For immediate release
Further information: contact Joseph Giomboni
Public Relations office, (570) 208-5957

Religion scholar, author, and Franciscan sister Ilia Delio of Villanova University will deliver the 2016 Feast of Saint Francis Lecture at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 10, in the Burke Auditorium at King’s College.  

In his recent encyclical “Laudato Si',” Pope Francis presents the earth as our home.  But are we at home in the cosmos?  In the free public lecture titled “Are We at Home in the Cosmos? A Franciscan View of Creation,” Delio explores this question by drawing from both religion and science and looking to the contributions of the innovative twentieth-century theologian and scientist Teilhard de Chardin.

Delio holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University, where she is a tenured full professor of theology with an emphasis on constructive systematic theology. She is the author of 17 books and lectures nationally and internationally in the area of science and religion, with particular interests in evolution, ecology and artificial intelligence.  

She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology from DeSales University, a master’s degree in biology at Seton Hall University, and a doctorate in pharmacology from Rutgers University–New Jersey Medical School. She later joined the Franciscan community and earned a master’s degree in theology and a doctorate in historical theology at Fordham University. 

Following graduation from Fordham, Delio taught science and religion at Trinity College in Connecticut and served as professor and chair of Spirituality Studies at Washington Theological Union, where she taught courses in the history of Christianity, Franciscan theology, and science and religion. She also was a Senior Research Fellow at Woodstock Theological Center and Director of Catholic Studies at Georgetown University. 

The Burke Auditorium is located in the William G. McGowan School of Business on North River Street. Parking will be available in on-campus lots. For more information, please contact Dr. Bernard Prusak, director, McGowan Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility, at 208-5900, ext. 5689.

Ilia Delio, O.S.F., Connelly Chair in Christian Theology, Villanova University