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Pope Benedict appoints Rev. Paulinus Odozor, C.S.Sp. as an Adiutor Secretarii Specials for the Second Special Assembly for Africa
Our colleague Paulinus Odozor, C.S.Sp. received news recently that he was appointed by Pope Benedict as an “adiutor secretarii specialis,” that is, a learned expert consultant, for the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. According to the instrumentum laboris, the Synod will take up topic, “The Church in Africa in Service to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace,” and it is to take place this coming October in Rome. The task of the “adiutor” is to attend the sessions of the Synod and to offer expert assistance and collaboration to the Special Secretary of the Synod in the preparation of the synod documents and reports. Since the Holy See can select adiutores from any diocese or university in the world, this is a real honor for our colleague and also for our department.
Prof. Gustavo Gutierrez and Prof. Lawrence Cunningham Receive Honorary Doctorates During Commencement Exercises in May 2009.
Prof. Gustavo Gutierrez received an honoary doctorate from Yale University. The Commencement 2009 Honorary Degree Citation read as follows:
Gustavo Gutiérrez You are the father of liberation theology. Through your witness and your words, you have called attention to God’s just and gracious love for all. Rather than simply speaking on behalf of the poor, you have listened and created a climate for them to be heard. From your work in the slums of Lima, to advanced study in medicine and theology, as well as in your writing and preaching, you have lived a faith that values all. A Dominican priest, your conviction and concern have challenged the conscience of all faithful men and women, as you call for an end to the injustice of poverty. With gratitude for your example, we honor you as Doctor of Divinity.
Professor Lawrence Cunningham received the honorary doctorate of letters and gave the commencement address at Saint Anselm's College (Manchester, New Hampshire) on May 16, 2009 in the year when the college celebrated the nine hundredth anniversary of the death of their patron, Saint Anselm of Canterbury.
The Third Biennial Blessed Pope John XXIII Lecture Series
In Theology and Culture
Presenter: CHINUA ACHEBE
You are cordially invited to The Third Biennial Blessed Pope John XXIII Lecture Series in Theology and Culture.
Chinua Achebe will lecture on "The Igbo and Their Perception of God, Human Beings, and Creation."
All events will take place in Jordan Auditorium, Mendoza College of Business.
--Monday, March 23, 2009, 7:30 p.m. Topic: "God"
--Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 7:30 p.m. Topic: "Human Beings"
--Thursday, March 26, 2009, 7:30 p.m. Topic: "Creation"
About the speaker:
Born Albert Chinualumogu Achebe on November 16, 1930, in Ogidi, Nigeria, Chinua Achebe is the world acclaimed author of Things Fall Apart (1958), which has sold over 10 million copies in fifty languages. Things Fall Apart has been listed as one of the best 100 books of the 20th century. Since 1958, Achebe has published four other novels including his own favorite, Arrow of God, which, like Things Fall Apart, chronicles Igbo Life in its early period of contact with European culture and religion. He has also published collections of short stories and poems, numerous essays and lectures. A winner of many awards worldwide, Achebe recently won the United States Medal of Honor for Literature (2007) and the Man Booker International Prize for Literature (2007) among others. He was also the first recipient of the prestigious Nigerian National Merit Award in 1979. Because of his role in the development of contemporary African literature and the quality of his writing and thought, Achebe has been acclaimed the "father of African literature." Living in the United States since 1991, he is the Charles P. Stevenson, Jr. Professor of Languages and Literature at Bard College, New York.
Rabbi Michael A. Signer
(1945-2009)
Teacher, scholar, colleague, mentor, friend
Dear Colleagues:
I was heartbroken to learn of the death of our beloved colleague
Michael Signer (Saturday, January 11, 2009) upon my return from the DR Congo last night. I was so sad to receive this unwelcome, if not entirely unexpected, news, and I know that you all share my own sense of loss very keenly.
There is not much I can say to mitigate this sense of loss. As I think
about the contributions Michael made to our common enterprise,
however, I was moved to reflect on the gifts he has left us and on the
way in which these will surely be enduring gifts of presence.
