Catholic Theological
Society of America

Jonathan Y. Tan, the Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan Professor of Catholic Studies at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, was interviewed by Voice of America (VOA) News' Adam Hancock on Pope Francis' upcoming papal visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore from September 2-13, 2024. “Pope Francis is seeking to shine a spotlight on, and remind the rest of the world about, struggling communities in Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste,” said Jonathan Tan, the Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan Professor of Catholic Studies at Case Western Reserve University. “They are coping with immense poverty, high illiteracy and unemployment rates, and the effects of climate change on island communities,” Tan told VOA. Less than 10% of Singapore’s population is Catholic which, according to Tan, presents the pope an opportunity to “encourage and empower minority Catholic communities” in the region.

Link: Pope finding strength to carry message of Catholicism to Asia, Oceania, on longest trip (VOA News, August 28, 2024)

The CTSA remembers Gerald O'Collins, SJ, who died on 22 August 2024 at the age of 93 in Parkville, Australia, following a long and distinguished career.

https://jesuit.org.au/vale-fr-gerald-ocollins-sj-ac/

All are invited to a conference in honor of James F. Keenan, SJ, Canisius Professor at Boston College, founder of Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church, and a recent John Courtney Murray award winner. The conference will take place in person at Boston College Friday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. The Friday portion only will be live-streamed. Schedule is available here; link to register (free) is here. 

Fr. Keenan is not retiring--we are gathering to celebrate and honor his contributions while he is still active in leading our field. Please join us!

In July 2024 Thomas Hughson SJ published Neanderthal Religion? Theology in Dialogue with Archaeology, with Foreword by Neil Ormerod, available on Amazon and from Wipf and Stock.  The back cover states, "Neanderthals are the most-researched extinct members of genus Homo. They have been gone for somewhere between 28 and 40,000 years, far beyond the reach of cultural memories. An expanding number of archaeologists follow physical evidence to conclude that Neanderthals are, and genetics confirms, co-human with us whose lineage emerged in Africa about 300,000 years ago. Are they are the same as us? No. " Ormerod comments that this "thought-provoking book on what it means to be human," appeals to archaeological evidence. The book discusses religion as spirituality realized in common and early revelation as animist experience of being-alive. The last chapter addresses "Neanderthals and Theological Tradition."

Gentle colleagues:

     Orbis Books and I want to revise my book, Faith: What It Is and What It Isn't (2010). It continues to be used in introductory courses in theology and religious studies. 

     In order to take advantage of your insights as I work this fall and winter on the revision, if you have used -- or are using the book in classes this fall -- could you email me at ttilley@fordham.edu and answer the following questions:

   1. What items in the book need clarification or revision as they are hard for my students to grasp?

   2. What items in any of the chapters seem superfluous or unclear?

   3. Do you have any other comments or suggestions?

     I will take each comment seriously and will thank you for your input in the acknowledgments unless you want me not to do so. 

     Thank you for your consideration.

Terry

Terrence W. Tilley, Professor Emeritus of Theology, Fordham University

Center for Research on Global Catholicism Conference
Saint Louis University
September 20 - 21, 2024

The Catholic Enlightenment in Europe, the Americas and Australia (1700– 1840): Balancing Loyalties between State, Nationality, Citizenship, and the Global Church

The Enlightenment, it has now been established, was as much a religious phenomenon as it was a secular one. This conference brings together leading scholars from around the world to interrogate the ways in which Catholics, in particular, interpreted and extended Enlightenment ideas to rethink and reform society, politics, the economy, education, science, and the arts on a global scale.

Plenary Speaker: 

David Sorkin, Yale University
Discovering the Catholic Enlightenment: a Personal Account

Co-sponsored by University of Münster, and Washington University, Saint Louis

Contact: crgc@slu.edu for further information

Susan Bigelow Reynolds' new essay on "Sustaining Vocations" in Commonweal outlines the significance of academic guilds today and the ways the CTSA and other conferences nourish theologians "between the times." She summons our acts of solidarity to enable one another to continue to participate as budgets shrink.

