JESUIT PERSPECTIVES • WINTER 2018-19 13
Scan here to view a video of Fr.
Brown’s Convocation presentation
Scan here to view a video of David
Hahn ’81’s Convocation presentation
Fr. David A. Brown, S.J., an
Astronomer at the Vatican Observatory
in Rome with a Ph.D
in Astrophysics from the University
of Oxford, spoke to the Jesuit High
School student body at Convocation
in the Chapel of the Holy Cross on
November 30, one of many great
Convocation presentations at Jesuit
this school year.
Fr. Brown spoke about the intersection
of religion and science,
and his work both in Rome and
in Arizona, where he spends half
Advanced Technology Telescope
(VATT), a Gregorian telescope on
Mount Graham in southeast Arizona.
classes in science and theology,
including the senior theology and
physics classes.
“Science and faith are not in
said. “The order of nature and grace
are not opposed but in harmony.”
Brown earned his Ph.D from Oxford
and was assigned to work at the
Vatican Observatory.
“If the universe popped into
existence for no rhyme or reason,
then why are there laws of science,
and why can we make sense of
things?” Fr. Brown said. “Everything
makes sense because He made it
that way, and human beings can
make sense out of it. It makes sense,
it is reasonable, and we are reasonable
beings, we have the capacity
for reason.”
evolution, Fr. Brown’s work is
primarily concerned with the study
of horizontal branch stars, including
subdwarf B (sdB) stars. More
recently, he has studied pulsating
sdB stars (asteroseismology) from
an observational standpoint, using
Jesuit's annual Veterans Day
celebration this year featured an
inspiring Convocation presentation
David Hahn '81, USN, who has
graduation from Jesuit more than
37 years ago, and was returning to
(Mike Hahn '80, Jeff Hahn '84,
and Charles Hahn '87, along with
classmates, veterans, and family
essential role of the U.S. Navy in the
enormous, and vitally important,
task of keeping the world safe for
travel on the water ("the blue stuff")
-
dents in their role as future leaders
He spoke about such a risk taken
by Admiral Chester Nimitz, who
turned the tide against the Japa-
launched the U.S. into WWII.
1985, earning a Mechanical Engineering
degree and has completed
the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology Seminar XXI program in
International Security Affairs.
ballistic missile carrying submarines
in the North Atlantic and Western
Pittsburgh, and he was deployed to
the Caribbean Sea and the Pacif-
responsibilities as director, Innovation
Technology Requirements,
and Test & Evaluation. He has been
awarded the Defense Superior Service
Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense
Meritorious Service Medal, the
Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy
and Marine Corps Commendation
Medal, and the Navy and Marine
-
rently resides in the Washington
D.C. area with his wife, Nancy. They
Each year, a Jesuit alumnus with
a military background addresses
the student body on Veterans Day.
Last year, it was Jesus Delgado-Jen-
U.S. Army and is now the Executive
of Huntington Ingalls in Newport
Observations
of Space
and Sea
Noted celestial
scholar and Vatican
Observatory
astronomer Fr. David
Brown, S.J., and
Read Admiral David
Hahn ’81, USN are
among Jesuit’s
recent Convocation
speakers
Fr. David A.
Brown, S.J. spoke
at Convocation on
November 30
Rear Admiral
David Hahn '81,
USN spoke at
Convocation for
Jesuit's Veterans
Day celebration