I know that the greatest academic contributions, in teaching and in
scholarship of various sorts, are always also spiritual contributions,
for our work as scholars and teachers extends into the realm of the
spirit when it is accomplished with true excellence.
I think this is even more true in the case of Michael's work among us.
His dogged pursuit of Christian-Jewish dialogue, and his work in
medieval biblical exegesis, had an explicit, and not just implicit,
spiritual character and goal, and when students were included it was
more pronounced than ever. Michael created opportunities for
spiritual exchange of great depth. He allowed people to engage from
their own starting point and with their own temperament and never
expected people to enter into dialogue or scholarship from a point of
view that was not their own. He therefore gave people "space" to
think and to feel, and that is a great spiritual gift. Without
fanfare, he made it possible for a great number of people to
appropriate a way of negotiating deep religious questions, and always
in a way appropriate for a university, in fact, creating new ways that
are now at home in a university. That is his gift to us, or one of the
many, at least.
I also hope to arrange a memorial service for him sponsored by our Department. I feel strongly that we should be able to commend him to the mercy and love of God in our own voices, and to memorialize his contribution in a way that is uniquely our own.
In the meantime, we are setting up a fund, at Betty Signer's suggestion, to help graduate students pursue research interests that might involve
expenses beyond their means and beyond the normal ability of the
university to assist them, a fund to be known as the Michael Signer
Graduate Research Fund. Betty felt, and I agreed, that this is what
would please Michael the most, the ability to help students pursue
their dreams and ambitions in research, in any of our fields.
If you would like to make a contribution to this fund, Dorothy Anderson will collect them (130 Malloy Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556; checks made payable to Department of Theology).
You may certainly send a card or greetings to:
Home Address:
Betty Signer
51840 Summer Wood Court
Granger, IN 46530
With all due affection in this time of common loss, as always, your colleague,
John Cavadini
2008 Catechetical Award presented to Dr. Gerard F. Baumbach
Information Contact: Valerie McCance, tel. 574-631-2877
Jerry Baumbach is married to Elaine, his life-companion, and they are the parents of three adult sons. He has been a catechist since 1966. Currently he is the Director of the Center for Catechetical Initiatives, Institute for Church Life, and Concurrent Professor in the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. It was at Notre Dame that Jerry planned, designed, and implemented, with the support of Center and Department staff, the master plan and structures for establishing the strong Echo Program and Arch/Diocesan-University partnerships.
Established in 2003, the Center for Catechetical Initiatives (CCI) offers new and creative approaches for meeting the Church's need for the preparation of well-qualified people to serve as catechetical leaders. CCI also encourages dioceses to offer realistic career paths for young people seeking careers in catechetical ministries. Without a doubt, this program has taken a major step in recruiting, training, mentoring and facilitating the development of lay ecclesial ministers grounded in the national certification standards.
At Notre Dame, Prof. Baumbach has spearheaded the development and implementation of Echo Faith Formation Leadership Program, the first major service program of CCI. It is an initiative that forms new parish catechetical leaders for service in dioceses and parishes in the United States. Echo has taken its mission directly from the U.S. Bishops’ challenge in the National Directory for Catechesis: “The single most critical factor in an effective parish catechetical program is the leadership of a professionally trained parish catechetical leader.…Only fully initiated, practicing Catholics who fully adhere to the Church’s teaching in faith and morals and who are models of Christian virtue and courageous witnesses to the Catholic faith should be designated as parish catechetical leaders.” (54B5).
In its four years of existence, forty-seven Apprentice Catechetical Leaders have begun or completed the two-year Echo apprenticeship. More than 80% of Echo graduates have continued in ministry professions. Seven of the graduates are parish catechetical leaders, three are directors of youth ministry, one is a director of Hispanic ministry, two are Catholic high school campus ministers and five are Catholic high school theology teachers. Nine dioceses and 52 parishes have been program partners with another eight dioceses being the beneficiaries of these outstanding graduates.
