School of Theology and Religious Studies

November

• • Paz Alexander Martinez Dissertation Defense

    Final Examination of Fr. Paz Alexander Martinez for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy on Tuesday, November 27, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. in Caldwell Hall, room 125.

  • Dr. Jones Serves on Panel at American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting

    Charles B. Jones served as the discussant on the panel, “Buddhist Canons in Context: Compilation, Devotion, and Transformation” at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion in Chicago on November 20, 2012.

  • Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai of China Delivers Lecture

    

    Archbishop Savio delivered a lecture entitled, “The Word Made in China From a Missionary Perspective of Blessed Gabriele M. Allegra (1907-1976),” in Caldwell Auditorium, Monday, Nov. 12.

  • Gösta Hallonsten of Lund University and Former STRS Professor Delivers Lecture

    Professor Hallonsten delivered a lecture entitled, “The Unknown Ratzinger: Bonaventure, Revelation and the Opening of Vatican II” in the Vincent Walter room, Curley Hall, November 13.

  • Msgr. Irwin Attends Bishops' Meeting

    On Sunday Nov. 11th Msgr. Kevin Irwin participated in the day long meeting of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship held at the Inner Harbor Marriott Hotel in Baltimore, Md. In his capacity as a consultor to the Committee he has been asked to assist the bishops on the Committee to draft a statement commemorating the upcoming fiftieth anniversary of the promulgation of Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Liturgy Constitution of the Second Vatican Council.

  • Msgr. Irwin Addresses Scholars on Climate Change

    

    From Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 8 -10, CUA co-hosted an invitation only scholars conference of Catholic theologians on climate change. On Friday Nov. 9th Msgr. Kevin W. Irwin delivered a paper entitled “God’s Icon: Creation, Sacramentality and the Liturgy.”

  • Dissertation Defense: Rev. Seth Nater Arwo-Doqu

    Final Examination of Rev. Seth Nater Arwo-Doqu for the degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology on Monday, November 12, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. in Caldwell Hall, room 125.

  • Dissertation Defense: Susan White Baumert

    Final Examination of Susan White Baumert for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. in Caldwell Hall, room 125.

  • Claire Henning D.Min. Oral Presentation

    Project Evaluation of Claire Henning for the degree of Doctor of Ministry on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. in Caldwell Hall, Happel Room.

  • Dr. Matt Tapie Presents Paper at the Washington D.C. Spinoza Society

    On November 11th, Dr. Tapie presented a paper entitled, “Thomas Aquinas’s Method of Inquiry as a Resource for Overcoming Obstacles to Jewish-Christian Dialogue,” at the Washington D.C. Spinoza Society.

  • Dissertation Defense: Jason Weaver

    Final Examination of Jason Weaver for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy on Friday, November 9, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. in Caldwell Hall, room 125.

• Dr. Pecknold Lectures on Religious Liberty at the University of Notre Dame
  
  On November 6th, Dr. Chad Pecknold gave the concluding address at an international conference "The Seeds of the Church:  Telling the Story of Today's Christian Martyrs," sponsored by the Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.  His lecture, "The End of Martyrdom: Religious Liberty in Liberal Orders," concluded three days of proceedings intended to raise consciousness inside and outside the Church about the widespread persecution of Christians around the world.

• Dr. Nelson Minnich Presides at Sessions On the Americas at International Conference

  

  On October 4th, Dr. Minnich presided at the sessions on the Americas at the Convegno Internazionale 'Il Concilio Ecumenico Vaticano II alla luce degli archivi dei Padri conciliari' (Città del Vaticano, 3-5 ottobre 2012)

• Dr. Nelson Minnich Presents Paper at the Historical Institute of the Italian Middle Ages in Rome

  

  On September 27th, Dr. Minnich presented a paper, “Egidio Antonini da Viterbo and the Reform of Religious Orders at the Fifth Lateran Council (1512-17),” at the Convegno internazionale di studi sulla figura di Egidio da Viterbo, agostiniano, umanista, religioso intellettuale e riformatore, uomo di governo e cardinale at l’Istituto Storico Italiano per il Medioevo, Rome.

• Dissertation Defense: Brent Kruger

  Final Examination of Brent Kruger for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy on Thursday, November 8, 2012 at 2:10 p.m. in Caldwell Hall, room 125.

• D.Min. Oral Presentation: Kevin Bagley

  Project Evaluation of Kevin Bagley for the degree of Doctor of Ministry on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. in Caldwell Hall, Happel Room.

• D.Min. Oral Presentation: Ardella Edwards

  Project Evaluation of Ardella Edwards for the degree of Doctor of Ministry on Friday, November 2, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. in Caldwell Hall, room 125.

• CUA Professors at Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue Meeting

  Msgr Paul McPartlan and Fr John Galvin participated in a meeting of the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation at St Paul's College, Washington DC, on 25-27 October 2012.

