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Scholarly Impact and Catholic Legal Education

This fall, Murphy Institute co-director Professor Greg Sisk published a four- part series titled “Scholarly Impact and Catholic Legal Education” in the Mirror of Justice blog.  In this series, Sisk speaks to the necessity of an intellectually engaged Catholic law school, the witness scholarly excellence lends to a society biased against religiously-affiliated institutions, and the mission of the university as articulated by the Church.

To read the series in full, please follow the links below.

Scholarly Impact and Catholic Legal Education (Part One)

Scholarly Impact and Catholic Legal Education (Part Two)

Scholarly Impact and Catholic Legal Education (Part Three)

Scholarly Impact and Catholic Legal Education (Part Four)

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Introducing the Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law, and Business

The Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law, and Public Policy and the John A. Ryan Institute for Catholic Social Teaching are pleased to announce that they will join together to become the Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law, and Business on June 1, 2024.

The newly named institute will deepen the mission-driven legal and business education within the integrated thought and interdisciplinary riches of the Catholic intellectual tradition. By merging the specializations and resources of these two initiatives, the Murphy Institute is even better equipped to elevate its mission in Catholic higher education through impactful scholarship, programming, and ecclesial service.

A partnership between the Center for Catholic Studies and the School of Law and in collaboration with the Opus College of Business, the Murphy Institute engages the Church, the academic community, and the public in rigorous discussions that include historical and contemporary Catholic perspectives to enliven discourse on law, public policy, and business. The Institute draws upon a range of academic disciplines and faith traditions to facilitate scholarship, support students and faculty, and create vibrant programming for the university, Church, and broader legal and business communities.

The Murphy Institute will continue to be led by co-directors comprised of one faculty member each from the School of Law and Catholic Studies. Current leadership includes Professor Greg Sisk, Pio Cardinal Laghi Distinguished Chair in Law, and Monsignor Martin Schlag, Moss Endowed Chair for Catholic Social Thought.

“The Murphy and Ryan Institutes have long track records of mission-centered excellence in law and business,” says University of St. Thomas President Rob Vischer. “By combining their strengths, the new Murphy Institute of Catholic Thought, Law, and Business will grow in influence as a leading forum for exploring the insights Catholic teaching has to offer in these disciplines that are absolutely vital to human flourishing.”

In the coming months, two such events will be particularly impactful. First, a program in October will feature two leading legal scholars presenting their opposing views on the merits of religious exemptions in a spirited yet civil dialogue. Second, a three-day international conference will be hosted next summer in Lima, Peru on sustainability and integral ecology to examine these themes from theological, philosophical, economic, legal, and business perspectives.

For more information on the Murphy Institute and its activities, please visit our website 

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Student Perspective – The Calling of a Catholic Lawyer

My first encounter with the Murphy Scholar program was the dedication of an icon of St. Josephine Bakhita hosted by the Murphy Institute during my first semester of law school. The dedication began with a beautiful Mass where the priest gave a homily on how we can strive to be more like the saints. A presentation followed featuring a criminal law professor who spoke on her experience in human trafficking cases, providing valuable insight to the life of St. Bakhita, the patron saint of human trafficking victims. On an elevator ride down with Professor Gregory Sisk after the event, he asked if I would be interested in deepening my Catholic faith along with my legal education as a Murphy Scholar fellow with the Murphy Institute. I knew I could not pass up on that opportunity. Soon after, I had an interview with the Institute co-directors Professor Sisk and Dr. David Deavel, and the program manager Michelle Rash, and I found myself in the unique position of becoming a Murphy Scholar. That same semester, I attended a Mass and shared a meal with peers that shared the same values and ideals about how our Catholic faith can be a part of our work as future lawyers.  I knew it would be the start of my journey to become a Catholic lawyer.

In my nearly three years of being a Murphy Scholar, I have been privileged to attend events pertaining to wide range of topics, including embryos, abortion, freedom of religion, religious liberty, and healthcare.  I’ve had the opportunity to partake in events like the dedication of an icon of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the Catholic Studies 30th Anniversary Gala and engaging in lively debate and discussion with my peers at formation nights. Perhaps the most memorable of the events that I have participated in during my time as a Murphy Scholar are the “Hot Topics: Cool Talk” programs that the Institute hosts every year. The “Hot Topics: Cool Talk” series features two legal scholars engaging in a spirited, yet civil discussion about a legal topic. Many of the topics that have been featured in the past included gun ownership and qualified immunity, which have opened my perspective on these hot button issues.

