By Shannon Del Ross –
Nothing says “welcome” like the mouthwatering smell of a home-cooked meal and puppies playing at peoples’ feet. That was the backdrop on Wednesday night, Feb. 16 for the Mercy Center’s Faith and Food talk with Salve philosophy professor, Dr. Craig Condella. About 20 students and four faculty members gobbled up baked macaroni and cheese, salad and dessert, all while playing with two puppies (Minnie Pearl, a Shiatsu, and Watson, an Australian Sheppard) who are owned by a student and staff member. Stomachs were certainly satisfied with the meal. “That was way better than Miley,” a student openly joked as the crowd gathered in a circle of couches waiting for Condella to talk personally about his Christian faith.
Religion and philosophy are often perceived as opposites, but Condella sees the issue in a different light. “Many contemporary philosophers say its faith or reason,” Condella said, leaning back in his fuzzy green chair. “It has always blown me away that philosophers are atheist. How can you be a strict atheist? It’s dogmatic. Is there only one way to the truth?”
With a smile, Condella said how his faith over the years has waxed and waned. “I am from Scranton, Pennsylvania. And yes, it is a real place,” he joked, alluding to the Television show, The Office. After deciding to attend the University of Scranton, a Jesuit college and majoring in science, Condella met someone who made a mark on him. “An old Jesuit priest,” Condella reminisced, “[who] traveled the world and learned so much – a staunch Catholic, but he’s learned from different perspectives. And that is what I took away… to remain open, to keep questioning, but still have faith.”
Touching on how he turned to philosophy later on in his life, Condella joked, “I decided to apply to grad school in philosophy and at first they [his family] confused philosophy with psychology. My grandmother still thinks I’m a psychologist!”
Taking questions from the crowd, Condella answered how one text in particular made him view faith differently. “I think it was Augustine’s Confessions,” he said, narrowing his eye thoughtfully. “Something that really wrestled with questions… to read an autobiography made it more personal.”
Condella noted how he now goes to mass regularly.“One of the reasons I go to mass is to calm myself… in the world of email and computers, it is harder than it once was,” he noted.
Faith and Food returns with Professor Higgins on Feb. 29 at 6:00 p.m. for what is sure to be another experience, complete with a scrumptious meal, spectacular company and scintillatingly saintly conversation.
