On November 6, 2009, the University of St. Thomas (UST) in Houston, Tex., is scheduled to host a “First Friday Forum panel discussion” to help members of the University community come to better understand Pope Benedict XVI’s new encyclical Caritas in Veritate.  Scholars on the panel will include Rev. Jack Gallagher, CSB, of UST’s School of Theology; Louis Zwick of Casa Juan Diego; and Dr. John Hittinger, UST philosophy professor.  The moderator of the discussion will be Deacon Sam Dunning, director of the Office of Justice and Peace for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston as well as the Catholic Campaign for human development.  “The panelists will discuss the key issues and pivotal facets of Pope Benedict’s intricate and timely presentation.”  The event will be sponsored by UST’s Social Justice Institute, the Maryknoll First Friday Forum, and the Pope John Paul II for the Church in the Modern World center.  University of St. Thomas is featured in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, now a free online resource, for its strong Catholic identity.  Source: University of St. Thomas