During my second year, I was able to attend a dinner with the two speakers for the “Hot Topics: Cool Talk” program, “Qualified Immunity: What is It? And is It Good or Bad Policy?” featuring Professor Sisk and Professor Christopher Walker from the University of Michigan. During our conversation, we discovered that both Professor Sisk and Professor Walker shared a similar background even with their differing viewpoints – both men worked for the Civil Appellate Staff at the Department of Justice, and both were clerks for judges in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The idea of bringing different viewpoints together in the same place speaks to the delicate balance that comes from being a Catholic lawyer.

As a future lawyer, I am called to be a zealous, competent advocate for my clients with the sole focus of “being a lawyer,” which can mean either prosecuting someone for committing a crime or keeping someone out of jail. As a Catholic, I am called to walk the path of Jesus, to act in way that is compassionate and respects the dignity of all human beings, no matter what walk of life they come from. As a Catholic lawyer, my responsibility is to be a knowledgeable practitioner that can look at a defendant or client and understand that they are created in the image and likeness of God. I have a moral obligation to respect the dignity of every person in the courtroom – from the defendant to the judge, from opposing counsel to the law clerk, and anyone else who is part of the administration of the justice system. Being a Catholic lawyer means that I see the humanity in the client, opposing counsel, and the judge, which allows me to find solutions that work to bring someone into the image and likeliness of God that we are all called to be.

As I prepare to take the bar exam and look towards the future of a legal career here in Minnesota, I am eternally grateful that Professor Sisk took a chance on me and asked me to join the Murphy Scholars program. I am grateful for all the experiences and knowledge that I have received during my time as a fellow, and I look forward to being engaged as a proud alumnus of the University of St. Thomas School of Law and the Murphy Institute.

Tomy Vettukallel is a 2024 graduate of the University St. Thomas School of Law and alum of the Murphy Scholars program.

“Student Perspective” is a recurring blog series which highlights the various activities of the Murphy Scholar graduate students during their fellowship.

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Student Perspective – Responding to an Invitation: Reflections from a Law and Catholic Studies Joint Degree Student

by Gabrielle Tremblay

A wise Jesuit priest, Fr. Larry Gillick, S.J., once told me that “a good education coaches a person to listen, reflect, and respond to invitations.” Only three months into my first year of law school, I have already encountered numerous invitations at the University of St. Thomas – lunchtime presentations inviting me to reflect on my future goals as an attorney, professors inviting my class and I to a moment of peace in prayer or reflection at the beginning of class, or peers inviting me to learn more about them in conversation. This reflection is about a more large-scale invitation that I received at St. Thomas – the invitation to pursue a Law and Catholic Studies Joint Degree (JD/MA).

Growing up in a small town in northwest Wisconsin, I did not have a Catholic education until my undergraduate career at Creighton University (Omaha, Nebraska). I majored in philosophy and history, and pursued research on Catholic theology, feminism, and domestic violence. I fell in love with the humanities and even more with research. At the same time, these opportunities invited me to reflect on the value of justice – a value that played a large part in my decision to attend law school and still motivates me as I study law.

As an undergraduate, I also felt at home in Creighton’s community. I first accepted the offer to attend law school at St. Thomas because it was clear during my visit that its kind and welcoming community resembled the community at Creighton. It was only after deciding to attend St. Thomas law that I discovered the JD/MA program. This would be the perfect opportunity to combine both my desire to become a lawyer and my passion for the humanities and research.

The Master of Arts in Catholic Studies involves both a deep dive into all humanities’ disciplines and research. It takes a holistic approach to teaching the Catholic tradition by offering classes in Catholic literature, culture, theology, philosophy, and more. Not only will these classes fill my desire to continue studying humanities, but the required master’s thesis will also satisfy my intellectual curiosity which I explored through research in my undergraduate studies.

