Rev. Msgr. Richard M. Liddy Director, Center for Catholic Studies. A Reflection by Cardinal Newman

Transcription

1 1 Dear friends, What an awesome feast Christmas is! The birth of Christ the Word of God come among us the Light of the World! It is hard to comprehend. He came, not because we were good, but to make us good. If any belief should be called awesome, it is this. That God, the fulfillment of our hearts desires, should enter our world, be born of a woman, and walk shoulder to shoulder with us on our journeys, helping us with his grace... It is beyond comprehension. Perhaps we can at most catch a glimmer of its meaning as we kneel with the poor shepherds and adore. The reflection by Blessed John Henry Newman below captures something of Jesus intimacy with us. It includes the words: He looks tenderly upon your hands and your feet; He hears your voice, the beating of your heart, and your very breathing. You do not love yourself better than He loves you. We at the Center for Catholic Studies have a great deal to be thankful for. For the Lord has led us to share some of God s love and wisdom with our students, our faculty and the wider world. Some years ago, we organized the seminars that began the new Core Curriculum at the university that fosters the Catholic intellectual tradition. We also initiated the undergraduate Catholic Studies program that has become the Department of Catholic Studies. We have been privileged to sponsor numerous faculty seminars and lectures in order to share the light of God s wisdom with his people. At this time of the year we thank you for your prayers and support for the Center for Catholic Studies. We will especially remember you at Mass on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. May you and your family and friends experience in a special way Christ s love for you this Christmas season. Sincerely, in the Lord, Rev. Msgr. Richard M. Liddy Director, Center for Catholic Studies A Reflection by Cardinal Newman God beholds you individually whoever you are. He calls you by your name. He sees you and understands you as He made you. He knows what is in you, all your peculiar feelings and thoughts, your dispositions and likings, your strength and your weakness. He views you in your day of rejoicing and in your day of sorrow. He sympathizes in your hopes and your temptations. He interests Himself in all your anxieties and remembrances, all the risings and fallings of your spirit. He has numbered the hairs of your head and the cubits of your stature; He compasses you round and bears you in His arms; He takes you up and sets you down. He notes your very countenance, whether smiling or in tears, whether healthful or sickly. He looks tenderly upon your hands and your feet; He hears your voice, the beating of your heart, and your very breathing. You do not love yourself better than He loves you. You cannot shrink from pain more than He dislikes you bearing it; and if He puts it on you, it is as if you would put it on yourself if you were wise, for a greater good afterwards. You are chosen to be His. You were one of those for whom Christ offered up His life and sealed it with his precious blood.

2 2 SETON HALL UNIVERSITY DECEMBER 2014 ABOUT THE Center for catholic studies Founded at Seton Hall University in 1997, the Center for Catholic Studies is dedicated to fostering a dialogue between the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and all areas of contemporary culture through scholarly research and publications, and through ongoing programs for faculty, students and the general public. On its own and through its many partnerships, the Center supports both the Catholic theology at the historical core of the university and its relation to the academic disciplines and the professions in the practical world. Since its beginning, the Center for Catholic Studies has focused on ongoing faculty development programs seminars, retreats, workshops, as well as links to national faculty development programs such as the Lilly Endowment for the Humanities and Collegium that explore the meaning of the University and engage SHU faculty in interdisciplinary dialogue on issues of humanistic and religious importance. In addition, the Center includes the work of three institutes: the Micah Institute for Business and Economics; the G.K. Chesterton Institute for Faith & Culture and the Bernard J. Lonergan Institute. The Center publishes two journals, The Chesterton Review, now in its 40 th year, and The Lonergan Review. Of significance in its past work, the Center was instrumental in the development of the Core Curriculum and also developed the undergraduate degree program in Catholic Studies, which in 2012 became the Department of Catholic Studies. The Center continues to support the Department with scholarship aid and its ongoing program of co-curricular activities. The Center is directed by Msgr. Richard M. Liddy, University Professor of Catholic Thought and Culture. Please visit our website for more information: Catholic studies Around the World: Bismarck, North Dakota 20 Years of Catholic Studies On Saturday, August 30 th, 2014 at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, Msgr. Liddy gave a lecture on Newman, Lonergan and the Foundations of Catholic Culture. The occasion was a conference celebrating Twenty Years of Catholic Studies, which paid particular tribute to Professor Don Briel, the founder of the Catholic Studies program at St. Thomas University in St. Paul, MN. That program was the first of a number of successful Catholic Studies programs around the United States. Professor Briel had been particularly influential in the initiation of Seton Hall University s program of Catholic Studies in 1997 and also visited the University in 2009 