How Pope Francis’s background in science informed a local educator’s teachings

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - One of the many things Pope Francis was known for was his background in science before becoming a priest. He was the first pontiff in history to take a public stance on combating climate change. It's that work and so much more that has left a lasting impact on one local teacher.

Seamus McGuire is a scientist and educator at St. Mary's Catholic High School. He heads the STEM department at the school. When McGuire was in college, he spent a year studying in Rome.

"It became a part of everyday life to be walking through the Vatican on a Wednesday evening or Sunday morning, and you would see Pope Francis up on his balcony, giving his address. He'd be praying the Angelus. He would be just speaking and meeting with people, and it was so normal to see him engage with the everyday people of the city that it just was, oh, yeah, there's the Pope. He's doing what he does. He just meets with people. He's there to help and guide and lead. And that really formed how I view my own faith as a Catholic. And about the mission of the Catholic Church and our need to meet people where they are and become a part of everyday life," shared McGuire.

He says Pope Francis's teachings and history as a scientist helped to inform his lessons as a science teacher.

"I really connected with Pope Francis on that personal level because of his background as a biochemist, where he had this entire career of working as a scientist, doing research. And that bleeds into the way that he talks and views the world," explained McGuire.

Every week, he shares a catholic scientist with his class to inspire them and show how other catholics have had successful careers in science.

"The job of a scientist is to question. It's to find loopholes. It's to find the failings of the universe around us and then work on a solution for them. And you have to have some faith in your hypothesis. There's going to be an answer to it. And when I bring that up, they go, yeah, of course, I have faith that my hypothesis, I'm going to find a solution to it. That's faith right there. That's religion. That's what I'm doing every day, believing that there is a God and that faith, that trust, is at the core of religion and science," explained McGuire.

That's how he found answers to the intersectionality of science and religion. He shared how, during his time in Rome, he was able to study scientific research done with the belief in God. These studies and the teachings of Pope Francis have carried on in his lessons to this day.

"He really pushed for education and for making sure that our students and the next generation were set up to be successful, not just as catholics, but as human beings," shared McGuire.

McGuire teaches students how the slightest act of kindness can make a world of a difference. 

"It's that one small handshake, that one tiny thing that Pope Francis kept him going. So it's, you know, those small things are really important," explained McGuire.

Just like the Pope left that impact on him. 

"Touching his hand one time in a papal audience, even that left me so, you know, touched by how incredible of a human being he was. It's a lot of emotions that run through your mind," McGuire recounted.

McGuire said there will be services and prayers for students of St. Mary's High School this week.