The Catholic Studies course offerings and independent thesis invites students to think critically about values which is essential for the next generation of lawyers. During law school orientation at St. Thomas, each first-year law student is required to take a class called Moral Reasoning for Lawyers. There we discuss the trend of law students often becoming morally indifferent through a traditional legal education. Students spend three years reading cases but never meeting the real people behind them. Discussions of values are rarely introduced in class. Students feel that the law is whatever the judge decides rather than reflecting any higher moral or ethical values. To assuage these tendencies, St. Thomas law has several offerings like the Moral Reasonings for Lawyers class. Another of these offerings is the JD/MA joint degree, and I am so grateful to supplement my legal education with a master’s degree that invites critical thinking about values.

Of course, I am frequently asked, “what are you going to do with a Master’s in Catholic Studies?” This question implies I come up with “practical” use for my joint degree. For many students, the Master’s degree in Catholic Studies opens opportunities serve their communities through ministry. Although this is likely not the case for me, this is not a concern for me because I believe education does not always require a “practical” use to be worthwhile. Too often education as merely a tool for intellectual and spiritual development is deemed “impractical” as if that were a bad thing. For me, the opportunity to continue what I began at Creighton through humanities studies and research is a good in itself.

Not only do I enjoy the critical thinking about topics in the humanities, but my reflections on values of justice, fairness, and equality, were a large part of my motivation to attend law school. The times that I lose sight of this purpose are the times that my motivation to study law tends to decrease. I think it is essential for the next generation of lawyers to critically think about values because we are entering a profession that enforces laws that ought to reflect society’s values, and in turn applies those laws in ways that affect real people’s lives and aspirations. Opportunities like the JD/MA are vital for us to learn how to “listen, reflect, and respond to invitations” that this world will present us when we enter the law profession, whether that be an invitation to mentor a younger lawyer or to take a difficult pro bono case. All in all, if you’re like me, and you want to be a lawyer while pursuing intellectual and spiritual growth through the humanities and Catholic tradition, this is my invitation to you to consider the Juris Doctor – Masters in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas.

Gabrielle Tremblay is a Murphy Scholar and 1L at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in the JD/CSMA program.

“Student Perspective” is a recurring blog series which highlights the various activities of the Murphy Scholar graduate students during their fellowship.

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Recap – “Hot Topics: Cool Talk – Gun Ownership for Self Defense? Is It the Right Thing to Do?”

by Michael Peterson

The Murphy Institute continued its “Hot Topics, Cool Talk” series with the November 15 program “Gun Ownership for Self Defense? Is It the Right Thing to Do?” featuring School of Law professors Greg Sisk and Julie Jonas with President Rob Vischer as moderator.  Over 100 students, faculty, and community members filled the largest classroom in the law school for a spirited yet civil conversation between Professors Sisk and Jonas on the merits of gun ownership for self-defense.  Sisk and Jonas each presented their contrasting stance on the issue followed by an extended Q&A session for dialogue with one another and the audience.

In his introductory remarks, President Vischer described his experiences with guns. He told a story of the hesitation he and his wife shared in allowing their children to play at a friend’s house while living in New York because the parents had a gun in the home. But then the Vischers moved to Minnesota. “If we hadn’t let our kids go to houses that had guns in them,” Vischer stated, “then they would have grown up pretty lonely children.” He went on to remark that the really important thing in the “Hot Topics, Cool Talk” events was the fact that they showed that relationships without agreement are possible and that agreement is not a prerequisite for relationships. The willingness to relate, despite real differences, is especially important in our increasingly polarized age.

Professor Sisk began his presentation declaring that he was defending the morality and utility of owning a handgun for self-defense. Then, he stated seven reasons for concern with owning a handgun. Real problems can arise, for instance, when people own handguns without taking proper precautions to secure them, or without spending enough time practicing with them, or without the right temperament for owning them, or when not taking enough care of their mental health. These problems are real, and can be serious, and have to be taken care of.

Sisk then laid out several reasons to own a handgun. He noted that, though the media does not like to mention it, violent crime is rising in Minneapolis. In fact, he claimed, Minneapolis is one of the dozen cities in the country with the highest rates of violent crime per capita: higher even than Chicago and New York. In addition, Minneapolis has a low ratio of police to citizens, and the ratio has been dropping since 2019. This makes police response time to emergencies slower and gun ownership even more warranted for self-protection.

