Great news: Capuchin Father Thomas Weinandy will deliver the St. Paul Center’s honorary lecture this year. A noted theologian, Father Weinandy will deliver his address, “St. Athanasius of Alexandria and the Divinity of the Holy Spirit,” as the culmination of the Center’s annual Letter & Spirit Conference.

Father Weinandy taught at Oxford University for more than a decade, and he is the author of a dozen books, including The Theology of St. Cyril of Alexandria: A Critical Appreciation He is the chief doctrinal official with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The theme of this year’s Letter & Spirit Conference is “Love and Sacrifice.” The event will take place October 27-28, 2006, at St. Paul Seminary in Pittsburgh. Other speakers include:

• Dr. David Fagerberg of Notre Dame, on “Divine Love and the Divine Liturgy.”

• Dr. Brant Pitre of Holy Cross College, on “Jesus, the Bridegroom-Messiah.”

• Tim Gray of St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, on “The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving in the Cult of Ancient Israel.”

• And, of course, the Center’s founder, Dr. Scott Hahn.

Registration costs $69 and includes all meals and talks as well as a copy of the Center’s journal, Letter & Spirit. You can register or get more details right here. Scholarships are available for Catholic seminarians. Call (740) 264-9535 for details.

The Lawler Lecture is named for one of the most remarkable men I’ve been privileged to know, the great ethicist and theologian Father Ronald Lawler (1926-2003). Father Lawler taught Father Weinandy philosophy in seminary. The inaugural Lawler Lecture was delivered by another great patrologist, Robert Louis Wilken.

If you can travel to Pittsburgh, you don’t want to miss this conference. And you really can’t beat the price.