Mount Mercy University Philosophy

09/25/2026

Yesterday at the Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri, Archbishop Fulton Sheen was beatified, being elevated from Venerable to Blessed. Professor Cross was in attendance with his family.

Prior to his television and media activities, Blessed Fulton Sheen was an academic. After completing seminary at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, he did graduate work at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., and then for five years studied philosophy at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, where he received his Ph.D. in philosophy. Subsequently he returned to the Catholic University of America and taught there for 23 years. Among his academic books published during this time are the following:

The Spirit of Contemporary Philosophy and the Finite God (1923)
God and Intelligence in Modern Philosophy: A Critical Study in the Light of the Philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas (1925)
Religion Without God (1928)
Old Errors and New Labels (1931)
The Philosophy of Science (1934)
The Mystical Body of Christ (1935)

That first (The Spirit of Contemporary Philosophy and the Finite God) was his doctoral dissertation, which he completed at the age of 28. Blessed Sheen's effectiveness as an evangelist was due in no small part to his philosophical training, because right reason "develops the science of divine things." (Dei Filius)

At his beatification yesterday, his jawbone was displayed as a major relic. (See the attached photograph.) Of course it was his jaw bone, because by means of this bone in particular he reached millions with the truth. Blessed Fulton J. Sheen, pray for us.

09/15/2026

This film will be shone in the Cedar Rapids area once on Sunday, Sept. 20, and twice on Wednesday, Sept. 23. If you're a MMU student and would like to attend with a group of students, please let Prof. Cross know your interest and availability.
https://www.marcustheatres.com/movies/heaven-in-stone-and-glass-HO00007773?theatre=cedar-rapids-cinema

09/03/2026

MMU and SAU students are invited to join us on our annual trip to the De Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture's fall conference at the University of Notre Dame from October 1-3. The theme of this year's conference is wisdom, and the conference title is "But Where Can She Be Found? Wisdom from Age to Age." We've been bringing students to this conference since 2018. The cost is $75 per student for registration. Students will need to purchase their own lunches and dinners on or near the UND campus. We will be providing and covering the costs of transportation, accommodations, and conference breakfasts for all attending students. We do have limited scholarship funds available for students with financial needs. Seats are limited and fill up quickly, so if you want to reserve a seat, please let Prof. Cross [[email protected]] know as soon as possible, and no later than Thursday, September 17.
https://ethicscenter.nd.edu/programs/fall-conference/fc26/

07/13/2026

On Saturday, July 11, Prof. Cross and two MMU students traveled to St. Raphael's Cathedral in Dubuque to attend a lecture by former MMU philosophy student Sean Pilcher on the subject of St. Cessian: a second century boy martyr who is also the patron saint of Iowa. We learned many things about relics in general as well as the history of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. We learned that the sealed box given to Bishop Loras in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI containing the bones of St. Cessian had never been opened until just last year -- 188 years! After the lecture, we took some time to pray and venerate the relics of St. Cessian before getting lunch and returning to MMU.

07/09/2026

We're looking for someone to teach in-person intro-level philosophy courses this fall. The ideal candidate will be well-grounded in the history of philosophy and be able to teach the Catholic Philosophical Tradition.

https://stambroseuniv.applicantlist.com/jobs/1314265

06/13/2026

Professors Cross and Carlin at the Sacra Doctrina conference at the Augustine Institute in St. Louis, Missouri.

https://www.sacradoctrinaproject.org/conference

06/03/2026

The ultimate destination of all philosophical and theological inquiry, is the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the source of all love, truth, goodness, mercy, and wisdom. Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us, fill our hearts with your love, enlighten our minds with your light, fill our lives with your Life.

The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

05/18/2026

At our Honors Convocation on May 15, philosophy and theology double major Brian McGrane received four awards. From Professor Cross he received the Sister Monica Ryan Award for Excellence in Philosophy. The name of the recipient of this award is engraved on a plaque that hangs in the hall outside Sr. Monica Ryan's former office on the fourth floor of Warde Hall. From Professor Carlin Brian received the Sister Siena Davis Theology Award. From Professor Gerry Kreitzer he received the Outstanding Music Student Award. And from President Todd Olson he received the President's Award. Congratulations Brian!

https://www.mtmercy.edu/news-events/news/2026/05/presidents-award

05/07/2026

Brian McGrane is a graduating Mount Mercy senior, and double major in Philosophy and Theology. Tonight he successfully defended his Philosophy thesis titled "MacIntyrean Insights for Higher Education." His research examined how an ethics education based on each of the three rival versions of moral inquiry would intellectually and morally form students studying ethics, and how these implications help us evaluate each of these three paradigms.

04/17/2026

On Thursday, April 16, six Mount Mercy University students, and Profs. Carlin and Cross, attended Dr. Tim Pawl's illuminating lecture on "The Seven Deadly Sins" at Iowa State University. Afterward we got a photograph with him (second from right).

https://thomisticinstitute.org/events/seven-deadly-sins-pawl-isu