Religion and Roman Catholic Church Sources at Boston College

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Stephen Brown
Professor, Theology Department
College of Arts & Sciences
B.A. St. Bonaventure University
M.A. Franciscan Institute
Ph.L. and Ph.D. Universit de Louvain

Medieval church history; medieval theology and philosophy, including works of Thomas Aquinas, Henry of Ghent and William of Ockham; the development of theology in the Middle Ages; man's knowledge of God; man's freedom; divine foreknowledge, will and power. Editorial board member, Medieval Philosophy and Theology. Author of the books Christianity and Judaism. Author of articles including "Abelard and the Medieval Origins of the Distinction between God's Absolute and Ordained Power," and "Henry of Ghent (1217-1293)." Courses have included: "Theology of St. Bonaventure"; "Development of Theology as a Scientific Discipline."

617.552.0436
stephen.brown.1@bc.edu
http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/sbrown.html

Lisa Sowle Cahill
J. Donald Monan, SJ, Professor of Theology
College of Arts & Sciences
B.A. University of Santa Clara
M.A. and Ph.D. University of Chicago

Catholic Church; Catholic Church and women and gender issues; ordination of women; analysis of pastoral letters and public statements by the Pope; Catholic Church stance in relation to medical/health issues, life-prolonging debates, women's medical issues, abortion, reproductive technologies--e.g., artificial insemination and surrogate mothers; bioethics; sex, gender and the family; marriage and divorce; "just war" theory. Past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and the Society of Christian Ethics. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Author of the books Sex, Gender and Christian Ethics; Love Your Enemies: Discipleship, Pacifism and Just War Theory; and Between the Sexes: Toward a Christian Ethics of Sexuality; co-author of the book Religion and Artificial Reproduction: Inquiry into the Vatican Instruction on Human Life. Author of numerous articles on marriage, feminism, artificial reproduction and human sexuality. Courses have included: "Christian Perspectives on Bioethics"; "Christian Ethics: Contemporary Figures" and "Critical Realism and Christian Ethics."

617.552.3890
lisa.cahill.1@bc.edu
http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/lcahill.html

Donald Dietrich
Professor, Theology Department
College of Arts & Sciences
B.S. Canisius College
M.A. and Ph.D. University of Minnesota

Christianity in Europe and how Europeans have dealt with scientific advances such as: the Newtonian universe; eugenics and genetics; political developments including democracy, Nazism and communism; theological issues such as atheism, war and the Holocaust; the modern Catholic Church; the roots of anti-Semitism and European racism; the history of anti-Semitism in European civilization from its earliest Christian roots to present; European racism; the eugenics movement; the road to Auschwitz; the Shoah; contemporary Jewish-Christian relations. Author of the books God and Humanity in Auschwitz: Jewish-Christian Relations and Sanctioned Murder and Catholic Citizens in the Third Reich: Psycho-Social Principles and Moral Reasoning. Author of articles including "Catholic Resistance to Biological and Racist Eugenics in the Third Reich." Courses have included: "Hitler, the Churches and the Holocaust."

617.552.4799
donald.dietrich.1@bc.edu
http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/ddietrich.html

Harvey Egan, SJ
Professor, Theology Department
College of Arts & Sciences
B.S. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
M.A. Boston College
A.M Catholic University
Th.M. Woodstock College
Th.D. University of Munster (Germany)

Theology of Christian mysticism in Old and New Testaments; Christian mysteries and apparitions and their relationship to each other and the Christian faith; saints and miracles; works of theologian Karl Rahner.Author of the book Ignatius Loyola the Mystic, Christian Mysticism: The Future of a Tradition. Author of articles including "Bernard Lonergan and the Future of Spiritual and Mystical Theology." Courses have included: "Theology of Christian Mysticism".