For her piece, Professor Jonas took a more sociological approach. Empirical evidence, she claimed, supported her position that handgun ownership makes the country more dangerous than it otherwise might be. For instance, by far the largest cause of gun deaths in the United States are by suicide. Take away guns, Jonas argued, and those deaths might not occur. Additionally, there are mass shootings to consider. Further, she pointed out, it is not clear from the data that guns are even that useful for self-defense. Handguns are fired in defense in an extraordinarily small number of violent crimes. Jonas concluded that handguns are exceedingly dangerous, often used for self-destruction, and limited in their crime-deterrent effect.

Questions came quickly once the Q&A portion began.  One audience member asked the presenters, “What would convince you to change your mind?” to which Professor Sisk promptly replied, “Nothing!” After a moment’s pause, Sisk then answered that he would support more stringent requirements for obtaining and using firearms, however. In response to a question regarding alternative means of self-defense, Professor Jonas mentioned tasers and pepper spray. She also told the audience that she lived in the suburbs, not Minneapolis itself, and mentioned to Professor Sisk that, “To be fair, Greg, neither do you!”

At the conclusion of the program, President Vischer thanked both the presenters and the audience for their participation in the sort of event that brings crucial awareness to the importance of civil dialogue and models its ideal.

 

A recording of this program is available in the Murphy Institute video archive.

Michael Peterson is a Murphy Scholar and 3L at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

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Latino group at St. Odilia completes sessions on Catholic social teaching

Murphy Institute co-director Msgr. Martin Schlag and program manager Michelle Rash partnered with the Minnesota Catholic Conference to offer a 7-course series on Catholic Social Teaching for Latinos at St. Odilia’s, making the treasures of the social doctrine available to all Catholics.  Read more about this exciting new initiative in its recent coverage by The Catholic Spirit.

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Recap – “St. Kateri Tekakwitha Icon Presentation”

by Michael Peterson

To celebrate the recent arrival of an icon of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the Murphy Institute hosted a presentation on April 18 featuring Fr. Christopher Collins, Vice President for Mission and Kelly Drummer, President of MIGZI, who spoke on the life of St. Kateri and shared reflections on the mission of the Church and the local Native community today.  A Mass was celebrated prior to the program during which Fr. Collins blessed the icon.

The newly received icon was commissioned through Markell Studios, Inc. in Stillwater, MN by the Murphy Institute to contribute to the collection of artwork housed at the School of Law.  Special guest Nicholas Markell of Markell Studios joined us to offer remarks on his work as an iconographer and the icon itself.

The presentation began with introductory remarks by Markell. He began with the story of a little boy who one day went to church with his mother. The boy peered at the stained-glass windows and asked his mother, “Who are those people?”.

“They are the saints of God,” she responded.

The next day, the little boy went to school where his teacher asked the class, “Who are the saints?”. The little boy thought for a moment.

“The saints are those through whom the sun’s light shines,” he finally responded.

“Unless we become as little children…” mused Mr. Markell.

Markell went on to remind the audience that we are all called to holiness, just like St. Kateri. He then used a modern analogy to help explain iconography drawing on the familiarity of the icons on our computers and tablets. The interesting thing about this sort of icon is that when we click on it, a larger world opens up for us. The same thing happens with the icon of a saint: the icon is visual language which uses stylized images, because those who live in Christ are transfigured. An icon represents complete harmony and unity.

The icon of St. Kateri contains 24 karat gold to remind the viewer of heavenly realms. St. Kateri’s faceted garments remind the viewer of a diamond, which becomes more precious by being cut. This symbolizes the saints, who become more, paradoxically, by becoming less. St. Kateri holds a lily, for she was known as “Lily of the Mohawks”.

Mr. Markell ended his remarks with a question: “St. Kateri…who might we become because of her?”

Fr. Christopher Collins followed Markell, beginning with the assertion that the saints reflect the light of the Son of God in unique ways. St. Kateri, he explained, was not always as serene as her image: she was born in New York in 1656 into a culture of upheaval and violence. As a young woman she was captured by Mohawks whose population was being ravaged by various diseases. “Where is God in all that?” Fr. Collins challenged the crowd.