for the program review of Catholic Studies. Msgr. Liddy s lecture was in response to a lecture by Rev. Paul Murray, OP, from the Angelicum University in Rome, Naming the New Lions: Challenges of Contemporary Culture to Christian Faith. On November 7-9, 2014, Association Française des Amis de Newman, the French Newman Association, held a conference in Paris entitled La Pertinence de Newman/The Relevance of Newman in a Postmodern World. The conference was also co-sponsored by the Newman Association of America (NAA), whose administrative offices are now located at Seton Hall. Next year s conference of the NAA will be at Seton Hall from July 30 to August 1, 2015 on Newman, Francis, and the Role of the Faithful. As one of the conference s speakers, Msgr. Richard Liddy spoke on My Fundamental Mentor and Guide: Newman s Influence on Lonergan. As the 21 st century progresses, Newman Association Française Lonergan Scholars in Italy Each year Lonergan scholars from around the world gather for a conference highlighting a particular dimension of the thought of Father Bernard Lonergan, SJ. The conference is sponsored by the School of Education at the Universita del Sacro Cuore in Milan and Piacenza and also by the Bishops Conference of Italy. This year, the conference took place in early September at the Major Seminary of the Diocese of Bressanone (Brixen) in northern Italy. Rev. Michele Tomasi, the Rector of the seminary, gave the major address at the conference on the theme of Bernard Lonergan s economic theory. Scholars from around Italy and the world, including Msgr. Liddy, read and commented on papers having to do with Lonergan s economics, the Generalized Empirical Method, and on the dynamics of the human spirit. the thought of the Canadian Jesuit Bernard Lonergan ( ) has been growing in influence. Whether through the soon-to-be-completed publication of the 25 volumes of the Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan or through workshops, websites and publications, Lonergan s thought appears to be gaining wide recognition. Lonergan called John Henry Newman his fundamental mentor and guide. Msgr. Liddy s talk traced Newman s influence on Lonergan s fundamental method of selfappropriation, as well as on his teaching on reflective insight Newman s illative sense his beliefs, his Catholic faith, development in history and, finally, his idea of a university.

3 CENTER FOR CATHOLIC STUDIES NEWSLETTER 3 Gannon University, Erie, PA Insight & the Universe On November 13th, 2014, Msgr. Liddy was invited to lecture at Gannon University in Erie, PA, on the topic of Insight and the Universe. In his talk, Msgr. Liddy illustrated both the agony and the ecstasy of real learning. Aristotle once wrote Learning makes a bloody entrance, but he was also open to the quiet joy that characterizes genuine learning. Using various examples, Msgr. Liddy characterized such learning as the result of a deep desire to know the truth of things as well as openness to understanding from whatever source. Such learning is close to our desire for God and should characterize the contemplative character of learning at a Catholic university, he said. While at Gannon, Msgr. Liddy met with groups of faculty as well as the Provost and Deans to discuss the various faculty development programs initiated through the years by the Center for Catholic Studies at Seton Hall. In particular, he talked about the Advanced Seminar on Mission s Praxis Program, which links Bernard Lonergan s analysis of the dynamics of human thinking with the various disciplines and professions taught at the University. In 2010, Catholic Health East (CHE) now Trinity Health and the Center for Catholic Studies began a liaison to develop leaders for CHE s future planning. The project was called the Ministry Leadership Academy. CHE s team consisted of four persons with expertise in leadership development, group dynamics, scriptural interpretation and Catholic moral theology. The Seton Hall team consisted of Msgr. Richard Liddy, Director of the Center for Catholic Studies; Professor Ministry Leadership Academy, Cohort Two Msgr. Liddy receives the Service Award at the many ARE ONE gala, with SHU President Gabriel Esteban and Dean of Arts and Sciences, Michael Zavada Catholic Health East Trinity Health Terence Cahill from the School of Health and Medical Sciences; Professor Elizabeth McCrea from the Stillman School of Business; and Professor Zeni Fox from Immaculate Conception Seminary/School of Theology. The participants in the Academy consisted of executives chosen for their suitability for future leadership in the healthcare system. Two cohorts of executives from Trinity Health s hospitals have graduated from the two year program, with a third cohort set to begin in Recently Catholic Health East (CHE) has merged with the Trinity Health Organization of Livonia, Michigan, to form Trinity Health, one of the largest Catholic healthcare organizations in the United States with 96 hospitals, 109 healthcare facilities and 87,000 employees. The Seton Hall team will be working with Trinity Health to highlight the Catholic mission of the healthcare system, a mission in line with the vision of the religious communities who founded the system of Catholic healthcare in the United States. Since their purpose was profoundly religious, the Academy will consider how such religious motivation can be linked to the concrete managerial, operational and financial concerns of today s large healthcare systems. How is it possible to integrate a religious and theological methodology with the methods of the natural and social sciences and the healthcare professions? These are some of the questions the Seton Hall team will be exploring as it continues to work with Trinity Health.

