Saint Robert Bellarmine, S.J., Award
Commencement honor
Boston College Theology Department Professor Stephen Pope is highly regarded for his commitment to undergraduate teaching and mentoring, as well as his scholarship in Catholic social teaching and ethics, which brings theology as a discipline into conversation with contemporary culture. For his contributions to the University over nearly four decades, he is this year's recipient of BC's Saint Robert Bellarmine, S.J., Award.
Presented at Commencement by University President William P. Leahy, S.J., the award recognizes a distinguished faculty member whose significant contributions have consistently and purposefully advanced the mission of Boston College. It is named for Saint Robert Bellarmine, S.J., an Italian cardinal and one of the leading figures in the Counter-Reformation.
“I have been truly living the dream for decades. I have been blessed with many brilliant and accomplished colleagues from whom I am always learning. The administration’s support for the discipline of theology as well as the life of faith stands out in a time when many Catholic universities are cutting back on theology and the other humanities.”
Respected by his peers, Pope has held leadership positions in his department including service as chairperson, director of Undergraduate Studies, and as a member of the Educational Policy Committee. He also served on the Morrissey College Core Renewal Committee.
“Steve has been a great contributor to Core Renewal,” said Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J. “He has taught an EQ [Enduring Question], God and the Good Life, four times, and a CP [Complex Problem], Faith, Ethics, and the Sciences in the 21st Century, twice. These courses have been exemplars for what we are hoping for from first-year core courses that introduce students to authentically enduring human questions and complex contemporary problems.”
Theology Professor Stephen Pope receives the Bellarmine Award from BC President William P. Leahy, S.J., as Board of Trustees Chair John Fish looks on.
“I have been truly living the dream for decades,” said Pope. “I have been blessed with many brilliant and accomplished colleagues from whom I am always learning. The administration’s support for the discipline of theology as well as the life of faith stands out in a time when many Catholic universities are cutting back on theology and the other humanities.
“I have always felt at home with the Jesuit tradition’s way of rooting the study of theology in both spirituality and service,” added the Jesuit-educated scholar, who graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, Cal., and Gonzaga University. “I went to graduate school [University of Chicago] with the hope that I might be able to get a job teaching theology and ethics at a Jesuit institution.”
Pope is praised by Theology Department Chair Andrea Vicini, S.J., as “a committed, generous, and dedicated teacher, loved by his numerous undergraduate and graduate students. He shares with his students his passion for the theological contributions of Thomas Aquinas, as well as the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation to foster social justice amidst the troubled history of our world."
Frs. Vicini and Kalscheur also cited Pope’s frequent participation in student immersion experiences, which are an invaluable complement to classroom studies.
“His immersion trips—leading students in El Salvador, Uganda, and South Africa—have changed the lives of many Boston College students, nurturing their studies with the encounters and stories of many victims," said Fr. Vicini. "A very successful and appreciated lecturer, since his arrival at Boston College in 1988, he has served the Theology Department and the University in many positions, while continuing to enrich the academy with his scholarship and publications.”
“What has been most significant about my BC experience has been the privilege of getting to teach some of our remarkable undergraduates.”
The author or editor of 10 books, Pope is currently working on God’s Love and Ours: A Christian Ethic of Forgiveness. He also has published numerous articles in prominent periodicals, and is sought by media to share insights on topics in the news.
Pope has volunteered for more than a decade with the Catholic chaplain’s office of MCI Norfolk and is committed to the community of the lay Fraternity of St. Dominic. He serves on the board of Bethany House Ministries, a lay-run community which assists individuals after incarceration. He is engaged in restorative justice initiatives and serves on the advisory board of the Initiative on Restorative Justice and Healing located in the Law School of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Throughout his time at BC, he has served as a consultant and participant in Jesuit Refugee Services programs on international reconciliation.
“What has been most significant about my BC experience has been the privilege of getting to teach some of our remarkable undergraduates,” said Pope. “I have often found myself inspired by the way they talk about their deepest desires and aspirations, their yearning to lead lives of integrity and goodness, their hope for a better, more just world—and their attraction to an ideal of education that upholds respect for the intrinsic dignity of all people.”
Previous recipients of the Bellarmine Award are Thomas F. Rattigan Professor of English Mary Crane, Professor of Philosophy Patrick Byrne, Biology Professor Welkin Johnson, Lynch School of Education and Human Development Professor Emerita Mary Walsh, and Professor of Economics Joseph Quinn.