BC authors and editors honored by Catholic Media Association
Boston College authors and editors representing the Theology and Philosophy departments, