Bethany Welch was recently interviewed by Daniel Bowman Jr. of Art House America. She discussed her personal and academic background, journey in faith, experience with Millennial, and thoughts on how to build and strengthen community. She also talked about her work as the founding director of the Aquinas Center in South Philadelphia and what the center is all about:

Differences of culture, ethnicity, race, religion, education, and class can place us in parallel worlds without the possibility of venturing into each other’s lives. Aquinas Center seeks to be a space where we actively and intentionally pursue what Pope Francis recently called a “culture of encounter.” There is a profound beauty in watching a high school kid from an affluent suburb get introduced to water ice (a quintessential South Philadelphia summer treat) by another teen originally from the Philippines and from far less means. All the differences wash away as the sticky colored confection melts down your arm. This one moment won’t solve poverty or fix urban education, but a thousand such moments could. They could transform how we live in relationship with those on the margins, how we love, and even how we make laws and vote.

The full interview can be read here.