Where
the best of Catholic culture may be found
By NADIA POZO
CS&T Staff Writer
If you’re looking for an authentic Catholic cultural experience,
visiting the International Institute for Culture (IIC) is a must.
What will you find? Opportunities to attend international conferences
on philosophy, theology and culture; take part in language and cultural
programs; listen to lectures and educational seminars, and enjoy art exhibits
and musical performances, all reflecting the rich cultural heritage of
the Catholic Church.
The IIC, a nonprofit, educational and research center on Lancaster Avenue
in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia, was founded in 1989 by John
Haas in response to Pope John Paul II’s call for the re-evangelization
of culture.
Its purpose is to study the ways in which Catholicism has shaped various
cultures in the past and present, in order to discover how the faith preserved
and elevated what was good and noble, and rejected what debased the human
spirit.
“Culture is a universal search for truth, embodied in certain forms
and passed down in particular traditions,” said Michael Wallacavage,
the former program director of the IIC.
Two of those traditions that will be celebrated at the IIC this month
are the annual Ockoberfest and a lecture on Pope John Paul II’s
theology of the body.
Ockoberfests are a German Catholic tradition that celebrates life, family
and God’s blessings.
The tradition began at the royal wedding celebration of King Ludwig I
and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen in 1810. It is continued
today with the same spirit of celebration and thanksgiving. But you
don’t have to be German to celebrate.
The IIC’s Ockoberfest, in it’s 5th year running, is an evening
of delectable German cuisine, featuring a pig roast, imported German beer,
and German Catholic music, dancing and polka lessons.
“You don’t enter faith in abstraction,” Wallacavage
said. “The very fact that we have the Liturgy, with its symbols
and meaning, leads us to the otherworldly. That directs us in how we are
to live. To rejoice is good.”
Today, Wallacavage pursues his real estate work full-time, but he hasn’t
stepped completely away from the IIC; he still serves as a volunteer member.
“I believe whole-heartedly in the mission,” he said.
Many who pass through the IIC keep returning, because what they find there
is an opportunity to rediscover the Catholicism in their culture.
“My favorite part [is] the gatherings after a really good lecture,
because of the discussions,” Wallacavage said. “It’s
a way of uniting people in discussion on something that isn’t superficial,
but on ideas, truth and beauty.”
All that takes place at receptions hosted in the beautiful mansion-setting
of Ivy Hall, the IIC headquarters.
On one such night this month, the IIC, in collaboration with Pauline Books
& Media, will present Professor Michael Waldstein of the Pontifical
John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Austria,
who has released a new translation of Pope John Paul II’s Theology
of the Body, and Christopher West, the noted author and speaker who is
devoted to the late pope’s work.
Waldstein relied on the Vatican archives, with Pope John Paul II’s
original notes, to provide a new and compelling translation titled, “Man
and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body.” The work is
published by Pauline Books.
Waldstein will talk about the need for a new translation of the work,
and West will address the importance of the Theology of the Body in today’s
culture.
A reception and book-signing will follow.
“The purpose of the IIC is not to advance the idea that it is possible
to restore some ideal Christian past,” says the institute’s
Web site iiculture.org.
“There never has been [such a past]. Rather, it is to look at the
way in which the faith has shaped cultures in the past, and the culture
in which we live today …,” the site states. “With such
knowledge, and with a commitment to the Redeemer of culture, we can begin
working together to build the new “civilization of love.”
These are two upcoming events at the International Institute for Culture:
Oct. 7th — Oktoberfest
“My heart beats Bavarian.”
Pope Benedict XVI
Date: Saturday, Oct. 7, 4 p.m -11 p.m.
Event: IIC’s Annual Oktoberfest
Cost: $30 per person; $5 per child (12 and younger)
Location: Ivy Hall, 6331 Lancaster Ave, Philadelphia
RSVP at 215-877-9910 or www.iiculture.org
Oct. 13 — Lecture on the new translation
of Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body
Professor Michael Waldstein of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for
Studies on Marriage and Family in Austria will speak about the need for
his new translation of Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body
and Christopher West, noted author and speaker on the subject, will address
the theology’s life-changing message. A reception and book-signing
will follow. Copies of the book will be available.
Date: 7:30 p.m. Oct, 13
Cost: $20 per person, $10 per student with ID.
Location: Ivy Hall, 6331 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia.
RSVP at info@iiculture.org or call 215-877-9910.
CS&T staff writer Nadia Pozo can be reached at npozo@adphila.org or
(215) 965-4614.