Jerry believes that the challenges facing catechesis and catechetical leadership as the new century unfolds are complex, demanding, and multifaceted. Embracing these challenges requires leadership imbued with a nurturing spirit. “Through my service to faith and community, I have worked to nurture and empower persons of faith in uncovering such gifts as wisdom, culture, and memory in relationship with others in the life of the Church.”
Anne Roat, Director of Ecclesial Lay Ministry for the Diocese of Lafayette, Indiana said, “Jerry's contributions to our catechetical ministry in the recent stages of his career are outdoing the already great contributions of his earlier career.This is amazing!The Echo initiative is unprecedented and unparalleled in forming catechetical leaders.Its impact is already much more clear than it was even in 2003 when Jerry received the F. Sadlier Dinger Award for ‘Wisdom, Vision, and Leadership Serving and Enriching the Ministry of Catechesis Nationally and Internationally.’ Jerry is an authentic catechetical pioneer.” It is for his work and the ongoing vision and contributions of the Center for Catechetical Initiatives that NCCL presents its 2008 Catechetical Award to Dr. Gerard F. Baumbach and the Center for Catechetical Initiatives, a part of the Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.
HarperOne Awards the First Annual Huston Smith
Publishing Prize to Notre Dame Associate Professor Bradley Malkovsky
Contact: Emily K. Grandstaff, 415-477-4409
or emily.grandstaff@harpercollins.com
October 29, 2008: HarperOne announced today that it has awarded the First Annual Huston Smith Publishing Prize to Bradley Malkovsky. Malkovsky, an associate professor of comparative theology at the University of Notre Dame, receives this award for his manuscript God’s Other Children: The Many Religions and the Quest for Understanding in Sacred India.
God’s Other Children is a spiritual travelogue that presents a number of important and unexpected encounters and conversations the author has with Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists in an India undergoing sweeping cultural changes. Through the spiritual and theological reflections woven into the narrative, Malkovsky emphasizes the distinct beauty and wisdom of each tradition as well as its commonalities with other traditions of spirituality.
In celebration of his life and work HarperOne has established The Huston Smith
Publishing Prize, to be awarded to one author each year, beginning with the
year 2008, whose unpublished work best reflects the spirit of Huston Smith's
life's work. Defined broadly, this will be a work of non-fiction written for a
popular audience that promotes the cause of religious understanding in the
world and its interface with culture.
HarperOne will announce the winner of the Huston Smith Publishing Prize each year at the American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature Conference. The author winning the prize will enter into a publishing agreement with HarperOne and receive a $25,000 advance against royalty, subject to the terms of the publishing agreement. Please visit www.hustonsmithprize.com for more information.
Bradley Malkovsky is Associate Professor of Comparative Theology atthe University of Notre Dame.Professor Malkovsky has degrees from the University of Tubingen, Germany, and has studied Sanskrit and Hindu thought at the University of Poona in Pune, India.He is the editor of New Perspectives on Advaita Vedanta (Brill, 2000); and the author of The Role of Divine Grace in the Soteriology of Samkaracarya (Brill, 2001).He is also the editor of the Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies.
Huston Smith is internationally known and revered as the premier teacher of world religions and for his bestselling book The World’s Religions. He was the focus of a five-part PBS television series with Bill Moyers, and has taught at Washington University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, and the University of California, Berkeley. He has published fourteen books and has received twelve honorary degrees. He currently lives with his wife Kendra in Berkeley, California.
Lecture: ''Touched with a Coal from Heaven'
Wu Li and the First Chinese Christian Poetry
The University of Notre Dame Department of Theology is pleased to present a lecture:
Who: Professor Jonathan Chaves
George Washington University
Speaking on the topic:
''Touched with a Coal from Heaven'
Wu Li and the First Chinese Christian Poetry
Date: Monday, March 17, 2008
4:30 p.m.
