STM Faculty News

André Brouillette, S.J., associate professor of systematic and spiritual theology, presented the paper “Le geste de Marie de l’Incarnation : un au-delà de soi qui ouvre un horizon nouveau" at the Colloque international du Centre d'études Marie-de-l'Incarnation : “Marie Guyart de I’Incarnation : témoignage et héritage” in Québec, Canada (October 20-21, 2022). Later in the fall, he presented his book The Pilgrim Paradigm (2021) as part of the session “Sacred Geography, Narrativity, and Imagination in Recent Pilgrimage Studies” (Ritual Studies Unit) at the American Academy of Religion in Denver, Colorado (Nov. 18-22, 2022). At the Boston College Theology and Ministry Library, he curated the exhibit “Ignatian Pilgrimage Narratives,” in place in the atrium from February to April 2023.

Thomas H. Groome, professor of theology and religious education, did several media interviews around the death of Pope Benedict. He also co-edited a collection of essays with Richard Lennan and Rick Gaillardetz published by Oribs: Priestly Ministry and the People of God: Hopes and Horizons.

Mary Jo Iozzio, associate professor of moral theology published Disability Ethics/Preferential Justice: A Catholic Perspective, Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2022 and “Let Freedom Ring: Since September 1, 1752, the Liberty Bell Tolls for All,” Catholic Moral Theology (October 4, 2022). She shared a Christmas Reflection, “Hark! A Holy Day Has Dawned upon Us,” Boston College, School of Theology and Ministry, Advent Preaching Series, December 25, 2022.  In addition, she presented "Commentary on Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice" and "Disability, Race, and Gender: An Intersectionality Trifecta" at the Society of Christian Ethics 2023 Annual Meeting in Chicago, January 5-8, 2023. She also presented at the Steering Committee, Women’s Consultation on Constructive Theology, 2021-2024.

Angela Kim Harkins, Harkins, associate professor of New Testament, gave a presentation hosted by the Departmentof Classical Studies at Brandeis University in December entitled, “The Shepherd of Hermas: New Research on the Oldest Non-Canonical Christian Text.” On December 3, she also gave the presentation “Seventy-Five Years After the Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls” at Pope St. John XXIII Seminary in Weston.

Rafael Luciani, associate professor of practice and professor extraordinarius, continues with his advisory work to the General Secretariat of the Synod (Vatican) as an Expert member of the Theological Commission. Amongst his responsibilities are organizing international Conferences, doing research to help advance the theological reflection on Synodality, and coordinating intercontinental formation programs on Synodality to accompany the different phases of the Synod on Synodality. He edited two new books: Rafael Luciani & Daniel Portillo (eds.), Fraternidad abierta 2.0. Reflexiones sobre la amistad social en un mundo fragmentado, KHAF, Madrid; and Rafael Luciani, Serena Noceti & Carlos Schickendantz (eds.), Sinodalità e riforma. Una sfida ecclesiale, Queriniana, Brescia-Italy. He also published two chapters in collective academic works: “Hacia una efectiva sinodalización de toda la Iglesia,” in Sinodalidad y reforma. Un desafío eclesial, PPC, Madrid; and “Advancing the Reception of the Council. Episcopal Collegiality, Collegial Synodality, Synodal Ecclesiality”, in Eamonn Conway, Eugene Duffy, & Mary MacDaid (eds.), The Synodal Pathway. When Rhetoric Meets Reality, Columba Books, Dublin. In addition, he published several new academic papers: “Situating Collegiality within Synodality,” Asian Horizons 15; "La sinodalità come processo di riconfigurazione teologico-culturale delle chiese locali," Credere Oggi 42/247; "Verso una riconfigurazione ecclesiale alla luce della sinodalità”, Egeria 16; “La teología y la práctica del Sensus fidei. El corazón de la recepción actual de la eclesiología del Pueblo de Dios,” Revista CLAR 60/4; and “Hacia una vinculación co-constituyente de todos los christifideles. Nuevos caminos en la eclesiología del pueblo de Dios,” Seminarios 67.

Catherine Mooney, associate professor of Church history, lectured in Rome in November at the invitation ofthe Vatican’s Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences and the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints on “The Present and Future of Hagiographic Studies.” She gave a lecture In Chicago in November sponsored by the Society of Jesus’s Bollandist Society and the University of Chicago’s Lumen Christi Institute on “The Saints: How They Save Us and We Save Them.” In October, she spoke in Saint Susanna Parish’s adult faith formationseries on “The Francis Papacy: Great Debates and the Way Forward.” Professor Mooney’s homily “The Way of True Authority” has been published in Catholic Women Preach: Raising Voices and Renewing the Church (Orbis, 2022).

