Nesti Center for Faith & Culture - University of St. Thomas

09/01/2026

Applications for Spring 2027 are open! Is this the sign you've been waiting for?

08/24/2026

Welcome back to class, Nesti Center students!

We opened the academic year with our annual MAFC retreat and record attendance (40+ students and alum)--a wonderful day of community, prayer and inspiration!

08/20/2026

08/17/2026

Nesti Center students in our Catholic Women's and Gender Studies program attended their first remote annual formation gathering last week to kick off the new school year!

As they enjoyed personalized care packages, students introduced themselves, connected with their WGS faculty members and reflected on a reading from French philosopher and mystic Simone Weil, who reminds us that the sustained attention we develop in study sharpens our capacity for contemplation of God and love of neighbor.

We wish them a marvelous 2026-27 school year!

08/12/2026

❓What does one "do" with a Master's in Faith & Culture? It's a question we often hear.

One answer: Many MAFC students are already in parish ministry, looking to supplement their catechetical training with more in-depth spiritual and theological formation, social-science insights, and real-world pastoral application that takes account of ideological trends in the dominant American culture.

MAFC student Kelsey Pena, for example, is the new Associate Director of Adult Formation at St Laurence Catholic Church in Sugarland; check out the podcast she was featured on this week with Fr. Reginald Samuels (link in comments!)

08/11/2026

Our courses are fantastic. Apply to a Nesti Center program today!

, Leah A. Jacobson, MA, IBCLC - Wholistic Feminism

08/06/2026

It's a wrap: Fall admissions for our M.A. in Faith & Culture have closed, and we're thrilled (as usual) with our incoming cohort of MAFC students!

Next deadline: December 1, '26. Inquire today at [email protected]!


of St. Thomas

07/11/2026

Ciao, Roma! ✈️

Today we’re headed home by various routes from our study abroad and already missing the camaraderie and history, the cobblestones and impromptu pizza parties (less so a dearth of AC!) 🍹

Thanks for following our journey here over the last three weeks (or scroll back through our feed to see it)!

If this has whetted your appetite for Faith & Culture, reach out to [email protected] to learn more about our programming. 🎓

We’d love to meet you!

07/10/2026

Rome Final Class: Religious Fundamentalism and Ecumenical sharing!

👋Our time together has come to a close and our final lecture today was followed by open sharing and common prayer.

Our UST group is saying goodbye to new Catholic, Anglican, Muslim, Baptist and non-denominational friends from Ireland, Australia, New York, Hawaii, Connecticut and Rome.

We leave profoundly enriched by and grateful for our last three weeks together, having been stretched to encounter many new insights and people, and praying with Christ that ‘all may be one,’ in His time and way.

🔥“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1

07/09/2026

Rome Lectures Day 17: Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism

“Diversity is not a threat…it does not mean we compromise our faith.”🔥

🕉️ ☸️ 🪯

Today, Monsignor Michael Santiago from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue is helping orient us in ancient Eastern religions and philosophies, discussing the troubling rise of Hindu fundamentalism, and encouraging the discovery of how much we share with non-Christian seekers despite our real differences.

Living in Varanasi, the “spiritual capital of India,” Santiago said his Christianity and priesthood have been sharpened and deepened by the example of other devout believers.

✝️

Christianity arrived in India in 52 A.D. with St. Thomas the Apostle (“doubting Thomas”) who was martyred there in 72 A.D.

Tolerated for many centuries, Indian Christianity became inextricably associated with colonialism (French, Portuguese, Dutch and British), and increasingly targeted as a nefarious foreign influence.