Catholic Theological
Society of America

A great student opportunity to work with the Vatican. Master's Degree required. Applications due April 22.

Preparing the Future Research Fellowship on the Vatican’s engagement on peace, development, human rights, and ecology

September 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025. 

This fellowship provides an opportunity for a qualified candidate to contribute to the work of the Holy See on peace, development, human rights, and ecology. 

The fellow will be a research associate of the University of Notre Dame’s Rome Global Gateway and do research either with the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development or Caritas Internationalis (CI). 

This fellowship is co-sponsored by Notre Dame’s Rome Gateway and Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, and the Catholic Peacebuilding Network, with the generous support of Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities.   

It is part of a wider effort to develop a new generation of lay women and men to serve the Catholic Church in its mission of transforming the social order in light of the Gospel.

For more information and to apply:  https://jobs.nd.edu/postings/34187

CTSA Spring 2024 Virtual Event - Recording now available.
"Is Peace Possible in a World of Violence?"
Monday, April 8, 2024

Moderator:  Susan Reynolds, Candler School of Theology

Panel:  Heather M. DuBois, Boston College
              Lilian Ehidiamhen, Katholic University of Leuven
              Eli McCarthy, Georgetown University

In light of the violent conflicts around the world, what resources might the Catholic theological tradition offer to conversations about peacebuilding? Our panelists will draw on their expertise in just peace, conflict transformation, trauma studies, and nonviolent communication to help the CTSA membership think together about the role of our work in the face of global conflict and violence.

Recording: Now posted within Members Resources (CTSA Home Page); see bullet "Recorded Event Videos".  The link will navigate members to a website page where they may view recorded event videos.  Note: Members will be required to login to access the website page.

Join us for an interdisciplinary scholarly colloquium organized by the Académie Cor Iesu in Paray-le-Monial, France, from Monday, June 23 – Saturday, June 28, 2025 to celebrate the 350th Anniversary of the Apparitions of the Sacred Heart.

Beginning on December 27, 1673, St Margaret Mary Alacoque, a cloistered nun of the Visitation Monastery in Paray-le-Monial, reported experiencing the extraordinary graces of mystical visions in which she believed that the Risen Lord revealed to her his Sacred Heart and commissioned her with making known his “heart which has loved humankind so much … as to be consumed in its desire to show them his love.” 

Although images of the Sacred Heart and pious devotions have abounded within and without the Catholic world for the past three and a half centuries, very little attention has been paid either to the history, spirituality, or theology of the “heart” of God before the 17th century, how the image has been received and has impacted the subsequent Catholic tradition, how the image is understood and received in ecumenical and interreligious contexts, or even how the image has impacted and been understood in scientific or cultural circles. 

We welcome to this colloquium scholars from all disciplines, the leaders of institutions or religious congregations with a legacy of devotion to the Sacred Heart, as well as formation personnel who may have an interest in revisiting the tradition of this devotion and seeking to find ways of articulating it in a contemporary idiom.  Attendance may be active or passive, and, for those seeking active participation, we are seeking scholarly papers that relate to the following broad categories: “The Heart of God in the Biblical Tradition”; “The Heart of God in the Theological and Spiritual Tradition before and after the Apparitions in Paray-le-Monial”, “The Heart of God in Art, Literature, and Theatre”, “The Heart of God in Science and Health Care”, “The Heart of God in Other Christian Traditions”, and “The Heart of God in non-Christian Religious Traditions.”

The colloquium is limited to no more than thirty people. Space is limited as the town will be full for the closing celebrations for the anniversary year, so to secure your place please contact us for an application form.  A non-refundable deposit of $400 will be required on or before June 15, 2024. If you are interested in presenting a paper, please submit a 500-word proposal no later than December 15, 2024. 

The participation fee of $2,000 includes single accommodation at a local classic European-style hotel and all meals from dinner on Monday, June 23 through breakfast on Saturday, June 28.  Meals will feature some of the great food and wine of the Burgundy region where Paray-le-Monial is located.  Each day will feature the opportunity to participate in the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. The days will also include guided visits to the sacred sites of the town by Dr Robert White and local experts. All other meals, flights and transportation costs to be organized and paid for by each participant. 

Please contact the director of the colloquium, Dr. Robert White, at robert.white@coriesu.com for more information or to register. To learn more about the Académie Cor Iesu, please visit our website.

The CTSA has been asked to send delegates to an upcoming Synodal conversation convened by an ad hoc USCCB sub-committee (Peter Casarella of Duke University, Kristin Colberg of St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN, and Alessandro Rovati of Belmont Abbey University). They have been tasked by the USCCB Synodal Coordinating Committee with producing a brief report that summarizes the reflections of theologians in the United States on the Synod’s Interim Stage. The point of the departure is the Synod’s Synthesis Report, which makes reference to selected theological topics throughout. 

Like the listening sessions in which our members participated last May and June at the invitation of Bishop Daniel Flores, the committee has also invited members from other North American theological guilds and will be following the listening session model (no recording of the sessions). They note that "together with the responses of the canonists, these gleanings will be integrated into a final USCCB interim report in preparation for the next session of the Synod in Rome," and that "other larger groups working on more generic questions like Ecumenical Concerns, Participation, Vocations, and Social Justice are also following this model within the same, very limited time frame." The session will be held Monday March 11, 7-9 pm ET, and Bishop Flores, head of the Synodal Team at the USCCB, will join as a participant in the session. With their apologies for the last-minute nature of the invitation (they received the task quite late in the game and then initially recruited smaller numbers but now have space for more) they strongly encourage your participation. To do so, please fill out the  registration form by Friday, March 8^th: (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScW1ZnJJe2HEuLtC4Wnlqp_nNPHjNSDKMMbxqkLxTeqdSxA9w/viewform). 

