Masses were celebrated. They were held at MIT, University of Notre Dame, Catholic University of America, Providence College, Texas A&M University, the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley, and the University of British Columbia. All were well attended.  For general information about Gold Masses see this page.