Jason King, Ph.D., Beirne Chair and Director of the Center for Catholic Studies at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, delivered the second lecture in the 2025–26 Vincentian Chair of Social Justice Lecture Series at St. John’s University. His talk, titled “The Soul of Catholic Education,” took place on October 9 at the D’Angelo Center on the university’s Queens, New York, campus.

Dr. King reflected on his educational journey, beginning as a mathematics major and later discovering a deeper passion for education that integrates personal meaning, values, and purpose. He recounted an experience with a mathematics professor who was deeply moved by the beauty of a mathematical proof, which prompted Dr. King to seek out a field that would inspire similar passion in himself.

“Before, my path had felt narrow, shaped by pressures I couldn’t see and didn’t understand,” Dr. King said. “I began to see a larger world, one of beauty and curiosity, values and purpose. I felt like I understood myself better and could make decisions about the life I wanted to live. I could see how my beliefs about what is good and true, as well as my relationships with friends and neighbors could guide my choices about how to live. I wanted meaningful work and a meaningful life.”

He explained that his college education allowed him to find professional fulfillment and inspired him to become a teacher. “This is what drove me to become a teacher,” he said. “I felt like this awakening should be something for everybody. We should be more than our ability to work and produce. We should care and wonder, be moved by beauty and truth.”

Dr. King emphasized the importance of seeing individuals as more than just workers, consumers, or statistics. “We should know we are not just defined by culture and economics and politics. We are more than employees and consumers, more than voters and statistics. We are persons capable of joy and dignity.”

He also discussed the mission of Catholic colleges, which he described as forming the whole person—intellectually, morally, and spiritually. “I went to Catholic colleges, not because they were perfect, but because I found in them a mission to point to that kind of education, the one that I experienced and wanted to share, the one that I thought was most important,” Dr. King said.

Dr. King pointed out that graduates from Catholic colleges often distinguish themselves through mentoring, community service, and volunteer work. At St. John’s University, students contribute more than 110,000 hours of volunteer service annually through community-engaged learning programs and campus initiatives such as University Service Day.

“To affirm human dignity is to affirm our responsibility to one another,” Dr. King said. “Love of neighbor is not extracurricular—it’s essential.”

Before the lecture, students attended a luncheon where they discussed their experiences at Catholic colleges with Dr. King. Jack Collins, a sophomore finance major at St. John’s University and vice president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society chapter, shared his reasons for choosing a Catholic university: “Seeing how well my Catholic high school formed me and made me who I am, I only applied to Catholic colleges because I knew I wanted that same formation for my higher education,” he said. Collins expressed his commitment to continuing service both at the university and in the broader community.

Rev. Patrick J. Griffin, C.M., Executive Director of the Vincentian Center for Church and Society, addressed the question of the value of Catholic higher education: “When we think of the high cost of an education at a Catholic university, the issue of value-added to the price must necessarily emerge,” he said. “Dr. King provided us with a report that indicates the added value in the experience of a more meaningful life, in the participation in service, and in the call to ethical decision making. These concrete fruits encourage us who strive to make this kind of education available to our students. These are real values added.”

A recording of Dr. King’s lecture is available for viewing online.