"... Besides sending greetings my purpose is to let you know that we keep Cosmos and Creation going and have found it to be quite successful in terms of attracting people.  The steady group of scientists (all Ph.D. types) who meet each year is about 35-45 and it is ecumenical.  One year we had about 250 because it was a symposium related to the work of Teilhard de Chardin.  In the early years it was decided by the group to invite a figure who could help us reflect, since most of the active scientists do not have time for concentrated theological reflection and writing.  Our guests have been Rustum Roy (Penn State, National Council of Churches, Geochemistry), Stanley L. Jaki (Philosophy, Theology, Physics), Geoffrey Chew (University of California at Berkeley, Physics), Ernan McMullen (Notre Dame, History of Science), Langdon Gilkey (University of Chicago, Theology), Frederick Ferre (University of Georgia, Ethics), Karl Schmitz-Moormaan (ESSAT, Anthropology), Michael Buckley (Boston College, Theology), Thomas Torrance (University of Edinburgh, Theology and Science), Ian Barbour (Carleton, Physics/Theology),Arthur Peacocke (Oxford,Chemistry/Theology).  The symposium on Teilhard included Ursula King (Bristol), Bishop Joseph Zycinski (Tarnow), Trennert-Helwig (Freiburg), Michael Heller (Cracow), Tom King (Georgetown).

About ten years ago we started to have a luncheon speaker each year, sometimes one of our group.  The two talks by the guest and the luncheon are open to the public but the remainder of the weekend is spent focusing on the thought of the guests' lectures.  There have been some wonderful exchanges over the years and people keep coming back."
 

James F. Salmon, S.J.
December 17th, 1996