4 4 SETON HALL UNIVERSITY DECEMBER 2014 DEPartment OF CatholiC STUDIES The Department of Catholic Studies, established in 2012, continues the dialogue established by the Center by exploring both theology and philosophy in relation to culture, humankind and the world. This methodological approach is complementary to other disciplines and builds upon and develops the themes and questions addressed in the University Core Curriculum. A bachelor s degree in Catholic Studies is an interdisciplinary, liberal arts degree a major that enhances every other major. Seton Hall is the first university in the eastern United States to create a Department of Catholic Studies. In December 2013, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, imparted the Apostolic Blessing to Seton Hall University on the occasion of the establishment of the Department of Catholic Studies, making Seton Hall the first and only university in the United States to claim such a rare honor Study Abroad co-sponsored with the DEPT. of Catholic Studies In the Spring of 2014, 19 students participated in a three-credit study abroad course, Foundations of Christian Culture: Rome, a collaboration with the Department of Catholic Studies and sponsored by the Center for Catholic Studies. The course focused on the historical, cultural, literary and religious foundations of the Christian Church in Rome. Students took a series of lectures in the Spring prior to departure, conducted by Prof. Ines Murzaku, Chair of the Department of Catholic Studies, and Msgr. Richard Liddy of the Center. During Spring break, students travelled to Rome for an intensive study tour organized with the Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas ( Professors Robert White and Elizabeth Lev guided site visits with in-depth lectures to St. Peter s, the Vatican Museums, the Scavi, the Foro Romano and Colosseum, and more. Foundations of Christian Culture course trips are a signature experience in study abroad at Seton Hall and have been conducted in SHU Students in Rome, Spring 2014 Rome, Spain, Australia, and in England at Oxford University. The Department of Catholic Studies plans Foundations of Christian Culture: Spain during Spring of For more information on the Department of Catholic Studies, please visit Can We Count on You? One of the more difficult tasks for those in non-profit organizations is that of raising money. Nonetheless, we ask for your continuing help in preserving the Catholic intellectual tradition by supporting the programs and activities of the Center for Catholic Studies and its related organizations, whose work you have a glimpse of here This year we are especially grateful to the major donors who have contributed to the Center for Catholic Studies Endowment, which supports the operating expenses of the Center on an ongoing basis Donations may be sent to the mailing address below or made online by visiting our website The Center for Catholic Studies, Seton Hall University, Room 429 Walsh Library 400 SOUTH ORANGE AVENUE, SOUTH ORANGE, NJ 07079

5 CENTER FOR CATHOLIC STUDIES NEWSLETTER 5 Faculty Development Focusing on the central role of the faculty, the Center is the primary sponsor of regular faculty development programs, including lectures, seminars and retreats. The Center also administers two national faculty development programs: Collegium: A Colloquy on Faith and Intellectual Life and The Lilly Fellows Program. Advanced Seminar on Mission Praxis Program Since 2013, twenty-nine Seton Hall faculty have participated in an elite faculty development program, the Praxis Program of the Advanced Seminar on Mission, and become GEM Fellows. The program is sponsored by the Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership and co-sponsored by the Center for Catholic Studies and the Bernard J. Lonergan Institute. The purpose of the program is to engage faculty and administrators in a process of peer mentoring and curricular/ co-curricular support designed to apply the mission of the University to their respective disciplines and departments, through a method that connects the disciplines to each other, to an integrated understanding of knowledge, and to the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. GEM Fellows, Cohort One The method chosen to fulfill this purpose is the Generalized Empirical Method (GEM) of Bernard J. Lonergan, SJ, Jesuit philosopher and theologian. The point of GEM is to highlight the general method of the human spirit as it gives rise to the specialized methods of the sciences and scholarly disciplines and opens out to questions of meaning, community, progress and decline in history, religion and revelation. The two-and-a-half-year program begins with a six session course on the philosophy of GEM, guided by Msgr. Richard Liddy, Director of the Center for Catholic Studies. In the course, participants create their own model of application for their field or discipline (ATM) and begin to implement changes in their courses, departments, co-curricular programs, research and publication, and other areas of their work at Seton Hall. After the course, a two-year peer support program begins, focusing on deepening content and support for the practical application, including monthly meetings, workshops, and opportunities for retreat and reflection. The