Catholic Theological
Society of America

The CTSA remembers long-standing member Brian David Berry who died on Tuesday, October 26th.  

Brian Berry passed away from cancer on October 26 at the age of 64. He received his PhD in theological ethics from Boston College in 1995. Prior to his work as a theology professor at Ursuline College, Notre Dame of Maryland University, and St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute, where he received multiple teaching awards, Brian worked in Jamaica in a Jesuit mission and as an assistant in a L’Arche community in Calgary. He published in areas of bioethics, social ethics, and the spirituality of Jean Vanier. Brian leaves behind his wife of 26 years, CTSA member Susanne DeCrane. As she reflects, Brian was a proud Canadian and had a particular concern for those “whom society deems insignificant.” (Written by Kristin E. Heyer and Brian's wife and CTSA member Susanne DeCrane.)

Link to Brian David Berry's Obituary

November is a precious month when, as the days grow shorter and darker, we remember the larger community of which we are a part, heaven and earth gathered in the Lord’s communion of saints.

On All Saints Day, we remember all those holy women and men who have gone before us, many of whom have been inspirations to us in our own spiritual journeys. On All Souls Day, we remember all those who have died near and far, recently and long ago, sisters and brothers whose destinies are now held within the love and mystery of God. Let us pray for those we knew personally, family, friends, colleagues, but also for the very many people far and near who have died in the last year, from Covid and a host of other acts and systems of violence.

It is timely then also to mark November 2 as the Día de los Muertos, a holy day celebrated particularly among Mexican-Americans, a solemn occasion marked with special altars, offerings, and prayers, and visits to cemeteries when possible. As we become a more multicultural and international Catholic Theological Society, let all of us find ways to make the images, rituals, and sentiments of the Día de los Muertos tradition part of our lives and spiritual practice.

November 4 is Diwali, the great Hindu festival of light, marking the conquest of good over evil. In a world where dark hatred and blinding violence too often seem to triumph, we can join in pray with our Hindu sisters and brothers, that the light pierce and overcome the gloom around us.

In these times when we are becoming more sensitive to the history of the land in which we live, it is timely also to note that November is Native American Heritage month. During this month we are called to remember and reflect on the lives of the original inhabitants of the land, people whose stories need to be told and rights must be acknowledged and honored, particularly in the places where we live and work. Much more information on this heritage month can be found online, including at the Bureau of Indian Affairs site.

Let us hope and pray that by Thanksgiving we will find this month of remembrance culminating in a spirit of thanksgiving for the bountiful gifts of people and places that make our lives possible, even in the most difficult of times.

The CTSA is continuing to dialogue on the question of fossil fuel divestment.  To aid the discussion, Board members recently viewed excerpts from an expert panel hosted by the Global Catholic Climate Movement (recently renamed the Laudato Si Movement).  The 45 minute recording explains the current state of the climate crisis, outlooks for global energy needs, and responses from ethical and faith perspectives. 

Click on the blue button to view the video:

Excerpts from Net Zero by 2050:
A Laudato Si Movement Webinar (July 2021)

Please take the time to view this fascinating panel, with the following speakers:

• Tomás Insua, Executive Director, Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM)

• Dr.Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA)

• Richard Brooks, Climate Finance Director, Stand.earth 

• Joan Brown,osf, Executive Director of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light, Sisters of Saint Francis 

Comments are welcome in the comment box below.  Thank you for contributing to this critical dialogue.

CTSA Ad hoc Committee on Fossil Fuels
Erin Lothes Chair
Daniel DiLeo
Nancy Rourke
Matthew Shadle

"Keeping Scientifically Informed: A Duty for Theologians and the Church Magisterium"

by Jame Schaefer, Marquette University

Designee of the CTSA Workshop of the Committee on Doctrine
with the Learned Societies Laudato Si':
Science, Responsibility, and Solidarity. 
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (March 11, 2021).

CTSA member Jame Schaefer would enjoy any comments and questions--especially regarding her three recommendations to the Committee on Doctrine (p. 184).  A link to the paper she presented follows along with the three recommendations to the Committee on Doctrine.  Join the conversation!

Click here to access Jame Schaefer's paper (pdf)

1. Become an advocate for the quest for scientific information--encourage and affirm the quest for knowledge about God's creation.  In this role, you are not confirming scientific findings because confirming them does not fall within your purview.  Instead you are confirming the search for scientific knowledge that may help you teach about our faith in cogent, meaningful ways.
2. Establish a scientific panel to (i) alert you to scientific findings, (ii) meet periodically on issues at the boundaries of doctrine/faith and science, and (iii) provide scientific clarity that can inform magisterial discourse.  To identify scientists who are eminently qualified to serve, consider asking the American Association for the Advancement of Science to request its Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion to recommend highly qualified scientist for you to invite.
3. Initiate within your seminaries and in continuing education of priests opportunities to become informed by the natural sciences and to probe their significance for preaching and teaching our faith in ways that make sense to an increasingly educated "people in the pews." Our priests need basic scientific knowledge about God's creation.  Our priests need to be ecologically informed so they can help the faithful discern how to respond morally to human-forced climate change and other complex issues.

The Reverend John J. Connelly passed into the hands of God after he had served for seventy-one years as a priest. He was 98 at this time of his death on June 28th, 2021.

Son of the late John J. and Helen (Murphy) Connelly and brother of the late Mary Margaret Connelly and Helen Connelly, Fr. Connelly, a Boston native, attended Boston Latin School and Boston College before entering the U.S. Army in 1943, serving until 1945. He was ordained from St. John’s Seminary by Cardinal Richard Cushing in 1950. He then earned a Doctorate in Theology from The Gregorian University in Rome. He served on the St. John’s Seminary faculty for 26 years, followed by 30 years as Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Newton Center. Since 2013 he had been serving as a Priest in Residence at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Wellesley. 

Text from Rev. Connelly's obituary posted by Eaton Funeral Home.  Accessed on 9/29/21 at <https://www.eatonfuneralhomes.com/obituary/FrJohn-Connelly>.

The Wabash Center announces four faculty workshop opportunities for 2022. Deadline for applications is December 15, 2022.

For more information see: https://wabash.center/

On Friday, September 24, 2021, the Catholic Bishops of Canada released a statement of apology to the Indigenous Peoples of This Land. The following link provides the full text.

https://www.cccb.ca/letter/statement-of-apology-by-the-catholic-bishops-of-canada-to-the-indigenous-peoples-of-this-land/

Deadline for proposals, October 1, 2021

Conference dates: March 3–5, 2022

Conference website: www.scsmusic.org

Conference venue: Mercer University, Macon, Georgia

Individual papers, research posters, panels, and lecture recitals on any topic related to music and the study of Christianity are welcome. We invite submissions representing a variety of approaches and perspectives, including ethnomusicology, historical musicology, theory and analysis, philosophy, theology, liturgy, congregational music, as well as other methodologies.

SCSM encourages submissions from current graduate students. A $250 prize will be awarded for the best paper presented by a graduate student at the 2022 meeting.

Please visit the conference website for proposal details. Please send submissions or questions to Marcell Steuernagel, program committee chair, at scsm2022@gmail.com.

Note: We are planning on an in-person meeting, with the possibility of limited online offerings. When submitting a proposal, please indicate whether you intend to present in person or via online. If circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic require it, we will transition to a fully online format. Regardless, all conference participants need to be available during the days of the conference for synchronous sessions.

CTSA member Phyllis Zagano's presentation at the CTSA 2021 Convention's Practical Theology Topic Session - Church Work was recently published at https://international.la-croix.com/news/religion/pope-francis-and-womens-church-work/14651

View the document in PDF here.