Aaron Frei to deliver Dolle Lecture at Saint Meinrad

St. Meinrad- The annual Dolle Lecture on Church Art and Architecture will be held at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology on Thursday, September 15, 2022, St. Meinrad, IN.

Aaron Frei, of Emil Frei & Associates in St. Louis, MO, will speak on “The Sacred Transmitted: Stained Glass in the Legacy of Sacred Art and Architecture.” The lecture will be held at 7 p.m. Central Time in St. Bede Theater on the Saint Meinrad campus.

Emil Frei & Associates is a liturgical design studio specializing in the design and restoration of custom stained glass and mosaics. The firm works on projects big and small, collaborating with pastors, parish leaders, facility managers, architects, and interior designers.

The firm was established as a stained-glass company in 1898 by Emil Frei Sr. In 2016, Aaron Frei was named the fifth successive generation of the family to lead the firm.

Aaron earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in theology from the University of Dallas. In addition to acting as the firm’s president, he is an expert in theology and iconography. He started working at the family’s firm at age 11 and, except for the few years he spent in a Cistercian monastery, has been part of the company ever since.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Parking is available behind St. Bede Hall, as well as in the Guest House and student parking lots. For more information, contact Mary Jeanne Schumacher during business hours at (812) 357-6501. Guests are asked to wear masks while on campus.

The Peter and Viola Dolle Lecture on Church Art and Architecture was established by Saint Meinrad alumnus Adam Dolle to commemorate the lives of his parents. They spent 48 years together until Peter’s death in 1982. Peter was a master builder, while Viola embodied a spontaneous spirit that is the life of art.