Places of belonging in the poetry of Gerald Manley Hopkins with Ron Hansen, novelist, and Paul Mariani, poet, moderated by Tom Tobin, English high school teacher

Speakers will present some major poems on dwelling place in the poetry of Fr. Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ (1844–1889). After a short biography of the English convert and Jesuit, they will move on to review and "teach" some of his most famous poems as well as illustrate some extracts from his journals.

A Catholic view on the status of immigration to the U.S. with Ashley Feasley, legal expert in residence at the Immigration Law and Policy Initiative, The Catholic University of America, Msgr. Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and Mario Russell, executive director, Center for Migration Studies, moderated by Jackie Aldrette, managing director, AVSI USA

Immigration is a complex issue involving differing perspectives and widespread misconceptions. For some, it reflects a profound search for a new place of belonging; for others, it awakens the fear of losing their own. Speakers will share recent data on undocumented populations in the U.S., discuss Catholic principles relevant to migrant policies, and consider how Church teachings address both the struggles of those who leave their homelands and the calling of those who are asked to welcome them.

The concept of dwelling place in the Muslim and Jewish tradition, with Wael Farouq, associate professor of Arabic Language and Culture, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, and Malka Simkovich, editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society, moderated by Stephen Adubato, associate editor of Compact

Speakers will address how Muslim and Jewish traditions define a dwelling place, highlighting the universal relevance of having a place that one can call home.

Event link: https://www.newyorkencounter.org/2026-more-than-just-a-house