program culminates with GEM Fellows being invited to become facilitators of the program and/ or become involved in the sustainability of the program though various committees. In Spring of 2015, Cohort Three is planned, which would bring the GEM Fellowship to 50 faculty and administrators who are fostered by personal, professional, organizational and institutional development through the Praxis Program. Some comments about the program from the GEM Fellows: the primary enhancement of my participation in the program has been that I have joined a community within Seton Hall of colleagues who are united by dedication to their disciplines and increasingly by their valuing of self-appropriation and a desire to communicate with each other to broaden their intellectual horizons and support each other in charity. I believe that the greatest success of the PRAXIS program has been in achieving a community of faculty/ administrators dedicated to improving themselves to help with the overall mission of Seton Hall University. The GEM framework provided me with the structure and content for my course objectives related to critical thinking and decision making. I now have a process in which to teach specific content and to evaluate students work in this area. I did not have that before. The area of better interaction and collaboration with my students is the one area I would triumphantly claim that PRAXIS, GEM, and my ATM have made important connections for my work. I better understand their thinking process and can relate to where their insights are originating. This has helped me as I believe mentoring and advising are one of the most important roles of faculty.

6 6 SETON HALL UNIVERSITY DECEMBER 2014 Faculty Development Lonergan Interdisciplinary Bibliography The Bernard J. Lonergan Institute is currently compiling the Lonergan Interdisciplinary Bibliography, a list of selected works on Lonergan s Generalized Empirical Method (GEM), to aid university faculty in applying Lonerganian thought in their academic or professional disciplines. The bibliography is divided into two sections: General Resources and Interdisciplinary Resources. The General Resources section provides an introduction to the subject by containing writings by or about Lonergan and GEM. The Interdisciplinary Resources section categorizes the works by discipline and includes sources that apply GEM to the various disciplines and professions. The sources listed on the bibliography will be available to faculty within and outside Seton Hall University through linking to WorldCat records. According to Lonergan Institute Director Msgr. Richard Liddy, The bibliography would enable persons in the various sciences, scholarly disciplines and professions to focus on their own areas of expertise as they are linked to broader human, philosophical and methodological questions. The goals for the bibliography are to create connections between persons in specific fields who are applying the Generalized Empirical Method. It will also include Seton Hall faculty s scholarship. Annual Faculty Summer Seminar The Insight Approach to Conflict and Insight Mediation The Annual Faculty Summer Seminar was held May 20-22, 2014 and was facilitated by Dr. Kenneth Melchin, Professor of Theology and Director of the Bernard Lonergan Centre, Ottawa, Canada. Dr. Melchin gave the attending faculty the opportunity to explore Insight as Lonergan defines it. They also discussed how insight plays an important role in conflict resolution and how it can be important for the role the Catholic university plays in resolving conflict. Participants used the book Transforming Conflict Through Insight by Melchin and Cheryl Picard to discern how Insight Theory, a learning based approach that draws on the work of Bernard Lonergan, can be used both in interpersonal and international conflict. Professor James Daly in the SHU Education Studies Department wrote: We need to promote insight as a consequence of examining conflict for our students. Key for me is the contention that information is not insight. We can know a great deal, but that leaves us only with knowledge. According to the Melchin and Picard text the process involves experiencing, understanding, verification and action. A conscious focus on the As a follow-up to the summer seminar, Dr. Cheryl Picard, co-author with Dr. Melchin of Transforming Conflict Through Insight, visited Seton Hall on December 4 to further discuss the Insight approach to conflict mediation. Dr. Picard shared concrete strategies and skills that hold great promise for practitioners working in a number of areas of conflict, such as our own Dr. Andrea Bartoli, Dean of the School of process of transforming conflict into insight is one worth additional reflection and action in classrooms at every level. This seminar was supported by the William J. Toth Endowed Professorship. Prof. Ken Melchin leads 2014 Faculty Summer Seminar Part Two: Its Beginnings and Its Promise Diplomacy. The talk was interactive and time was spent in discussion designed to generate new ways of thinking about and responding to conflict in both our personal and professional lives. The lecture was co-sponsored with the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, School of Diplomacy and the William J. Toth Endowed Professorship.