125 DeBartolo Hall
Professor Jonathan Chaves, long recognized as a leading scholar and translator of Chinese poetry, has in recent years turned his attention to the neglected subject of the presence of Christianity in traditional Chinese literary culture. He will share with us some of his work on the eminent painter and literatus Wu Li (1632-1718)--convert to Christianity and Jesuit priest--who was also the first to render themes of Christian faith and theology in the forms of classical Chinese poetry.
Questions? Please feel free to call our office, 574-631-7811.
Prof. Lawrence Sullivan Awarded One of Romania's Most Important Medals
Spring 2008
The Romanian consul in Washington, D.C., recently confirmed that Prof. Lawrence Sullivan, Professor of Theology and World Religions, received the Order of Cultural Merit in the Rank of Commander from President Traian Basescu of Romania, one of the most important Romanian medals granted to personalities with relevant contributions and activity in the cultural area. In making the citation to Prof. Sullivan for his work in interfaith dialogue, the head of state reminded listeners that inter-religious tensions have lately led to international conflicts that threatened the safety of every citizen. "Therefore, I believe that the inter-confessional dialogue is essential for religion not to become again a reason of disagreement between nations, causing oppression or death to millions of people in futile wars, " President Traian Basescu stressed.
This conference will explore the development of the canonization process and the significance of the saints in Catholic life and devotion on the occasion of the first feast day celebration of Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Speakers include Professor Cunningham, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick (archbishop emeritus of Washington, D.C.), Kenneth Woodward (former religion editor, Newsweek), Professor Ann Astell (theology, University of Notre Dame), Msgr. Kevin Kostelnik (rector, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles), and Robert Ellsberg (editor, Orbis Books).
“By canonizing some of the faithful, i.e., by solemnly proclaiming that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God’s grace, the Church recognizes the power of the Spirit of holiness within her and sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessors.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #828)
On the occasion of the first feast day celebration of Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, this conference will explore the development of the canonization process and the significance of the saints in Catholic life and devotion.
ALL EVENTS WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE AUDITORIUM OF McKENNA HALL. PLEASE CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, tel. 574-631-7811.
Schedule of Events
Friday, January 18
4:00 p.m. Thinking Seriously about the Saints
Dr. Lawrence Cunningham
University of Notre Dame
7:30 p.m. Making Saints
Mr. Kenneth Woodward
Former Religion Editor, Newsweek
Saturday, January 19
9:00 a.m. All Saints: The Universal Call to Holiness
Dr. Ann Astell
University of Notre Dame
10:30 a.m. A Great Cloud of Witnesses
Msgr. Kevin Kostelnik
Rector, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles
2:00 p.m. Blessed Basil Moreau
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick
Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, D.C.
3:30 p.m. Saints in Everyday Life
Mr. Robert Ellsberg
Editor, Orbis Books
Gimello an extraordinary “Buddhologist” 
December 3, 2007
By: Michael O. Garvey
As perhaps befits a new member of the University of Notre Dame’s increasingly diverse arts and letters faculty, Robert Gimello, research professor of theology and East Asian languages and cultures, is no ordinary Buddhologist.
Read full article
Father Elizondo to receive international peace award
October 25, 2007
By: Shannon Chapla
Rev. Virgilio P. Elizondo, professor of pastoral and Hispanic theology in the Department of Theology and fellow of the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame, will receive the 2007 Community of Christ International Peace Award for his work in advocating full inclusion and justice for immigrants Friday (Oct. 26) in Independence, Mo.
Hispanic Catholic bishops meet at Notre Dame
September 27, 2007
By: Michael O. Garvey
An informal meeting of the nation’s Hispanic Catholic bishops was held at the University of Notre Dame on Sept. 24 and 25.
The gathering was organized in consultation with the bishops by Prof. John Cavadini, chair of theology and director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Church Life (ICL); Rev. Virgilio P. Elizondo, Notre Dame Professor of Pastoral and Hispanic Theology; and Rev. Richard v. Warner, C.S.C., director of Notre Dame’s Office of Campus Ministry.
