Poverty, Humility, and Simplicity in Paradise: Faculty Published Article

Meet Steve Soldi

Born and raised outside of Boston, Massachusetts, Steve graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in his home state, where he majored in English and discovered his lifetime love for the intersection of Christianity and Literature. Steve completed his graduate studies at the University of Dallas. He took an interdisciplinary degree in the Humanities, combining the pursuit of History, Philosophy, Theology, and Literature. Steve went on to satisfy his dual concentration in Philosophy and Literature with independent research projects on the religious epistemology in Blaise Pascal’s Of the Geometrical Spirit and the Christian Humanism in François Rabelais’s Gargantua and Pantagruel.

Q + A

Mr. Soldi! You recently had an article published by Notre Dame. Can you tell us about it?

“Of course! St. Francis of Assisi is a fascinating historical figure who has captured the imagination of many Christians and non-Christians alike over the past 800 years. My article, published on the anniversary of his death on October 3, 1226, analyzes the apostolic spirit of Francis as articulated by Dante, the greatest poet of the Western world. “

Incredible! What inspired you to write about St. Francis in Dante?

 

“I’ve been absorbed in the labyrinth of Dante’s Divine Comedy since I first read it over a decade ago. However, writing on the topic seemed nearly impossible to me given the large scope of the trilogy, until I came up with the idea to use one section of the poem to shed light on the entire poem. I always intuited a strong link between Francis’s spirituality and Dante’s overall project. In a sense, the virtues of poverty, humility, and simplicity are the theological foundations of Dante’s understanding of the spiritual life – the topic of his poem. Through the writing process, it’s safe to say that I confirmed my intuition.”

That is so interesting! How does it feel to have your work published?

“I was thrilled to have my article accepted by Church Life Journal at Notre Dame. Notre Dame was actually my dream school for college, though I never applied. I guess I’ll take my publication as a consolation prize!

What do you hope readers will gain from your article?

“I hope the Brook Hill community has the courage to look to St. Francis as a model of Christ-like character. As Mr. Brady has repeated over and over again since day one, we all need to turn outward, humbly and sacrificially, in all that we do. Every time I hear his message, I think of St. Francis for encouragement. If readers can see my article as a pathway to connect Mr. Brady’s teaching to St. Francis’s life to their life, then I’d call my small contribution a huge success.

Mr. Soldi, thank you for everything you do for our students in the classroom and in your clubs! We are proud of you for your recent published article & podcast interview, and we are grateful for your expertise.