ENVISION the CTSA at 100

• Members: Please Share Your “Vision Statement” Responses and Ideas!

  As part of its charge to assist in imagining and enacting a shared vision and strategic directions for the Society’s next 25 years, the CTSA Centennial Committee has provided three sample Vision Statements,* modeling different emphases:

• 1.     The CTSA: Advancing theological scholarship and reflection in service of a changing Church, academy, and wider world. 
• 2.     The CTSA: Serving God's people by promoting theological wisdom, learning, and excellence. 
• 3.     The CTSA: Promoting theological wisdom, learning, and excellence in a spirit of service.

We invite and urge members to PLEASE LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

Tell us which you like/prefer, or don’t like, and why. Feel free to suggest additional words, different wordings, or even an entirely different vision statement. Your input will be so helpful as the CC seeks to bring to the Board a widely supported vision statement in the coming months. To participate, you can either:

•  Submit your comments via the QR code on this sheet -->
• or email comments to: Kristin Heyer, ‘24-’25 CTSA Past President
   and Centennial Committee Chair, at heyerkr@bc.edu by August 31st. Comments will be compiled and shared with the Committee and the Board.

*What is a vision statement? This may help:

“A mission statement deals with “why” an organization exists, while a vision statement succinctly expresses “what” that existence will eventually look like. Primarily intended for members and stakeholders, a vision statement describes what an organization aspires to be in the longer-term . . . Part roadmap, part inspiration, … a vision statement helps give the organization shape and purpose.” 

[from "22 Vision Statement Examples To Help You Write Your Own," BREX (https://www.brex.com/journal/vision-statement-examples)]

 Thank you for offering your thoughts and feedback!

 

DavidDeCosse's piece "'We are not saved alone': Catholic theologians engage the social dimensions of salvation" ( @NCRonline 6/26/24), which highlights the CTSA's 2024 convention "Social Salvation" (June 13 - 16) is available online at https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/we-are-not-saved-alone-catholic-theologians-engage-social-dimensions-salvation.

The CUERG Distinguished Scholar-Leader Award honors a member of the CTSA whose work as a scholar-leader has contributed to or supported the theologizing of underrepresented and underrecognized communities in the academy, Church, and/or wider society.

This year's honoree, Dr. C. Vanessa White has been instrumental in calling for and modelling a more truly inclusive Church and academy in numerous settings.

During the academic school year, Dr. White serves as an Associate Professor in at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, teaching in the area of Spirituality and Ministry and serving as Director of the Certificate in Black Theology and Ministry. As her nominator wrote, "Vanessa has dedicated her life to leading important conversations in the fields of spirituality and pastoral theology, lifting up theological subfields that do not always receive the affirmation they should in contexts like the CTSA and other similar academic guilds." During her Summers, she serves as the Associate Director for Degree Programs for the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana – a program that has run for more than 40 years carrying forward its mission to form disciples for more effective ministry in the Black Catholic community, the Church and the community at large. During the institute and year-round, her work with college professors, Catholic clergy, and Black Catholic parishioners actively advances the CTSA’s mission of developing a mature understanding of faith among Christian communities.

In addition to this teaching and administrative service, Dr. White has been a leading voice in challenging both Church and academy to a fuller witness to God. A colleague writes of her role in conversations with the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops, she "speaks with prophetic voice and ecclesial love, embodying the type of theologian that Pope Francis has encouraged during his pontificate: close to the people of God, attentive to those who live in the peripheries, and writing scholarship for the entire church, not just the learned minds." In addition, Dr. Vanessa White has been a formative guiding presence in the CTSA and CUERG itself, serving in key leadership roles Society and mentoring members who self-identify with underrepresented communities. She can be seen year after year accompanying junior scholars in different settings: sessions, plenaries, conversations, mentorship initiatives, and so on.

Leading in all these ways through her teaching and scholarship, formal administration and personal example, Dr. White has been a strong advocate for underrepresented communities and their theological reflection. Dr. White is constantly working as a theological educator with phenomenal commitment, and she deserves our esteem and gratitude.