 Thank you for considering bringing your theological expertise to bear in this way at this important juncture in the life of our church. 

 

Celebrated Australian theologian Anthony Kelly RSsC passed away on March 4, 2024.  The author of over 20 books dealing with fundamental topics in systematic theology as well as sacraments, ethics and ecology, he also wrote poetry and hymns.  He was President of Yarra Theological Union (1980-1985, 1994-1997) and of the Melbourne College of Divinity (1984-1985). He was member of the International Theological Committee from 2004-2014. His intelligence was matched by his humor and his humanity, and he left a lasting mark on theology in Australia and beyond. (I was privileged to know Tony, but this notice is posted on behalf of CTSA member Catherine Cornille, a longtime close friend of Tony)

Longtime CTSA member James L. (Jake) Empereur, SJ, died in the early morning hours of February 24, 2024, at St. Camillus Jesuit Community, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. He was 90 years old. Jake taught and published in the fields of liturgical and sacramental theology and Christian spirituality at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley and Graduate Theological Union for twenty-four years and then ministered and taught in the Diocese of San Antonio for twenty-seven years, where he had an instrumental role in the restoration of the historic San Fernando Cathedral. His numerous publications included La Vida Sacra: Contemporary Hispanic Sacramental Theology (with Eduardo Fernandez); Spiritual Direction and the Gay Personality; The Liturgy That Does Justice (with Christopher Kiesling); Models of Liturgical Theology; and Worship: Exploring the Sacred. (Written by Bruce T. Morrill, S.J.)

May Jake's soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

• The Thirteenth-Century Debates on Human Freedom seminar will take place at Schloss St Emmeram, Regensburg, Germany, from Wednesday, July 3, to Sunday, July 7, 2024. Organized by Institutum Studiorum Dominicanorum from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland and Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome in partnership with the Thomistic Institute, this seminar explores the thought of 13th-century philosophers and theologians on the nature of human freedom. We are looking for applications from graduate students and postdocs of various disciplines who have a serious interest in medieval thought. More information. 

• The Thomistic Institute’s Graduate Colloquium on Contemporary Thomistic Christology will take place at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, from July 29 - August 3, 2024. Our graduate colloquia provide emerging scholars from various Ph.D. programs the opportunity to meet and collaborate with fellow young scholars. Additionally, participants can benefit from the wisdom and guidance of senior scholars. We are looking for applications from current Ph.D. students in philosophy, theology, and related fields. More information.  

The application deadline for both events is March 15, 2024. Please disregard the application deadline listed on the Regensburg poster and webpage.  

The University of Dayton is accepting applications for our Campus Ministry Graduate Assistant program. Campus Ministry GAs serve undergraduate students by journeying with them to cultivate faith, foster spiritual growth, and form Christian leaders through spiritual mentoring and discipleship, leading small groups, facilitating retreats, planning worship, coordinating service and justice initiatives, and more. Each GA has a unique ministerial portfolio, is mentored by a seasoned campus minister, and engages in a holistic ministerial formation. Assistantship covers tuition for the MA in Theology or Pastoral Ministry, room and board for 2 years, and a stipend. Positions are filled on a rolling basis, beginning in February. 

Join Michael Ossorgin on the Russian Question with renowned scholar and theologian Terrence Tilley to discuss his book The Karamazov Case: Dostoevsky’s Argument for His Vision. Tilley’s book uncovers the polyphonic novel’s hidden layers, revealing religious, philosophical, and social insights. Tilley’s book transcends traditional approaches, offering a deeper understanding of unity, hope, and sacramental themes.

Orthodox Christian Studies Center events are free and open to the public

See The Russia Question

Fordham's ongoing TR project – "Taking Responsibility: Jesuit Educational Institutions Confront the Causes and Legacy of Clergy Sexual Abuse" – is sponsoring two webinars this spring. 

We hope you will consider joining us for one or both. Details below.

Part I: Memorializing Clergy Sexual Abuse-- March 18, 12pm-1:30pm ET

An interdisciplinary conversation about ethics, means, and the meanings of public memorials related to clergy sexual abuse.

In this webinar, three scholars will explore questions about whether, when, and how communities can contend–together, as communities–with the history and memory of the Roman Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis. With expertise in trauma studies, liturgy, theology, and history, our panelists ask about the ethics, means, and meanings of various efforts to remember clergy sex abuse, as well as those who suffered and defied it. 

Part II: Whose Stories Are They? Catholic Sex Abuse Records and the Issue of Transparency-- April 10, 4:30pm-6pm ET

Springing from a recent legal settlement that promised an Abuse Documents Archive in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, this webinar asks questions about the meanings, limits, and promise of “transparency” in the effort to understand and ameliorate the Catholic clergy abuse crisis. 

What is to be learned, gained, and achieved in opening up the archives of Catholic sex abuse? What kind of healing follows from transparency, if any? Beyond respecting the wishes of survivors who prefer privacy, are there any other limitations to consider? What does transparency have to do with Catholic theology or with the practices and disciplines of Catholic experience? 

Join us as four experts–an archivist, a canon lawyer, a survivors' attorney, and an historian–tackle these and related questions.

Free and open to the public. Registration is required.

For additional information, please contact takingresponsibility@fordham.edu 

Co-sponsored by the Department of Theology, Fordham and the Curran Center for American Catholic Studies.