The Bernardin Lecture
The Bernardin Lecture celebrates the legacy of the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, Archbishop of Chicago, and his commitment to a ‘consistent ethic of life’ and to the dignity of each human person.
The lecture takes place each spring on the Hilltop campus of Georgetown University and invites individuals whose lives and work reflect this commitment to speak to the university community.
Joseph Cardinal Bernardin
Joseph Louis Bernardin was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the son of Italian immigrants. His father died when he was six and his mother Maria was a seamstress. The family were among the few Catholics in Charleston at that time.
In 1982, Bernardin was appointed Archbishop of Chicago by Pope John Paul II, and in 1983, he was elevated to the Sacred College of Cardinals. Cardinal Bernardin’s tenure was marked by a commitment to interfaith dialogue and to finding common ground, reconciliation and understanding among people of different faiths. His outreach to the Jewish community fostered a new era of dialogue and trust in Chicago.
On December 6, 1983, Cardinal Bernardin delivered a lecture at Fordham University, entitled A Consistent Ethic of Life: An American-Catholic Dialogue, in which he articulated the Church’s teaching that all life is sacred and must be defended.
The 2026 Bernardin Lecture
Caring for the Whole Child, Georgetown Values in Action in Academic Pediatrics
The 2026 Bernardin Lecture will take place on Wednesday, March 4 at 5:00pm in Riggs Library, and our speaker will be Sarah P. Justvig Nelson, MD, MPH (CAS ’13)
RSVP to the 2026 Bernardin LectureAbout the Speaker
Sarah P. Justvig Nelson, MD (CAS’13)
Pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital
Sarah Justvig Nelson, MD, MPH, is a pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital and an Instructor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Sarah graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Georgetown University with a degree in Biology of Global Health and minors in Spanish and Music. She attended medical school at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University where she graduated with Distinction in Research and was the recipient of the Award for Excellence in Clinical Research.
As a pediatric resident and chief resident at Stony Brook Children’s, Sarah received the Intern of the Year award as well as recognition for her medical student teaching and collegial approach to her work. Sarah completed her General Academic Pediatrics fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital as well as her Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2024. Her current work combines clinical, research, teaching, and residency leadership pursuits. Sarah is a published and grant-funded first author and currently focuses her research on early childhood development, childhood resilience, and pediatric asthma. Sarah is a member of the Boston Children’s Hospital Teaching Academy for Teaching and Educational Innovation and Scholarship and an alumna of and faculty member for the Harvard Macy Institute’s Program for Post-Graduate Trainees: Future Academic Clinician Educators.
At Boston Children’s Hospital, Sarah and her colleagues serve a medically and socially complex patient population in Boston and the greater Boston area. Caring for the whole person of their patients involves not only caring for their medical needs but also attending to their social, emotional, and spiritual needs and the family unit. It is a privilege to walk with families on the journey.
Campus Ministry was a core aspect of Sarah’s experience at Georgetown University. She was a regular attendee at 7:30pm Mass and co-directed the 7:30 Mass Contemporary Choir her senior year. She co-led the Senior Retreat that jumpstarted graduation week festivities. Some of her favorite Georgetown memories involve Thursday evenings gathering for Mass and quesadillas and brownies in Fr. Steck’s New South apartment, Gaudete Sunday Mass celebrations in Gaston Hall, Campus Ministry events such as Lenten Fish Fries, and the annual Lessons and Carols at Holy Trinity Church.