Events

Dolle Lecture on Church Art and Architecture

The annual Dolle Lecture on Church Art and Architecture will be held at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, St. Meinrad, IN, on Thursday, September 19, 2024.

Fr. Harry Hagan, OSB, a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, will speak on “The Art and Architecture of the Councils of Trent and Vatican II.” The lecture will be held at 7 p.m. Central Time in St. Bede Theater on the Saint Meinrad campus.

The lecture will explore the ways that these two councils have provided the basis for the development of art and architecture. The Council of Trent gave birth to the Counter-Reformation with its great artists Caravaggio and Bernini among others. Vatican II has brought a change to church buildings and a challenge to find new ways to express the enduring belief of the Church.

Fr. Harry, of Bardstown, KY, made his profession of vows at Saint Meinrad on August 24, 1972, and was ordained a priest on September 20, 1986. He has a bachelor’s degree in English from Saint Meinrad College, a Master of Divinity from Saint Meinrad School of Theology, a Master of Arts in religious studies from Indiana University, and a doctorate in sacred Scripture from Pontifical Biblical Institute.

Fr. Harry joined the faculty of Saint Meinrad School of Theology in 1979, where he has served as associate dean of students, dean of students, and provost-vice rector. He was a member of the Renovation Committee of the Archabbey Church (1993-1997) and maintains an interest in church architecture. He also served as novice and junior master in the monastery. Fr. Harry currently is an associate professor of Scripture in the Seminary and School of Theology and a spiritual director.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Parking is available behind St. Bede Hall as well as in the Guest House and student parking lots. For more information, contact Krista Hall during business hours at (812) 357-6501.

The Peter and Viola Dolle Lecture on Church Art and Architecture was established by Saint Meinrad alumnus Adam Dolle to commemorate the lives of his parents. They spent 48 years together until Peter’s death in 1982. Peter was a master builder, while Viola embodied a spontaneous spirit that is the life of art.