Building a Bridge between Faith and Astronomy

As a supporter of an internationally recognized scientific research institute staffed by religious of the Society of Jesus and an incorporated non-profit foundation dedicated to the support of the only scientific institution supported by the Holy See, the Vatican Observatory Foundation is in a unique position to demonstrate the Catholic Church’s support of science. We propose to upgrade and amplify our existing online communication resources into a system that can deliver a variety of resources on Faith and Astronomy in a format that can be used by Catholic educators and accessed directly by educated Catholics. These will include videos, PowerPoint presentations, interactive Internet sites, and traditional printed materials archived and made available online. Using existing resources of the Jesuit order, we will tap into a network of proven professionals who understand our mission as Catholic scientists and educators and have already demonstrated their ability to integrate the available media outlets. First, we will catalogue and archive the materials in hand and add new materials as they are developed; at the same time, we will identify the Jesuit and Catholic educational networks that will become our principal audiences. We will produce a series of new short-form videos that will describe who and what we are, based on the themes of the Templeton “Our Cosmos” campaign and the needs reported by our research. We will hire a part-time IT professional to coordinate, maintain and enhance the various systems to deliver these material. We will develop new or closer partnerships with Catholic and secular media to increase online exposure and share outreach programs. This work will be in accord with our purpose to support the Vatican Observatory in the mission given to it by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, “that everyone might see clearly that the Church and her Pastors are not opposed to true and solid science… but that they embrace it, encourage it, and promote it.”