The Institute for Faith & Culture’s (IFC) spring series, “Think on These Things,” continues March 24 with Director of the Vatican Observatory Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J.

A native of Detroit, Consolmagno taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard, and Lafayette College before entering the Jesuit order and being assigned to the Vatican Observatory in 1993. Since then, he has served in a number of roles and professorships at Loyola College and University, and served as a visiting scientist at Goddard Space Flight Center, among other organizations.

He is the author of multiple books on astronomy, faith, and science, including “The Way to the Dwelling of Light,” “God’s Mechanics,” and “Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?” among others. In 2014 he received the Carl Sagan Medal for outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist from the American Astronomical Society.

On Monday, March 24 at 9:15 a.m. he will present “Why Do We Look Up?” in King’s Memorial Chapel. That evening at 7 p.m. he will offer “A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars” at Saint Anne’s Catholic Church in Bristol, Virginia. Both events are free of charge and open to the public. A reception will take place after the evening presentation.

“It is not every day you get to meet someone who has spent weeks collecting meteorites on the ice in Antarctica or who has an asteroid named after them,” said Martin Dotterweich, Ph.D., director of the IFC. “Brother Consolmagno’s study of the heavens, both in physical and theological form, works to introduce us to distant worlds as well as our own inner horizons. We’re delighted to welcome him to King and to learn from his perspectives.”

Consolmagno holds a bachelor and master’s degree from MIT and a doctorate from the University of Arizona, all in Planetary Science. He has been a member of the International Astronomical Union since 1994, where he works on nomenclature for planetary systems, meteorites, and features on Mars.