7 CENTER FOR CATHOLIC STUDIES NEWSLETTER 7 Faculty Development Seton Hall is one of over 64 Catholic universities across the United States and Canada that are members of Collegium, a part of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. The Center for Catholic Studies sponsors Seton Hall faculty attending Collegium in a week long workshop-retreat taking place at various university campuses throughout the country each summer. At least 26 Seton Hall faculty have participated in the annual colloquy since the University s membership began. This past summer at the College of the Holy Cross, Worchester, MA, faculty explored the Catholic intellectual tradition and shared their thoughts on their vocation as academic professionals. Msgr. Richard Liddy said, Collegium has been one of the most effective means for introducing faculty both Catholic and non-catholic to the mission of the university. Faculty s minds and hearts are touched through community and intellectual input, enabling them to live more fulfilled lives as university professors. Throughout the week, Collegium emphasizes the idea of inclusiveness in the Catholic intellectual tradition. The Ethics and Economics Forum, launched in Fall 2014, is an opportunity for faculty across the University to discuss economic justice as it relates to their discipline and to the lives of their students. Sponsored by the Department of Religion, the Bernard J. Lonergan Institute, and the Micah Institute for Business and Collegium SHU s Prof. Marianne Lloyd leads Collegium Discussion Group Michael Vigorito, 2009 Collegium participant and Professor in the Department of Psychology, reflected that Catholic intellectual thought is inclusive It celebrates differences in thought and recognizes that their inclusion can lead to insights that nourish further intellectual development. Marianne Lloyd, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, benefited from being both a participant and a small group facilitator for two years. As a participant, I learned how to balance my faith and intellect in and out of the classroom. I left empowered to change the way I teach and to bring a more authentic version of myself to the classroom, she said. As a facilitator, I ve continued to gain new insights on how to be a better colleague. Lloyd organizes Seton Hall s participation in Collegium. Collegium also works to emphasize the Catholic identity of Catholic institutions today as they compete with secular schools. Instead of suppressing Catholic identity, these faculty embrace it, deepen their understanding and thinking about the world around them, and convey their insights to their students. NEW Ethics and Economics Forum Welcomes Faculty to Discuss Economic Justice Ethics and Economics Forum on October 29, 2014 Economics, the Forum s conversations take an interdisciplinary approach and are an opportunity for lively dialogue among the departments of the university. At the October meeting of the Forum, Dr. Michael Taylor (Department of Political Science) provided an overview of the neoclassic model, Gregory Mankiew s 10 Principles, and various schools of economic thought. In response, Dr. KC Choi (Department of Religion) mapped ways the neoclassic model is interpreted through the disciplinary lens of ethics. The third Forum meeting was held on December 2, with Dr. Dermot Quinn (Department of History) leading a discussion on G.K. Chesterton s work on economic theory and Distributism. A website provides resources for the interdisciplinary study of economic justice and serves as an online forum:

8 8 SETON HALL UNIVERSITY DECEMBER 2014 One of Seton Hall s enduring highlights over the years has been enjoying the thespian talent of Professor Emeritus James P. McGlone, Ph.D. At a lecture sponsored by the Center for Catholic Studies on April 1, 2014, he and the Celtic Theater actors delighted their audience with a dramatic reading of Blessed John Henry Newman s sermon, The Parting of Friends. Dr. McGlone has for many years shared his love for Newman through performances, theater and readings presented in his classes, but most dramatically through the Celtic Theater, which he began many years ago. The Parting of Friends is dedicated to Newman s friends and colleagues as he left the Church of England to follow Guest Lectures The Parting of Friends what he believed to be God s call to become a Roman Catholic. The idea of conversation is reflected in Dr. McGlone s life s work at Seton Hall as we see in his SHU online profile Education, in my opinion, is a conversation that involves talking about things that matter; it implies a love of people, generally referred to as friendship, and a love of words, the only, if imperfect, symbols we have with which to enter each other s mind and spirit. I adhere to W. B. Yeats suggestion that I must be talking to my friends and in that category I include my students and colleagues. That