• Dr. Robert Miller presents at Dei Verbum Conference

  

  On October 26th, Dr. Robert Miller was one of the invited speakers at the conference, “Dei Verbum at 50: Toward a Clarification of the Inspiration of Scripture” sponsored by the University of Dayton’s Center for Scriptural Exegesis, Philosophy, and Doctrine. Dr. Miller presented a paper, “On the Inspiration of Myth.”

• Dr Chad Pecknold Speaks at Villanova University Conference

  

  On October 26th, Dr Pecknold lectured on Augustine's use of the word "saeculum" in the City of God at Villanova University's 37th annual "Patristic, Medieval and Renaissance Conference."

• Msgr Paul McPartlan Presents the ITC Document and Led a Discussion of TRS Faculty Members

  

  On 23 October, Msgr Paul McPartlan gave a presentation of the latest document from the International Theological Commission to the faculty of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at CUA, and led a discussion of the text afterwards. Msgr McPartlan was president of the sub-commission of the ITC that produced the document, entitled, Theology Today: Perspectives, Principles and Criteria. Already available in eight languages on the Vatican website, the document will be published in November 2012 by the Catholic University of America Press.

• Dr. Christopher Ruddy Speaks At Annual Priests’ Convocation

  

  On October 22nd, Dr. Christopher Ruddy gave two talks in Hunt Valley, Maryland to the annual priests' convocation of the Harrisburg Diocese: "Vatican II: An Overview and Assessment" and "Vatican II and the Year of Faith."

October

September

August

Msgr. Clay Gives Address to Hispanic Catechists and Parish Leaders from Diocese of Raleigh

He also attended the International Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Amsterdam July 23-25 and delivered a paper, “The Burning Bush Episode according to Philo and Josephus.”

Professor Robert Miller Co-Conducts Ecumenical Workshop for Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston

TRS associate professor, Dr. Miller and Professor Sarah H. Henrich of Luther Seminary conducted the annual week-long (June 18-22) Ecumenical Scripture Workshop sponsored by the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston at the Bishop Hodges Pastoral Center in Huttonsville, WV. Professors Miller and Henrich delivered lectures and led discussions on Creation in the Old and New Testaments. The workshop was directed by Deacon Dennis Nesser, a graduate of the CUA School of Canon Law.

Dr. Charles B. Jones Presents Paper at Georgetown University

Dr. Jones presented the paper, “The Prospects for Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding: the Jesuit Case and its Theoretical Implications” at the conference “Understanding Religious Pluralism: Perspectives from Theology and Religious Studies” held at Georgetown University Thursday, May 24, 2012.

Professor Brian Johnstone Presents Paper at National Conference on Medicine and Religion

Professor Johnstone presented a paper entitled, "The Origin of the Distinction between Ordinary and Extraordinary Means of Treatment in Catholic Moral Theology and its Contemporary Relevance," at the National Conference on Medicine and Religion, sponsored by the Program on Medicine and Religion at the University of Chicago, May 23-25, 2012.

Msgr. Irwin Conducts Faculty Seminar in Rome

On Monday May 21st, Msgr. Kevin W. Irwin, conducted a seminar on "Mediated Immediacy: Sacramentality and the Liturgy" for the theology faculty of Santa Croce University in Rome. While in Rome Msgr. Irwin is also consulting with the faculty of the Liturgical Institute at the Ateneo of Sant' Anselmo and the liturgical studies professors at the Gregorian University.

Professor Brian Johnstone presented a paper on "The Ethics of Gift" at the Inaugural International Conference on Education in Ethics
May 1-3, 2012 at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Dissertation Defense: Dennis Robert Di Mauro

Final Examination of Dennis Robert Di Mauro for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. in Caldwell Hall, room 125

Dissertation Defense: Jared Ortiz

Final Examination of Jared Ortiz for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. in in Caldwell Hall, room 125.

Dr. William Dinges gives two presentations

Dr. William Dinges presented a lecture on “Religion and Public Education” at the Institute of International Education, Washington, D.C., on January 23, to a visiting delegation from Saudi Arabia. The lecture was given under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Project. Dr. Dinges also did a presentation on “Trends (and More Trends) in Religion in America” on January 26, at the Theology on Tap gathering at Catholic University.

Dr. Valkenberg co-edits book and publishes article about Al-Ghazali

In December 2011 Dr. Pim Valkenberg co-edited and published a book about Islam in the Netherlands. The title of this book is: Islam in Nederland. Theologische bijdragen in tijden van secularisering (Islam in the Netherlands: Theological Contributions in Times of Secularization), edited by Mohamed Ajouaou, Erik Borgman, and Pim Valkenberg, Amsterdam: Boom, 2011. He also contributed an article about the famous Muslim theologian Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali under the title, “ Islam: Verantwoordelijk voor God”  (Islam: accountable to God) on pages 65-97 of this book.

Dr. Chad C. Pecknold moderates panel on "The Catholicity of the Council"

Dr. Pecknold was moderator for a panel discussion on "The Catholicity of the Council" at a conference on "Keeping the World Awake to God:  The Challenge of Vatican II," co-sponsored by the John Paull II Institute and the journal Communio, January 12-14, 2012.  Click here to read the full story.