617.552.8109
harvey.egan.1@bc.edu

http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/ddietrich.html

Thomas Groome
Director, Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry
Professor, Theology Department
College of Arts & Sciences
B.A. St. Patrick's College, Ireland
M.A. Fordham University
Ed.D. Columbia Teachers College
Ph.D. Columbia University/Union Theological Seminary

General issues of church, theology and religious education; Catholic education. Director of the Boston College Institute for Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry, which offers graduate degree programs for individuals pursuing academic or professional careers in religious education or pastoral ministry. Author of the book Educating for Life: A Spiritual Vision for Every Teacher and Parent. Author of textbooks, including a series titled Coming to God, used in elementary and secondary religious education. Courses have included: "Catholic Identity and Postmodernity"; "Education of Christians: Past, Present and Future"; "Sharing Faith in Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry."

617.552.8449
thomas.groome.1@bc.edu

http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/tgroome/

Charles Hefling, Jr.
Associate Professor, Theology Department
College of Arts & Sciences
B.A. Harvard College
B.D., Th.D. Harvard Divinity School
Ph.D. Boston College

Systematic understanding of The Redemption and The Incarnation--the interrelation of the work and person of Jesus Christ in light of contemporary exigencies and doctrinal development. Member of the university's interdisciplinary seminar "God and the World of Science," which explores links between theological and scientific disciplines. Co-author of the book Bernard Lonergan's Essay in Circulation Analysis, and editor of Our Selves, Our Souls, Our Bodies: Anglican Essays Continuing the Dialogue on Sexuality. Author of "On the Possible Relevance of Lonergan's Theology to Some Feminist Questions in Christology"; "Philosophy, Theology and God," and "On Understanding Salvation History." Courses have included: "On the Incarnation"; "Humanity as a Theological Problem"; "Lonergan's Method in Theology."

617.552.3547
charles.hefling@bc.edu

http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/chefling.html

Raymond Helmick, SJ
Adjunct Faculty, Theology Department
College of Arts & Sciences
Weston College
Hochschule Sankt Georgen
Union Theological Seminary

Communal conflict in Northern Ireland: its economic, social and political bases in history and contemporary consciousness; security problems, political options, legal systems and prospects of economic recovery in Northern Ireland; governmental and public opinion perceptions in Britain and in the Republic of Ireland; comparisons between the Northern Ireland conflict and other communal conflicts; peace-making in the Middle East; the Lebanese conflict within the broader crisis of the Middle East; the Arab-Israeli conflict; international and communal conflict management and resolution; the dynamic of distrust; apathy and violence as responses to issues of conflict; negotiation techniques; the history and concept of "just war" and its application to contemporary conflicts--such as the Vietnam and Gulf wars; general United Nations history and issues. Founder and senior associate member of the Conflict Analysis Center. Involved in mediating international conflicts, including the Middle East and Northern Ireland, and instrumental in securing the release of three American prisoners of war during the 1999 Kosovo conflict. Courses have included: "Principles of Conflict Resolution"; "Two Peoples, Three Faiths: Religions and Ethnicity in the Middle Eastern Conflict"; "Lebanon: Focal Point of Conflict"; "The Northern Ireland Conflict."

617.552.3880
raymond.helmick@bc.edu

David Hollenbach, SJ
University Chair in Human Rights and International Justice, Theology Department
College of Arts & Sciences
Director, Center for Human Rights and International Justice
B.S. St. Joseph's University
M.A. Ph.L. St. Louis University
M.Div. Woodstock College
Ph.D. Yale University

Cultivating Catholic ethics in a pluralistic society; moral theology; religion and politics; Christian ethics of war and peace; economic justice; nuclear war and deterrence; interaction of religious beliefs with the political sphere; role of the Catholic Church in society (US and globally); role of Christianity in the US. Historical and contemporary interpretations of the meaning of justice, and how these are perceived in Christian ethics. Director of BC's Center for Human Rights and International Justice. Served as the principal consultant for the US Catholic Bishops' 1986 report "Economic Justice for All." Has served as president of the Society of Christian Ethics and on the editorial boards of the Journal of Religious Ethics and The Human Rights Quarterly. Editor of and co-contributor to the book Catholicism and Liberalism: Contributions to American Public Philosophy. Author of books including Justice, Peace, and Human Rights: American Catholic Social Ethics in a Pluralistic World; Nuclear Ethics: A Christian Moral Argument; and Claims in Conflict: Retrieving and Renewing the Catholic Human Rights Tradition. Courses have included: "Contemporary Theories of Justice"; "Christian Ethics and Social Issues"; "Christian Ethics: Major Figures."

