Franciscan University of Steubenville (FUS), in Ohio, announced today that it will host the first in a series of Vatican conferences titled “From Sea to Shining Sea: Faith and Culture in North America” from December 2 to 4, 2009.  Sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Culture and coordinated by Dr. Max Bonilla, Franciscan University’s VP for Academic Affairs, “From Sea to Shining Sea” conferences will be presented throughout the United States and Canada “to strengthen Vatican dialogue with North American audiences for years to come,” according to the FUS press release.  In one of the FUS lectures titled “The Church’s engagement With Science After Darwin and Galileo: Overcoming Cultural Icons,” Council undersecretary Msgr. Melchor Sanchez de Toca y Alameda will discuss “the dynamic interplay between science and religion.”  Council official Richard Rouse will lecture on “Engaging With Cultures in the New  Evangelization: An Historic Overview of the Pontifical Council for Culture.”  Franciscan University is featured for its strong Catholic identity in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, now a free online resource.