Catholic Theological
Society of America

The CTSA mourns longstanding member Rev. Michael J. Himes who died on June 10, 2022.   May he rest in peace.

 

Obituary

Funeral Mass

Reading the Signs of the Times: Theological Reflections
CTSA Proceedings 57 (2002): 1-17.

The following link directs you to the article "Our Lady of the Qur'an" written last year by CTSA member Amir Hussain  for LMU's alumni magazine (July 21, 2021).  Yesterday, June 9, Amir delivered the opening address Thinking Interreligious with Muslims: "A Practical, Not Primarily a Theoretical Matter.

 Our Lady of the Qur'an

The Journal of Religion and Business Ethics is now actively seeking submissions in all areas related to business ethics. JRBE is a peer-reviewed journal that examines the ethical and religious issues that arise in the modern business setting. While much attention has be given to the philosophical treatment of business ethics, this is the first journal to address the more inclusive scope of religious ethics and their understanding of right and just economic relationships.We feature peer-review of all major articles submitted, an open, online publishing format, and a wide and growing readership. Topics include corporate governance, accounting practices, employee/employer relationships, the environment, advanced technology, power relationships, the role of government in the economy, as well as insights from all major and marginalized religious traditions.

To submit an article, follow this link: http://via.library.depaul.edu/jrbe/ and click on the "Submit" button in the right-hand menu. Be sure to have an abstract and author bio prepared ahead of time in order to make the submission process as smooth as possible. Thank you for considering the Journal of Religion and Business Ethics! 

Christopher Steck, S.J., CTSA member and editor of Theological Studies, invites CTSA members to subscribe to Theological Studies with a 30% discount off the standard subscription price.  To subscribe, visit SAGE's subscription page and click on "CTSA Member" (scroll downward and located on the right under +Subscribe).  

SAGE Subscription Website Page

Dear Colleagues--

I am the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Interreligious Studies, which is a collaborative publication of BU School of Theology, Hebrew College, and Hartford International University for Religion and Peace (formerly Hartford Seminary). It is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that is ATLA indexed. You can learn more about it here.

As I was perusing the convention program, I was delightfully overwhelmed by the topics being covered interreligiously. The theme surely sparked inspiration among all of us to propose creative, interreligious papers. I wish I could attend all the sessions!

Many of these papers warrant eventual peer-reviewed publication. To that end, I encourage you to consider the Journal of Interreligious Studies as one possible venue for your research. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me.

I look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Axel Takacs
Seton Hall University
Journal of Interreligious Studies

Good morning. As we look forward to next week's convention in Atlanta, we are delighted to be able to offer, for the first time at the CTSA, Zen meditation sessions each morning. Ruben Habito, Professor at the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, is an experienced and respected Zen master and long-time CTSA member. He will lead sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 715am-815am. As indicated in the Program, on Friday and Saturday, the sessions will take place in "Georgia 10," and on Sunday in "Georgia 13." The sessions are open to all; any CTSA member can come any day, even on the spur of the moment, but it would be helpful for Ruben to have an idea in advance as to about how many are interested and likely to come. We ask you then to email Ruben at rhabito@smu.edu to let him know that you are likely to be coming, putting "Zen Prayer/Meditation" in the subject line of the email. 

Ruben will then be able to share with all who contact him a short article on Zen, and also links to two short videos which introduce Zen meditation for those who are new to this.  

But again, you can just show up on any day or all three days!

Frank Clooney SJ (President-Elect)

As we prepare to hold the CTSA's 76th convention in the historic city of Atlanta, Georgia, and as our learned Society continues its multi-year effort to enact the commitments articulated in its 2020 Statement on Racial Injustice, Emory University's efforts to unpack and learn from the history of slavery and dispossession of black and indigenous persons in the region, particularly in light of the university's involvement in that history,  offer thought-provoking reading.  Today, the rich pasts and presents of Atlanta's black citizens can be discovered throughout the city and region. This February, 2022 article points out just some of those sites and opportunities.

Dear Colleagues,

As we prepare to begin our 2022 CTSA annual convention with a Land Acknowledgment, expressing respect and honor for the Muscogee/Creek peoples as the original inhabitants and stewards of the land on which we will be meeting Atlanta. you, like me, may be prompted to wonder and seek to learn some of the history of the region's native peoples, and about the Muscogee/Creek nation today.  For doing this, exploring the website of the Muscogee Nation, and in particular the Nation's Culture & History pages, may prove a good start.  As we continue to ponder the implications of this new practice for our Society and for our work in our  home institutions, this 2021 story about how Emory University in Atlanta has been proceeding, in dialogue with present day Muscogee Nation leadership, offers food for thought. What actions or discussions are taking place in your institutions?

Indigenous Peoples and The Church:
Walking Together Toward Healing and Reconciliation

Monday, June 6th
7 - 9 pm Eastern / 6 - 8 pm Central / 5 - 7 pm Mountain / 4 - 6 pm Pacific

Sponsored by the Catholic Native Boarding School Accountability and Healing Project (AH) in collaboration with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, CCB.ca

We invite you to participate in a special two-hour conversation with Archbishop Donald Bolen of Regina, Saskatchewan, and three members of Canada’s Indigenous Delegation: Joanna Landry (First Nations), Gary Gagnon (Métis), and William Angalik (Inuit). These delegates will share what they experienced in their meetings with Pope Francis while at the Vatican, March 28th-April 1st. Our facilitator will be Maka Black Elk, Executive Director for Truth and Healing at Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, SD.

In Canada as well as in the U.S., the Catholic Church, together with other religious organizations, collaborated with the governments of these two countries to create a system of residential schools for Indigenous children. For well over a century, the intention of these schools was to assimilate these children into the way of life introduced by the colonizers, through the eradication of their languages, cultures, and social connections. The goal was severance of the deep ties of Indigenous Peoples with their ancestral lands.

Today we stand at a key historical moment in both our Church and our nation. Pope Francis made an apology to the Canadian Indigenous Delegation on April 1st. In late July, he will visit Canada to meet with residential school survivors and their families. Native American U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, released on May 11th, the first segment of the Department’s investigative report called for in the “Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative.”

We look forward to having you and your colleagues join us on June 6th and seeing how we might collaborate more strategically together in the future.

The CTSA remembers and prays for member Rev. J. Michael Byron who died on May 20.  

The funeral Mass and celebration of the life of Fr. Michael Byron at Pax Christi on Wednesday, June 1 and Thursday, June 2.

Wednesday, June 1

• Visitation: 4:00-7:00pm
• Brief Vigil Service: 6:45pm

Thursday, June 2

• Visitation: 9:00-10:45am
• Funeral Mass: 11:00am, Archbishop Bernard Hebda presiding

Please note that the 11:00am Funeral Mass on Thursday, June 2 will also be livestreamed: 

 livestream 

Fr. Mike will be laid to rest at a later date.

Please contact the Parish with any questions at 952-941-3150 or you can find us at www.paxchristi.com.

Access Maria Wiering's piece, "Father Mike Byron, Pax Christi pastor, dies after arriving home from pilgrimage", The Catholic Spirit (May 20, 2022).

May Michael rest in the arms of the Lord
who formed him from the dust of the earth.