is my goal when engaging students in my classes. A Conversation with Neil Ormerod On June 13, 2014 the Center for Catholic Studies sponsored a Conversation with Author Neil Ormerod. Ormerod, Professor of Theology at Australian Catholic University, is widely published in theology. He has written on secularization, evolution, the identity and mission of Catholic institutions, the nature of the Church, ecumenism, and the Trinity. In light of the feast of the Holy Trinity on Sunday, June 15, one of the topics discussed was the psychological analogy in Christian thinking about the Trinity, which Ormerod explores in his books The Trinity: Retrieving the Western Tradition (Marquette, 2005) and A Trinitarian Primer (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2011). Neil Ormerod s articles have appeared in Theological Studies, Irish Theological Quarterly, and Australian Catholic Record. His most recent publications include Creation, Grace and Redemption (Orbis Press) and Creator God, Evolving World (Fortress, 2013) with Cynthia Crysdale. Dr. Andrea Bartoli and the Business of Peacemaking On October 29, 2014, Dr. Andrea Bartoli, Dean of the School of Diplomacy and International Relations, spoke to a diverse audience of faculty, students, and business men and women on the topic Blessed are the Peace Makers: Our Obligations as Business Persons in a World at War. The event was sponsored by the Micah Institute for Business and Economics and the Seton Hall University Chapter of the Woodstock Business Conference. Dr. Bartoli led the dialogue on this most elusive, yet fundamental principle of life peace and on what our role should be as peacemakers in business and in the public square. Peace, Pope Francis says, is the surest sign of our commitment to God. In a message to the Third International Conference on Peace, he invited all men and women of goodwill to be peacemakers, advising them to make their communities schools of respect and dialogue. Dr. Bartoli urged the audience to think of themselves as peace poets by bringing to their communities and businesses a sense of harmony and tranquility in a world that is overrun with the words of war. As an international affairs expert, diplomat, scholar and professor, Dr. Bartoli has devoted his life to peacemaking. As Permanent Representative of the Community of Sant Egidio to the United Nations, he has collaborated with the Nuncio representing the Holy See in successful peace negotiations and conflict resolution on every continent throughout the world for many years. His expertise extends not only to peacemaking, but also to related fields: historic memory, genocide, gender conflict, immigration, and conflict analysis and resolution. Dr. Andrea Bartoli

9 CENTER FOR CATHOLIC STUDIES NEWSLETTER 9 Micah Seminars on Business Leadership Begun in 2005, the Micah Business Leadership Seminars have been offered twice a year to both graduate and undergraduate students at the Stillman School of Business. In the fall, graduate students are invited by Dean Joyce Strawser to participate in a 12-hour program that attempts to help students grasp the more lasting and humanitarian aspects of leadership. It builds on a model that asks students to think more deeply; to become more self-aware of their values, purpose and calling; and to recognize that a student leader is a servant leader. This transformational model is often ignored as students are asked to be technicians in business and often taught the economy should be focused on profit rather The aim of The William J. Toth Endowed Visiting Professorship is to provide a framework for collaborative creativity by encouraging scholarship at the highest level in interdisciplinary studies among theology, the sciences, philosophy, ethics, business and the professions. Its purpose is to bring exceptional scholars from around the world to bridge the gap between their expertise and the realities of the world at large. This year, there have been several Toth lectures bringing us closer to the growing endowment s goal. Among these were Seeking and Dwelling: A Study of Four Spiritual Journeys, a lecture given by Dr. Michael McCarthy of Vassar College, and Newman and the Idea of Sanctity, a lecture given by renowned author Edward Short. Micah Graduate Seminars, Fall 2014 than on the common good. In the spring, new undergraduate members of the leadership honors group led by Professor Michael Reuter will be asked to do the same. This approach is countercultural because it challenges the principles of a secularist culture. Recognizing this, the School of Diplomacy and its Dean Andrea Bartoli have asked the Micah team, retired business executive Walter Kennedy and management consultant and executive coach Therese Liddy, to facilitate the Micah leadership process for the School s administration team. The aim is to enable them to deepen their ability to guide and direct