By Zoebelle Bean, Catholic editor
Dr. Daniel Wagner introducing the Symposium – Photo by Julie Bevins
The 4th annual “Symposium on the True, The Good and The Beautiful,” titled In the World But Not of the World, was co-hosted by the Aquinas College Catholic Studies department, the Aquinas Writing Center, Campus Ministry and the Aquinas Philosophy department on Saturday, Mar. 1 in the Donnelly Conference Center. It was preceded with a Mass at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel and consisted of a series of fourteen presentations and musical performances by students and faculty alike, ending with a gallery of four pieces of art on display.
The Symposium was based on the transcendentals of truth, goodness and beauty, as expressed philosophically by Saint Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle. Essentially, God is the highest form of these transcendentals, or aspects of reality. Therefore, from His truth, goodness and beauty, all other things in life can follow, expressing God in various ways.
“God is the Word,” Dr. Daniel Wagner said, “and words are how we express truths.” These are the leading principles of the Symposium. Though each of the presentations and performances differed greatly in their subject matter, from a mathematical explanation of how the alignment of the stars and space is beautiful from Dr. Michael McDaniel to a rap song about sin from freshman Logan Licence, they were united under the idea that truth, goodness and beauty can be found in all things transcendentally.
The Symposium was a place of leisure to encounter other academics who find value in their work and participate in it as a community. According to Father Jordan Deguire, O.P.’s homily during Mass: “Today is a waste of time, and it’s meant to be that way; to marvel, together, as a people of God, and be led to the source of all, Who’s true, good and beautiful Himself.”
There were a total of nine presentations that were either informational and educational or personal testimonies. Among these was a historical presentation from senior Makayla Casarez titled “Catholic Nuns and Nursing in the American Civil War.” Casarez described the culture of Catholic nuns who were called upon to become nurses during the war and gave both spiritual and physical care to their patients, from both sides of the front lines. They also helped to increase baptisms, which mostly happened on deathbeds. All of the nuns who served were recognized with a memorial in Washington, D.C. in 1924.
Casarez presenting at the Symposium – Photo by Julie Bevins
“The experience [of presenting] as a whole was amazing,” Casarez said. “I was pretty nervous before my presentation and if it would or wouldn’t be interesting at all, but I ended up having quite a few questions [at the end of it] which was awesome. The audience was so welcoming too, so that made it even better.”
There were also five musical performances among the presentations. These included two original songs performed: an original rap song from freshman Logan Licence called “Save Me from My Sins” and an original love song from Dr. Wagner and his wife, Annalee Wagner. There were also some renditions performed, such as a rendition of civil rights era songs from Father Robert Keller, O.P., a triad of Bach songs from freshman Trista Cridler and a progression of songs journaling a life of piano from junior Annalisa Maichele.
Maichele’s piano performance documented her journey as a pianist. “Mike Ingram provided me with the inspiration for my performance at the Symposium,” Maichele said, “because I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do or if I wanted to present. He advised me to think about my piano journey throughout the years since I began as a 6-year-old taking classical lessons.”
Annalisa Maichele playing piano – Photo by Julie Bevins
Maichele’s performance began with an excerpt from Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, which progressed into more technical works, such as Fur Elise, and finally culminated in a series of worship songs. These were all delivered as one song, back-to-back. “One evening, I spent about an hour thinking about different musical pieces that have had an impact on my life thus far,” Maichele said. “Fur Elise, for example, came to mind as my grandma always said it was her favorite when I played it and this would be the song I played when I became famous. Figuring out the songs was the easy part, but then came creating transitions. But all in all, I’m very proud of how it turned out and I think it reflected what I was going for.”
The Symposium was a creative way to express personal interests to a general public for the presenters. “The presentations were brilliant and so personal to each presenter,” Casarez said. “It just made it all so special and true to each individual’s experiences that it felt like they were sharing a piece of themselves with us.”
At the end of the Symposium, artists had an opportunity to display their artwork in a semicircular, open-house style in a separate room in Donnelly. The artist’s gallery included a quilt, a portrait of a married couple, an embroidered representation of the rosary and a painting of a girl on the beach.
Senior Gina Mondro showcasing her art in the artist’s gallery – Photo by Zoebelle Bean
This was also the first year the Symposium was a two-day event, with Catholic Studies et al. also hosting their first annual high school Symposium on the Friday before the “Symposium on the True, the Good and the Beautiful.” This Symposium was for Catholic high school students in the surrounding Grand Rapids area. These students had an opportunity to learn about the transcendentals from a series of lectures, hosted by Aquinas professors.
The Saint 