LATROBE, PA – Dr. Peter Joseph Fritz, professor of religious studies at College of the Holy Cross, will speak about Pope Francis’ encyclical “Dilexit nos: On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ” at 7 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Saint Vincent Basilica.
The lecture will be preceded by a community Mass at 5 p.m. at the Basilica.
Dilexit nos (He loved us) is Pope Francis’ fourth encyclical and calls for reflection on aspects of the Lord’s love as a path toward reconciliation, peace and unity in “a world that seems to have lost its heart.” Fritz will speak on devotion to the Sacred Heart through the lens of the heart as a symbol.
Released last November, the encyclical coincides with celebrations commemorating the 350th anniversary of the first appearance of Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673, when he revealed to her his Sacred Heart.
Fritz has been involved with Jesuit education for 30 years. He earned a doctorate at the University of Notre Dame, where he focused on the German Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner. Fritz has taught courses in Catholic and Protestant theology and Catholic social thought at Holy Cross since 2011.
Dr. Peter Joseph Fritz