students in the School of Diplomacy and to better align themselves as a team with the University mission and with the concept of Servant Leadership. The William J. Toth Endowed Visiting Professorship Edward Short Co-sponsored by Toth Endowment, the Center for Catholic Studies, the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Department of Catholic Studies, the lecture by author Edward Short on Newman and the Idea of Sanctity on April 3, 2014 drew on many of Blessed John Henry Newman s beautiful and poignant sermons. The author has written widely on Newman. He is now at work on the third book in his trilogy on Newman. The first two, Newman and his Contemporaries, and Newman and his Family, will soon be followed by Newman and His Critics, published by Bloomsbury. Michael McCarthy with Mrs. Kathleen Toth, Regina Toth Wackerman and Msgr. Liddy Michael McCarthy, Ph.D On March 27, 2014, the Center for Catholic Studies hosted Professor Michael McCarthy of Vassar College who spoke on Seeking and Dwelling, A Study of Four Spiritual Journeys. The spiritual quest is a recurrent theme in Eastern and Western traditions: Plato s ascent from the cave in his Republic; St. Augustine s conversion in his Confessions; St. Paul s journey to Christianity in The Acts of the Apostles; and Pascal s passage from doubt to faith in his Pensees. Although each journey differs in what each person is seeking, they all have striking affinities in their quest for a deeper understanding of God and the human condition. To support the WILLIAM J. TOTH ENDOWED VISITING PROFESSORSHIP, contact the Center for Catholic Studies by at danute.nourse@shu.edu or call

10 10 SETON HALL UNIVERSITY DECEMBER 2014 G.K. CHESTERTON INSTITUTE CELEBRATES ITS FORTIETH anniversary In 2014 the G.K. Chesterton Institute for Faith & Culture celebrated its fortieth birthday a landmark achievement in the Catholic world and a cause for pleasure far beyond the confines of Seton Hall where it makes its home. Founded by Father Ian Boyd, C.S.B. in 1974, the Chesterton Institute publishes The Chesterton Review, a major journal devoted to Chesterton and his intellectual circle, which has been widely praised for the depth subtlety and liveliness of its writing. Now published in five languages English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Italian The Chesterton Review brings together some of the sharpest intellects in the Christian world to explore the application of Chesterton s thought to our own culturally needy times. In addition to publishing the Review, the Chesterton Institute also sponsors international conferences, lectures, and research, thereby gathering together Chesterton scholars from across the globe to explain and examine the moral and religious tradition that inspired Chesterton. That Chestertonian tradition of orthodox Christianity is, says Father Boyd, the urgent answer to many of the moral and social problems of today. The family is under threat from eugenics and the culture of death. Traditional societies and communities have been undermined by consumerism and waste. Popular culture has cheapened Warsaw conference and coarsened our collective moral imagination. That is why, offering sane alternatives to these threats to human decency, the Chesterton Institute s birthday is important. That is why it is worth celebrating. Since its foundation, the Institute has grown in weight and influence. To begin with, the Institute was devoted primarily to the publication of the Review. Now, in addition to that, we find ourselves involved in major conferences and research programs throughout the world. The appetite for Chesterton s wisdom has grown just as the need for it is greater, making this a truly Chestertonian moment. The 40 th birthday, Father Ian Boyd continues, is a grace not only for us but for Seton Hall. Fr. Boyd and Fr. Antonio Spadaro Malta conference Warsaw TV interview Msgr. Richard M. Liddy Director, Center for Catholic Studies and the Bernard J. Lonergan Institute; Editor, The Lonergan Review richard.liddy@shu.edu, Father J. Ian Boyd President of G.K. Chesterton Institute for Faith & Culture and Editor of The Chesterton Review boydjian@shu.edu, Professor Dermot Quinn Associate Editor of The Chesterton Review dermot.quinn@shu.edu M. Therese Liddy Co-Director, Micah Institute for Business and Economics mtliddy@optonline.net Danute M. Nourse Director of Programs, Center for Catholic Studies danute.nourse@shu.edu Gloria Garafulich-Grabois Assistant Director, G.K. Chesterton Institute for Faith & Culture; Managing Editor of The Chesterton Review and The Lonergan Review gloria.garafulich-grabois@shu.edu Brittany Venturella Graduate Assistant brittany.venturella@student.shu.edu FOR more information PLEASE visit our website at shu.edu/go/ccs Call catholicstudies@shu.edu, danute.nourse@shu.edu MAILING ADDRESS 400 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079