Fr. Collins then referenced the myriad of reasons for discouragement in our times. At the same time, he encouraged that we “zero in on the grace of God touching one person in a mysterious way”. St. Kateri’s skin was scarred by smallpox during her lifetime but these were healed after her death, just as our scars can be transformed through the grace of God. “One life can be an encouragement,” concluded Fr. Collins; “great encouragement can come even from great woundedness”.

To conclude the program Kelly Drummer, a Lakota from Pine Ridge Reservation shared her experiences working with Native American community in the Twin Cities. Drummer described her involvement with several of the over 30 non-profits dedicated to the Native American population in Minnesota including as founder of the Tiwahe Foundation which notably raised over $6 million between 2008 and 2018 to be gifted as community grants. “We should live by the light,” exhorted Drummer, before explaining that Lakota culture is community-based and that one person believing in someone else can give life-changing power. She explained that just as St. Kateri was attached to a vision and a dream, so her work at Tiwahe was a vision and a dream.

Drummer shared the story of how one of her non-profits had touched the lives of two Native American high-school boys. As freshmen, these two boys were failing school. The non-profit provided individualized tutoring, and the boys earned all A’s and B’s their senior year. Drummer continued, speaking of her work directly in the classroom supporting Native students in developing and meeting their academic and well-being goals. She spoke of bringing 500 youth to do the cultural work of making maple syrup. She spoke of leadership development initiatives, including taking kids to the Boundary Waters for five days. “We’re lucky we came out alive!” she exclaimed.

There are also programs which train young people in producing film, podcasts, and radio shows. One non-profit trains children in green energy, energy auditing, transportation, pollution and land sovereignty. Kids even had the ability to build their own bikes. Working with Native Americans, for Drummer, is a calling and, just as the life of St. Kateri was to so many, a great encouragement to those around her.

The icon of St. Kateri Tekakwitha will be installed in the School of Law immediately outside of the Chapel of St. Thomas More this summer.

 

A recording of this program is available in the Murphy Institute video archive.

Michael Peterson is a Murphy Scholar and 2L at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

 

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Student Perspective – Truly Free for Relationship

by Paul Befort

Each year, the Murphy Scholars participate in a program series focused around a theme which delves into the philosophical and theological foundations of law and policy matters.  I was fascinated by the vision of this year’s series since, as a former seminarian and a Master in Catholic Studies aspirant, I consider myself to have scratched the surface of the beauty and truth present in the Catholic faith. But this year revealed a fantastic depth to what I thought was an old topic: natural law.

The world has its own way of doing things. Unfortunately, this way of doing things is no longer closely connected with natural law. Why is this a problem? Isn’t natural law just an antiquated medieval mode of thought that is somewhat outdated in terms of solely shaping an appropriate worldview? I thought it was losing relevance until I heard three St. Thomas professors; Fr. Austin Litke, O.P., Dr. William Stevenson, and Msgr. Martin Schlag present on the subject throughout the semester.

Natural law, when referenced today, largely comes from the teachings of Saint Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica, Prima Secunda Pars, question 91. Natural law is God’s eternal law. God is the eternal law. We are all designed to participate in the natural law by our participation in the life of God. Natural law is therefore imprinted on our hearts, integral to each of us. Natural law is our guide to what it means to live our humanity to the fullest. The more we follow natural law, the more we participate in the eternal law Who is our ultimate end. The more in accord with natural law we are, the more human we are because we are living in accord with the design that God intended.

In Romans 2:15: Saint Paul talks about the law inscribed upon our hearts. At times our feelings might be at odds with this law, but the transcription of the law into our hearts is not on an emotional level, flawed by original sin, but rather on an intellectual level. Right reason will lead us to closer union with God. Our reason knows what is better for us than our feelings. We know, intellectually, that excess and comforts do not allow us to flourish in the long term. But our physical appetites are insatiable when not governed by reason. Our participation in the natural law is how we are the happiest long term.

Since under the natural law all is a gift from God, through a natural law lens, life is about growing in personal virtue to more fully participate in the life of God who has given us everything. A Christian’s civic life flows from a sense of grateful duty, therefore.

