August 1999

Dear Colleague,

We would like to invite you to attend the second annual Thomas Berry Award and Lecture. This will take place on Friday evening October 8^th at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

This event, sponsored by the Center for Respect of Life and Environment (CRLE) and hosted by the Forum on Religion and Ecology, will celebrate the life and work of Thomas Berry, one of the foremost thinkers in revisioning human-earth relations for a more humane and sustainable future for all life on the planet. This year's award recipient and lecturer is Brian Swimme, a leading mathematical cosmologist and author with Thomas Berry of The Universe Story. Brian's biography is on the reverse side.

We are also pleased that Paul Winter will join us for this occasion and play to honor Thomas Berry. The Paul Winter Consort has performed in many parts of the world and has recorded numerous CDs and records. For the last twenty years Paul has been conducting celebrations inspired by the work of Thomas and Brian at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. These include the annual Earth Mass in October for the feast of St. Francis and the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox celebrations. Paul was also a member of the original Board of Directors of the Center for Respect of Life and Environment.

This event will mark an occasion of unique importance in the development of the epic of evolution as a primary context for defining the human task in the next millennium. The epic of evolution is a story that reinvigorates our sense of wonder and awe in relation to the unfolding of our planet and the larger universe. Renewing our deep connectedness to the earth is the aim of this "new story" which Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme have developed, inspired in part by the thought of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.

At this occasion we will celebrate three important publications: a new translation by Sarah Weber of the principal work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Human Phenomenon; a new collection of essays by Thomas Berry called The Great Work; and Brian Swimme's four part video series, The Earth's Imagination. Enclosed is information about these publications.

We will also celebrate the announcement of Thomas Berry's archives going to Harvard University as part of the Environmental Science and Public Policy Archive. This Archive documents the work of important thinkers who have highlighted and helped to shape the fundamental changes in the late 20th century regarding the relationship of humans to the natural world. The schedule for this event follows:

Reception - 6-7:30

Award Presentation and Lecture - 7:30

Music by Paul Winter - 8:30

 

Sincerely,

Rick Clugston

     Mary Evelyn Tucker

Executive Director

     Board Chair