Hosffman Ospino, associate professor of Hispanic ministry and religious education, received a $7.9 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc., to advance a five-year national project, “Haciendo Caminos: Theological Education for New Generations of U.S. Latino/a Catholics,” in partnership with the University of Notre Dame and 16 other Catholic universities. Hosffman published his most recent book, Young Latino Catholics: Stories of Faith (Paulist Press, 2022), co-edited with Timothy Matovina. He also published the book chapter “U.S. Young Adult Catholics Discerning Spirituality and Family Life: What Is the Verdict?” in Faith and Spiritual Life of Young Adult Catholics in a Rising Hispanic Church, edited by Thomas P. Gaunt, S.J. He served as a guest-editor for two journal issues: the 2022 Religious Education Association Conference Issue, Religious Education, Volume 117, Issue 5 (2022), and the special Issue of the Journal of Catholic Education, “Hispanic Teachers and Leaders in Catholic Schools,” volume 25, Issue 2 (2022), co-edited with Melodie Wyttenbach from Boston College’s Roche Center for Catholic Education. He published “Debt of Gratitude to Religious Education Ancestors” in Religious Education, and “Cultivating Talent: Insights from the 2022 National Study Examining Pathways to Increase the Presence of Hispanic Teachers and Leaders in Catholic Schools” and “Hispanic Teachers and Leaders in Catholic Schools: Special Issue Introduction” in the Journal of Catholic Education, both articles co- authored by Melodie Wyttenbach. With Dr. Wyttenbach, Hosffman hosted a two-day National Summit on Hispanic Educators in Catholic Schools in October 2022. In November, he received a National Recognition Award from the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors of Hispanic Ministry (NCADDHM) for contributions to Hispanic Ministry and Theology. Hosffman gave a one-day presentation on the current status of Hispanic Ministry in the United States to Catholic leaders of 30 dioceses in the Southeast gathered in St. Augustine, FL. He also gave keynote presentations during the “Hope, Heal, Renew Virtual Conference,” the Eucharistic Revival Conference: "Becoming Eucharistic People" (hosted by Virtual Catholic Conference), the National Catholic Youth Conference (Long Beach, CA), Diocese of Camden’s Annual Men’s Conference, the Annual Meeting of the Asociación Nacional de Sacerdotes Hispanos (ANSH), and the Mexican American Catholic College, among others. 

Thomas Stegman, S.J., professor of New Testament and professor ordinarius, published two short articles: “Rejoice Always?” in Give Us This Day: Daily Prayer for Today’s Catholic 12/12 (December 2022) 122-22 and "Reading Saint Paul on Homosexuality, Using the two ‘Hands’ of Exegesis'' – (October 16, 2022) in the online resource Outreach. In addition, he also gave a Continuing Ed lecture on “Recent Issues in Pauline Studies” at Campion Center, Weston, MA (December 1, 2022).

Andrea Vicini, S.J., professor of moral theology, the Michael P. Walsh Professor of Bioethics, and an affiliate member of the ecclesiastical faculty, published two peer-reviewed articles: “Theory Building as Integrated Reflection: Understanding Physician Reflection Through Human Communication Research, Medical Education, and Ethics” (with A.P. Duggan and A.F. Shaughnessy) in Journal of Health Ethics, and “When Social Justice Meets CRISPR” in Sojourners. He gave five lectures: “Neuroscience and Theological Bioethics: An Ongoing Dialogue” at the panel Critical Perspectives: Neuroscience, Morality, and Political Economy–Neuroethics and Theology during the 64th Annual Meeting of the Society of Christian Ethics in Chicago; “The Bioethical Contributions of Pope Francis” at the conference The Moral Theology of Pope Francis: Expanding the U.S. Reception of the First Jesuit Pope at Boston College; “The Ethical Urgency of Addressing Global Plastic Pollution” for the webinar Pollution and Global Health: Impact of Plastic Production of the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities (SACRU); “Caring for Our Common Home: From Laudato Si’ to Laudato Si’ Action Platform” for Global Implications of Climate Change at Boston College; and “Social Justice and Theological Bioethics: Challenges and Approaches” for Social Justice in Jesuit Contexts at Boston College.