"The Unbroken [Academic] Thread" Part 1: Sohrab Ahmari and Fr. Jonathan Raia

"As a young father and a self-proclaimed 'radically assimilated immigrant,' Sohrab Ahmari realized that when it comes to shaping his young son's moral fiber, today's America comes up short." During this talk, journalist and author Sohrab Ahmari will share some of his ideas about the direness of the crisis we currently face and about the ways forward (which might actually require some looking back). Enjoy this conversation! About Our Speakers Sohrab Ahmari is a contributing editor of The American Conservative and a visiting fellow of the Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life at Franciscan University. Previously, he spent nearly a decade at News Corp., as op-ed editor of the New York Post and as a columnist and editor with the Wall Street Journal opinion pages in New York and London. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Spectator, the Times Literary Supplement, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Dissent and America, among many others. His books include From Fire, by Water: My Journey to the Catholic Faith (Ignatius, 2019) and The Unbroken Thread: Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos (Convergent/Random House, 2021). He has testified before the British Parliament and appears regularly on broadcast media on both sides of the Atlantic, including the BBC, Sky News, France 24, Deutsche Welle, EWTN and Fox News. Fr. Jonathan Raia was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He came to know Jesus Christ through his parents' faith, and he grew in relationship with the Lord through Catholic school and various opportunities for service and leadership. He was also inspired by the example of holiness he witnessed in the priests at his parish and began to consider the priesthood as a young boy. His four years as a student at the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated with a B.A. in Plan II (Liberal Arts) and Spanish in 2002, were pivotal for his faith because of the friends he made at the University Catholic Center. The call to the priesthood grew stronger during his years at the UCC, and he entered seminary for the Diocese of Austin upon graduation. He was ordained a priest in 2009 and served for four years as parochial vicar at St. William Parish in Round Rock, then for a year as parochial vicar at St. Mary’s Catholic Center at Texas A&M University, before beginning as Vocation Director for the Diocese of Austin in July 2014. Six years later, he was named Chaplain/Director of the University Catholic Center. Fr. Jonathan holds a Master’s degree in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University, where he also received training in spiritual direction, a ministry that has been an important part of his priesthood. Ministry to college students has been a consistent source of joy for him, and he considers it an honor to return to his alma mater and to take on the mission of bringing Christ to the students of UT.