Read full articleND theologian Father Elizondo receives John Courtney Murray Award
June 12, 2007
By: Michael O. Garvey
Rev. Virgilio P. Elizondo, the Notre Dame Professor of Pastoral and Hispanic Theology, received the John Courtney Murray Award from the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA) at its annual convention banquet on June 9 in Los Angeles.
The award, which is the CTSA's highest honor, memorializes the most prominent American Catholic theologian at the Second Vatican Council, and a principal author of the Declaration on Religious Freedom (Dignitate Humanae), one of the council's most important teaching documents.
A member of the Notre Dame faculty since 2000, Father Elizondo is a native of San Antonio, Texas, where his Mexican immigrant parents owned a grocery store and where he himself spent many years as the pastor of San Fernando Cathedral. The Sunday Spanish Mass at which he presided was televised and carried via satellite from San Fernando Cathedral to more than 1 million households.
Father Jenkins leads Notre Dame delegation to conference in the Holy Land
May 25, 2007
By: William Schmitt & Michael O'Garvey
Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame, will lead a delegation of University administrators and faculty to Jerusalem for a conference May 30 (Wednesday) marking the 35th anniversary of the Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies at Tantur.
The conference, "Perspectives on Hope - The Perspective of Hope," will explore the role of religious faith in making peace.
"Notre Dame is holding fast to this experiment in interreligious dialogue, especially when some have given up on Christian unity and others have despaired of any peace possibilities in the Middle East," Father Jenkins said. "To mark the 35th anniversary of the institute, the University has invited leading scholars to address bottom-line questions of faith and reason: Where can one find hope in an apparently hopeless situation? What might hope look like?
"We Christians have something to contribute on this topic, and much to learn."
Registration for Summer 2007 Theology Courses Now Available
Registration for the summer M.A. (Theology) courses is now available. Prospective students may register as non-degree-seeking or as degree seeking students. The program will again offer a course in Israel.
For more information, see Summer Theology courses
Professor Jerome H. Neyrey, S.J. Retires
The end of the academic year brought a celebration of Rev. Jerome Neyrey's many years of teaching and research at the University of Notre Dame. Many faculty, administrators, and friends gathered for dinner on April 30, 2007, to honor Fr. Neyrey and his achievements. We will miss him!
Michael Rossmann Named 2007 Valedictorian
By: Julie Hail Flory
Date: April 30, 2007
Michael Rossmann, a double major in theology and economics from Iowa City, Iowa, has been named valedictorian of the 2007 University of Notre Dame graduating class and will present the valedictory address during Commencement exercises at 2 p.m. May 20 (Sunday) in the Joyce Center arena.
For more information, see Michael Rossmann Named 2007 Valedictorian
A Papal Mistake Gladly Forgiven
By: Michael O. Garvey
Date: April 23, 2007
Before he became Pope Benedict XVI two years ago, and even before he became famous for his direction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was a prolific theologian whose dozens of books were widely and respectfully read. In 2003 he began yet another book on what he calls his “personal search for the face of the Lord.”
On April 16, Pope Benedict’s 80th birthday, the 448- page book, “Jesus of Nazareth,” went on sale in European bookstores. The English-language edition is set for release May 15. The pope insists that the book is his own and not an official assertion of Catholic doctrine, adding, “Everyone is free, then, to contradict me.”
That is a daring invitation for any pope to make in an age of Web logs. At Commonweal magazine’s dotCommonweal site (http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/blog/ ), Father Robert Imbelli, a theologian from Boston College, cheerfully took up the papal challenge, noting that Pope Benedict had wrongly identified Rev. John P. Meier, Warren Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, as a Jesuit.
For more information, see A Papal Mistake Gladly Forgiven
BYU Donation is Largest for Theology
By: Carol C. Bradley
March 22, 2007
The recent donation of a collection of nearly 7,000 books on Catholic theology by Brigham Young University “will richly enhance our holdings in Catholic thought and history,” says Alan Krieger, subject librarian for theology, philosophy and Jewish studies at Notre Dame’s Hesburgh Library.