Straying from the natural law has caused problems. I was most affected by how the modern view of education is at odds with the natural law’s view of education. In medieval times education was focused on growing in personal virtue; mentor-to-mentee relationships were typically how this came about. Teacher-and-pupil relationships could become truly human relationships of discipleship. Today, now that civic life is no longer about personal virtue and trying to make a return to the Lord, education and relationships of all kinds often become fake and contrived. Teacher-student relationships are often limited to a sixteen-week term. Networking too is not about real encounters with another person, but about what can be gained from the other. Volunteering is not about making a return to the Lord, but about padding a resume. The focus has moved away from God and the Eternal Law, becoming more about economic advantage.

Social justice is a modern concept on how we can make a better society without God. It borrows from the natural law and our Christian past to deduce that humans have dignity. But it uses a distorted reference point. Social justice focuses on rights that are inherent to human beings for who they are (rather than because of who God is), and this dictates a legal and educational system that attempts to cultivate a virtuous society from the top down. Instead of personal virtue, which then flows out to change society on the individual level, social justice contends that human beings can be perfected of things like racism, etcetera, when institutions are perfected. Of course, legislating morality rarely works. Success in modern society, when not flowing from an interior place of virtue or a response to the Goodness we have received, currently involves using others to pad one’s resume.

Natural law sets us free from social contrivances for organic relationship with the Eternal Law. Everything else flows from there. It is a law that does not constrain us but allows us to have freedom for what we are created to be: truly human through a relational participation in the Eternal Law.

Paul Befort is a Murphy Scholar and 1L at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in the JD/CSMA program.

“Student Perspective” is a recurring blog series which highlights the various activities of the Murphy Scholar graduate students during their fellowship.

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Recap – “Is God Undocumented? A Look at Immigration Foundations, Justice, and Reform”

by Michael Peterson

The Murphy Institute together with the School of Law Federalist Society chapter co-sponsored the March 29 program “Is God Undocumented? A Look at Immigration Foundations, Justice, and Reform” featuring Michael Scaperlanda, Professor Emeritus of Law and Chancellor for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and Virgil Wiebe, Professor of Law and Director of the St. Thomas Immigration Clinic. Scaperlanda and Wiebe explored immigration policy in the United States from its beginnings to present day, discussing the neo-scholastic theological and philosophical foundations of immigration policy which underwent a series of unbalanced interpretations by the Supreme Court and other governing bodies resulting in the current broken system that oftentimes causes more harm than good. Additionally, they proposed reform at both the state and federal levels needed to bring justice to the immigration system of this country and better serve those in its care.

Scaperlanda began by speaking about the Chinese Exclusion Act. Scaperlanda argued that the United States’ exclusion of migrants did not stem from Constitutional principles, but rather from the “law of nations”. He mused about whether the “law of nations” really does give states the right to restrict immigration. Further, he pondered what Catholic social teaching says about the right of states to ban migrants. Scaperlanda concluded that, while the Supreme Court at one time considered the United State’s right to exclude immigrants as absolute, he is more convinced by scholars positing that states have a qualified right to exclude migrants, and that people have an absolute right to emigrate. He concluded his opening remarks by stating that wealthier nations, including the United States, have a greater obligation to accept immigrants.

Professor Wiebe followed. His opening remarks briefly expounded his faith-based Mennonite principles regarding immigration. Wiebe argued that Christ himself was undocumented—he had no place to lay his head, and his kingdom was not of this world. Wiebe explained that we, likewise, are all temporary residents of this world. Wiebe reminded the crowd that we might do well to practice the hospitality shown by Abraham in Genesis 19, where Abraham welcomed in three strangers. God himself, stated Wiebe, is in the corner of the oppressed. Leviticus 19, for instance, warns us not to oppress the alien, but rather to treat him as one of our own. Wiebe, like Scaperlanda, ended his opening remarks by stating that the United States is the most powerful nation in the world and might profitably reflect on the ways it has gained power through displacement.