Rev. Nicholas Lombardo, O.P., appointed member of pontifical academy

Fr. Lombardo has been appointed a Corresponding Academician of the Pontifical Academy of Saint Thomas Aquinas. The Academy was established by Pope Leo XIII in 1879 to advance scholarship on St Thomas and to foster the application of his thought to contemporary questions. Click here for more information about the Pontifical Academy.

STRS Faculty and Alumni present papers at NAAL

CUA faculty and alumni gathered at the annual meeting of the North American Academy of Liturgy in Montreal, Quebec, on Jan. 5-8, 2012. CUA faculty in attendance included Associate Professor Michael Witczak and Assistant Professor Margaret Schreiber. Current CUA students James Sabak and Richard Hilgartner were in attendance, as well as CUA alums Cathie Vincie (this year’s NAAL president), Judith Kubicki, Mark Wedig, Donald La Salle, Richard McCarron, Gabriel Pivarnic, Steve Wilbricht, Jason McFarland, James Hadley, Heidi Miller, and Nicholas Denysenko.  Click here to read more.

Acting Dean published article           

Acting Dean Rev. Mark Morozowich published an article entitled “Tradition or Innovation – An Analysis of Recent Liturgical Developments in the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United States” in Worship 86, No. 1 (Jan. 2012): 16-39. Rev. Morozowich presents a study of different liturgical issues in the Ukrainian Catholic Church to argue that a focus on the Byzantine tradition does not mean a mere repetition of the past, but is attentive to the worship needs of the community today.

Dr. John S. Grabowski published article

Dr. John S. Grabowski published an article entitled "The Luminous Excess of the Acting Person: Assessing the Impact of Pope John Paul II on American Catholic Moral Theology."  Journal of Moral Theology  1, no. 1 (2012):  116-47.  The essay argues that efforts by both proponents and critics of the late pope's thought to engage his work by connecting it to existing controversies have been inadequate in their failure to consider the anthropological unity and depth of that teaching.

STRS Professors contribute to new book

Three STRS faculty have contributed chapters to a new book, Ressourcement: A Movement for Renewal in Twentieth-Century Catholic Theology, eds. Gabriel Flynn and Paul D. Murray (Oxford University Press, 2012): Joseph Komonchak, John C. and Gertrude P. Hubbard Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, wrote "Humani Generis and Nouvelle Théologie," pp. 138-56; Paul McPartlan, Carl J. Peter Professor of Systematic Theology and Ecumenism, wrote, "Ressourcement, Vatican II. and Eucharistic Ecclesiology," pp. 392-404; and Christopher Ruddy, Associate Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, wrote, "Ressourcement and the Enduring Legacy of Post-Tridentine Theology," pp. 185-201.

Rev. Michael Witczak elected Vice President of the North American Academy of Liturgy

Associate Professor Michael Witczak was elected Vice President of the North American Academy of Liturgy at its recent annual meeting in Montreal, Quebec. The election means that Dr. Witczak will serve for three years on the Academy Committee and as president for the 2014 meeting of the Academy. The North American Academy of Liturgy is an ecumenical and inter-religious association of liturgical scholars who collaborate in research concerning public worship. Dr. Witczak participates in the ongoing seminar on Issues in Medieval Liturgy.

Dr. Christopher Ruddy gave talk on Joseph Ratzinger

Dr. Christopher Ruddy gave a talk entitled "Sect or Mustard Seed? Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI on the Church as a 'Little Flock'", to the monastic community at the Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky on 22 December. Ratzinger views the Church through the perspective of salvation history and of Christology, whereby God--working patiently and gently--saves the 'many' through the 'one' (Jesus Christ) and the 'few' (Israel, the Church). The Church--however big or small--by its nature must always remain inwardly open, existing solely to love, serve, and suffer for the 'many.' A closed or sectarian Church contradicts God's saving will.

Dr. Robert Miller published article

Dr. Robert Miller published an article entitled "Oral Performance in Ancient Israel," in "My Spirit at Rest in the North Country" (Zechariah 6.8), ed. H. M. Niemann and M. Augustin (Beitrage zur Erforschung des Alten Testaments und des Antiken Judentums 57; Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 2011), 229-240. This article provides a detailed study of methods of performing oral "literature" in ancient Israel, drawing on evidence from archaeology, the Bible and other ancient texts, and comparative ethnography.

STRS Congratulates Newly Nominated Cardinal Alumnus Archbishop Timothy Dolan

Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI nominated STRS alumnus Archbishop Timothy Dolan as a new cardinal on Jan. 5. Archbishop Dolan completed his doctorate in Church History before he was appointed rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome in 1994 and installed as Archbishop of New York in 2009. The formal elevation ceremony will be on Feb. 18. Click here to read Archbishop Dolan’s full bio. Our prayers and best wishes are with the newly nominated Cardinal of New York.