For more information, see BYU donation is largest for theology
Theologian Ryan named Henry Luce III Fellow
By: Kyle Chamberlin
March 19, 2007
The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) and the Henry Luce Foundation have named University of Notre Dame theologian Maura A. Ryan a Henry Luce III Fellow in Theology for 2007-08. She is one of seven award recipients selected from more than 250 ATS member graduate theological schools.
For more information, see Theologian Ryan named Henry Luce III Fellow
Theologian’s book offers new insight into John Calvin
By: Kathy Pitts
March 19, 2007
In his groundbreaking new book “Image and Word in the Theology of John Calvin,” Randall C. Zachman, associate professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, reveals and analyzes the Swiss reformer’s understanding of image and word both comprehensively and chronologically, with attention to the way that each theme develops in Calvin’s theology.
For more information, see Zachman's new book
Film festival honors Father Groody's "Dying to Live" documentary
December 12, 2006
"Dying to Live: A Migrant's Journey," a 33-minute film written and directed by University of Notre Dame theologian Rev. Daniel Groody, C.S.C., received the best documentary award Nov. 30 at the New Way Media Film Festival in Berkeley, Calif.
ND ReSource: Professor Joseph Amar calls pope's trip a "calculated risk"
November 27, 2006
"Pope Benedict's trip to Turkey this week is something of a calculated risk," according to Rev. Joseph Amar, professor of classics and concurrent professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame.
Conference to examine faith and health
November 10, 2006
The University of Notre Dame will host a conference titled "Faith and Health: An Interdisciplinary Conference on the Dynamics of Religious Coping" from Dec. 3 to 5 (Sunday to Tuesday) at McKenna Hall.
Burrell to speak Oct. 24 on political Islam
October 19, 2006
Rev. David B. Burrell, C.S.C, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. Professor of Philosophy and Theology, will deliver a public lecture titled "Peacemaking in the Holy Land: Political Islam," at 4 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 24) in the auditorium of the Hesburgh Center for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame.
Films and Faith series Oct. 27-29 to highlight saintly cinema
October 19, 2006
The University of Notre Dame will present a film series titled "Films and Faith Weekend: Faces of the Saint" from Oct. 27 to 29 (Friday to Sunday) in the Browning Cinema of the University's DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts.
The series is presented by Notre Dame's Departments of Theology and Film, Television and Theatre and the DeBartolo Center as a College of Arts and Letters "Decade of the Arts" signature event.
Second Saturday Scholar Series presentation available on the Web
September 20, 2006
Eugene Ulrich, Rev. John A. O'Brien Professor of Theology, delivered the most recent lecture in the University of Notre Dame's Saturday Scholar Series, "The Impact of the Dead Sea Scrolls on Our Bible," on September 16. His presentation examined how these manuscripts illustrate the development of the biblical books and raise questions about revelation, inspiration and the canon. Ulrich's lecture is available for viewing on the Web at:
http://streaming.nd.edu/artsletters/saturday06/scrolls.wmv (broadband)
http://streaming.nd.edu/artsletters/saturday06/scrolls_low.wmv (modem)
Jump starting wonder
August 25, 2006
A particularly anemic account which is sometimes given of the miracle of the loaves and the fishes goes like this: Most of the people who had come out to hear Jesus preach that day had packed a hearty lunch but had selfishly concealed it from the others for fear of having to share. As Jesus spoke, the "miracle" then unfolded like an annoying television commercial, with people first grudgingly, and then enthusiastically sharing what they'd brought in their pockets and knapsacks until--Hey, how about that?--there was much more than enough for everybody.
That boring and knee-jerk rationalist exegesis reflects a secular drift in the times, the culture's unbelief and evident obliviousness to anything invaluable, immeasurable, or unyielding to the force of human will. Some argue that our customary ways of making do can fatally immunize us against what the poet and translator Robert Fitzgerald has called "a just expectation...of moments that seem mysterious gifts from we know not where."
John Cavadini, chair of Notre Dame's theology department and director of the Institute for Church Life, wants to revive and to justify that expectation by means of Theology 40215, "Miracles."
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