Scaperlanda, in rebuttal, claimed that the immigration system is “broken” and offered a three-pronged solution. First, he recommended that the United Stated offer some path to citizenship to people who have built a life here. “Is ‘amnesty’ a dirty word?” he wondered. Second, he proposed closing the border to undocumented migrants. He seemed skeptical of building a wall along the border. “If I was in Mexico, and the United States built a wall, I would invest in the boat-building business!” he laughed. Third, Scaperlanda suggested building a good legal system for undocumented workers.

Wiebe then returned with his rebuttal. He urged the audience to “shift gears” and “consider the reality on the ground”. Arguing that the “chances of some sort of comprehensive reform in the next two years are zero, he showed the audience some charts and graphs explaining the United States’ attitude toward immigration. He showed a map of “sanctuary” cities, counties, and States, explaining that individual jurisdictions, apart from federal immigration laws, can offer extra protections for migrants. He showed a map of States that give aid for undocumented college students. (Minnesota began doing so in 2013). He showed another map of the 19 States in which undocumented folks can obtain drivers’ licenses. (Minnesota joined the ranks of these States in 2023). “And, with that,” Wiebe announced, “we are ready for questions!”.

To the question “How do you reconcile refusal to allow due process to undocumented aliens with the Constitution?” Professor Wiebe answered frankly, “I don’t.” Laughter from the crowd.

“What is the best way,” wondered the final questioner, “of solving the problem of everyone fighting for limited resources?”.

“I think the only way we can do this is in backyard barbecues,” answered Scaperlanda. “The tension gets diffused over a beer.”

Wiebe smiled. “Where’s my beer?” he asked.

A recording of this program is available in the Murphy Institute video archive.

Michael Peterson is a Murphy Scholar and 2L at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

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From the Archives – The Irish in America: A Coming of Age in America

By John Lucke

Archbishop Bernard Hebda recently allowed a dispensation for eating meat this Friday in Lent, LuckyPalooza on West 7th Street is overflowing with good beer and cheer, and everyone you know is wearing green. It’s Saint Patrick’s Day in Minnesota.

Saint Patrick’s Day is a well-known observance for the Irish in America. Surprisingly, this holiday is not celebrated as widely by the locals in Dublin or Galway; no, the patron saint of Ireland has a special relationship to Irish immigrants and to the people of Saint Paul, Minnesota. “Our whole nation seems to become Irish for a day,” Monsignor Murphy quipped in his 1960 essay entitled The Irish in America. Today on Saint Patrick’s Day, it is a great gift to reminisce on Monsignor Murphy’s words regarding the holiday.

Monsignor Terrence J. Murphy lived a life of remarkable accomplishment. He was born to an Irish family in Watkins, Minnesota over 100 years ago, served as president of the University of St. Thomas for 25 years, and was the first chaplain to obtain the rank of brigadier general for the Minnesota Air National Guard.  He saw March 17th as a day of great cultural significance, stating that “the wide participation in Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations indicates a significant fact in American society, namely that the Irish have arrived or come of age in America.”

Catholic Social Teaching was a critical lens through which Monsignor Murphy viewed the journey of his fellow Irish. He believed that “Irish immigrants came to American shores because of a deep desire to earn a living compatible with the human dignity he knew to be his as a child of God.” Another famous Irishman, Archbishop John Ireland, left his native County Kilkenny, Ireland during the great potato famine of 1848 and went on to do great things like establish the University of St. Thomas.

“The Irishman accepted the new [American] society uncritically. And he wanted, in turn, to be accepted by it. He was not determined to reform American society but to become a part of it.” This can-do attitude from Monsignor Murphy echoes a familiar voice from another Irish figure in American society. In his inaugural address, President John F. Kennedy’s historic words still call to us today: “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

As the polarization and solipsism of modern America weigh heavily on each of us, Monsignor Murphy’s words remind us of the truth of this country and those who came here seeking freedom: “the Americanization of the Irish immigrant was swift and complete. That it was so is due to the heritage he brought to our shores, but it is also due to the free institutions he found here. America is a land of freedom and opportunity in every phase of human life.”

John Lucke is a Murphy Scholar and 3L at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

“From the Archives” is a recurring blog series which features reflections on the works of Msgr. Terrence J. Murphy available in the Murphy Institute’s digital archive.