617.552.8855
david.hollenbach.1@bc.edu
http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/dhollenbach/

Ruth Langer
Associate Professor, Theology Department
Associate Director, Center for Christian-Jewish Learning
College of Arts & Sciences
B.A. Bryn Mawr College, M.A.H.L., M.Phil., Ph.D., Hebrew Union College

Jewish religious life and thought; issues of prayer and practice; Jewish-Christian relations. Judaism: questions of ritual and liturgy. An ordained rabbi. Author of the book To Worship God Properly: Tensions between Liturgical Custom and Halakhah in Judaism; author or co-author of numerous publications. Memberships include: Association for Jewish Studies and Central Conference of American Rabbis. Courses have included: "Judaism: Practice and Belief" and "Holy Text in Comparative Perspective." Associate director of BC's Center for Christian-Jewish Learning.

617.552.8492
ruth.langer.1@bc.edu
http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/rlanger.html

John Makransky
Associate Professor, Theology Department
College of Arts & Sciences
B.A. Yale University, Ph.D, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Buddhist thought and practices; Buddhism in America; Buddhist meditation; Buddhist-Christian dialogue; Tibet; Tibetan Buddhism. Author of book Buddhahood Embodied: Sources of Controversy in India and Tibet. Author of several articles, including "Historical Consciousness as an Offering to the Trans-historical Buddha," and "Offering (mChod pa) in Tibetan Ritual Literature." Organizer and participant in numerous Buddhist-Christian dialogue groups, panels, retreats and services. Courses have included: "Buddhist Scriptures and Commentaries"; "Tibetan Buddhist Traditions."

617.552.4603
john.makransky.1@bc.edu
http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/jmakransky.html

John McDargh
Associate Professor, Theology Department
College of Arts & Sciences
B.A. Emory University, Ph.D. Harvard University

Childhood and adult religious development; issues and problems of raising children in a religiously mixed marriage. Relationship between developmental psychology and faith; psychology of religious development; psychotherapy and spirituality; psychiatry, psychology and religion; sexuality and spirituality. The "Woodstock Generation." Author of the book Psychoanalytic Object Relations Theory and the Study of Religion: On Faith and the Imaging of God. Author of publications, including "Creating a New Research Paradigm for the Psychoanalytic Study of Religion: The Pioneering Work of Ana-Maria Rizzuto"; "Toward a Clinical Psychology of Religion: New Questions on the Table, New Voices in the Room"; "Group Psychotherapy as Spiritual Discipline: From Oz to the Kingdom of God"; "Desire, Domination and the Life and Death of the Soul," and "Rebuilding Fences and Opening Gates: Vergot on the Psychology of Religion." Courses have included: "Violence and Forgiveness" and "Psychotherapy and Spirituality."

617.552.3752
harry.mcdargh.1@bc.edu
http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/jmcdargh.html

Bruce T. Morrill, SJ
Associate Professor, Theology Department
College of Arts & Sciences
B.A. College of the Holy Cross, M.A. Columbia University, M.Div. Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, California, Ph.D. Emory University

Liturgy and sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church, including the Mass; forms of initiating believers; reconciliation in the Church; the role of the sacraments in the care of sick and elderly; the Roman Catholic approach to death and funeral rites; the relationship between liturgy and the overall society. Political theology; the problem of suffering; critique of modernity and post-modernity. Author of the book Anamnesis as Dangerous Memory: Political and Liturgical Theology in Dialogue; Contributing editor of Bodies of Worship: Explorations in Theroy and Practice; contributing co-editor to Liturgy and the Moral Self: Humanity at Full Stretch Before God. Active member of Catholic Theological Society of America. Courses have included: "Suffering, Politics and Liberation"; "Liturgy, Sacraments and Church"; "Divine Worship and Human Healing."

