BE Program 2022-23:
Come BE With Us!
Attend Cathedral Art Project’s newest program offering:
the BE Reading Series.
BE (Books + Education = Being) is a book group unlike any other: each reading is carefully selected to pair with one of our cultural events in the arts series. Books can’t be separated from the experiences that gave them life, or from the trends they influenced later on. This innovative new series brings the Great Ideas of shared humanity to life.
Participants complete the selected readings on their own and regularly meet drinks, appetizers, and of course, scintillating book discussion! Talks led by classically educated facilitators and experts shed light on how these books, ancient and modern, are as relevant today as when they were first written down.
Schedule
Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public.
The Heavens
Sunday, Sept. 25 — 2 pm
St. Cecilia Cultural Center
3900 Webster St., Omaha
Astronomy has been a source of fascination, fear, and fanaticism for humans. What do the Great Books have to say on studying the skies? Spoiler alert: they don’t always agree!
This talk precedes the Peter Sykes Organ Concert event.
Readings:
Click here to download a packet with all reading excerpts.
Plato - from Timaeus
St. Augustine - from Confessions
Montaigne - from Book II, Essay 12
Copernicus - from On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres
Kant - from Pure Reason
The Artist
Sunday, Oct. 16 — 2 pm
St. Cecilia Cultural Center
3900 Webster St., Omaha
Modern people associate the word “art” with “fine art”. How did Westerners into the 1800s think about art and artists, and how did 19th-century thinkers redefine the concept of the artist?
This talk precedes the Vespers service presented by Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary.
Readings:
Galen
Hippocrates
The Feast
Tuesday, Dec. 6 — 6 pm
St. Cecilia Cultural Center
3900 Webster St., Omaha
Feast days were central to the lives of Medieval citizens. Did you know the average peasant received 150 holidays a year?
Readings for this event will be performed by live musicians and dramatic readers as part of our celebration of the Feast of Saint Nicholas. Please join us for an utterly unique book discussion!
Readings will include excerpts from:
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Canterbury Tales
Medieval English folk music and poetry
Note: This event has an admission fee. Click here for more information.
The Other
Friday, Feb. 3 — 5 pm
St. Cecilia Cultural Center
3900 Webster St., Omaha
This classic literary work explores the impact of colonialism on the African continent. It remains one of the top three African novels of all time.
This talk coincides with First Friday for the AFRI exhibit.
Readings:
Chinua Achebe – Things Fall Apart
The Traveler
Friday, Feb. 17 — 6 pm
St. Cecilia Cultural Center
3900 Webster St., Omaha
We will join Marco as he travels along the Silk Route and discover that much more than silk and spices came to the West from this famous road.
This talk precedes the Barlaam and Josaphat performance event.
Readings:
Marco Polo and Rustichello da Pisa– from The Travels of Marco Polo
The Architect
Friday, March 3 — 5 pm
St. Cecilia Cultural Center
3900 Webster St., Omaha
This family-friendly event presents creation stories from across time and space. Bring the kids to hear ancient tales spring to life!
This talk coincides with the For the Beauty of the Earth art gallery opening.
The Purpose
Sunday, Apr. 30 — 2 pm
St. Cecilia Cultural Center
3900 Webster St., Omaha
What does it mean to be a citizen? How should the experiences in our lives, good and bad, guide our decision making?
This talk will precede the Sing Omaha choral concert.
Readings:
The Nebraskan
Tuesday, May 9 — 7 pm
Online Live Stream (Link TBA)
Cathedral Arts Project and the Willa Cather Foundation have partnered together to read and discuss literary giant and native Nebraskan Willa Cather’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, One of Ours, on the 100th anniversary of its publication.
This event is live-streamed. Check back for a link closer to the event.
Readings:
Willa Cather - One of Ours
The Heavens, Live
End of May — Day/Time TBA
Zorinsky Lake Park
3808 S. 156th St., Omaha
After a year of hitting the books, let’s all gather on a beautiful May evening to stargaze at Zorinsky Lake!
Day/time/inclement weather plans will be announced closer to the event.