617.552.8447
bruce.morrill.1@bc.edu
http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/bmorrill.html

John Paris, SJ
Walsh Professor of Bioethics, Theology Department
College of Arts & Sciences
B.S., M.A. Boston College, M.A. Harvard University, Ph.L. Weston College, M.A., Ph.D. University of Southern California,

Catholic ethics; medical ethics; bioethics; issues related to medical treatment termination; allocating scarce resources as an ethical challenge to health care; balancing the needs of the individual for treatment versus the cost to society; factoring in quality-of-life considerations; considering patient wishes for no treatment or maximum treatment; research involving human subjects; "do-not-resuscitate" issues; technology and human concerns; death with dignity; definition of brain death; dilemmas in intensive care medicine; history of Vatican responses to termination of medical treatment issues; Catholic approaches to termination of life; compulsory medical treatment and religious freedom--specifically Jehovah's Witnesses or Christian Scientists; Catholic considerations of brain death and organ retrieval; Catholic tradition on use of nutrition and fluids to perpetuate life; physician refusal of requested treatment; managed-competition versus single-payer methods of financing health care reform; health care policy; limiting intensive care of terminally ill and elderly patients; quality health care in an age of cost-containment; improving resource utilization. Frequently called as expert witness in legal cases involving termination of medical treatment; consultant and expert witness in many landmark biomedical cases. Served as consultant to the President's Commission for the Study of Ethics in Medicine, the United States Senate Committee on Aging, and the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. Author or co-author of more than 100 articles on the area of law, medicine and ethics, including "Ethics of Artificial Feeding"; "When the Doctor Says No: The Ethical Dilemma"; "Playing God and the Removal of Life-Prolonging Therapy"; "Ethical Issues in Surgery: The Forgotten Sponge"; "Ethical and Legal Issues in Intensive Care"; "Ethical Issues in Neotatology"; "Court Intervention and Diminution of Patients' Rights." Ethics Section Editor of The Journal of Perinatology. Courses have included: "Law, Medicine & Public Policy."

617.552.8434
john.paris.1@bc.edu
http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/jparis.html

Stephen Pope
Associate Professor, Theology Department
College of Arts & Sciences
B.A., Gonzaga University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Chicago

Catholic ethics and social thought; forgiveness and reconciliation; evolution and ethics; science and theology; moral theology and social ethics; meaning and interpretation of the Catholic preferential option for the poor; marriage and family; social and economic justice; the Church and politics; liberation theology; questions of ethics and human rights; war and peace; concern for the poor. Author of the book The Evolution of Altruism and the Ordering of Love. Co-author of the book Finding God in All Things: Essays in Honor of Michael J. Buckley, SJ. Author of articles including "Scientific and Natural Law Assessments of Homosexuality"; "The Preferential Option for the Poor: An Ethic for 'Saints and Heroes?'"; "Proper and Improper Partiality and the Preferential Option for the Poor," and "The Order of Love and Recent Catholic Ethics: A Constructive Proposal." Courses have included: "Prophets and Peacemakers"; "Science and Theological Ethics"; "The Ethics of St. Thomas Aquinas."

617.552.3892
stephen.pope@bc.edu
http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/spope.html

Thomas Wangler
Associate Professor, Theology Department
College of Arts & Sciences
B.S., LeMoyne College; M.A. Ph.D., Marquette University

Major religious traditions and the ritual, faith, theology and ethical traditions that have had significant cultural impact in the US; history and culture of American Catholicism; beliefs and lifestyles of American Catholics from 18th century to present; American Catholic traditions expressed in catechisms, hymnals, liturgical, devotional and spiritual books, as well as sermons, church architecture and decoration, and heroic lifestyles; 20th century Boston Catholic religious life and traditions. Publications include "Papal Orthodoxy and Americanist Doctrines;" "The First American Catholic Catechism"; "American Catholic Expansionism: 1886-1894" and "John Ireland and the Origins of Liberal Catholicism in the United States"; co-author of "The Religious Life of Boston Catholics in the Era of William Cardinal O'Connell." Current research project(s): A religious history of American Catholicism, 1772-1815; a study of the ways in which American Catholics believed and lived the Catholic faith, as imparted and accommodated. Courses have included: "Introduction to Catholicism"; A Religious History of American Catholicism"; "Religion in the United States."

617.552.3893
thomas.wangler@bc.edu
http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theology/faculty/twangler.html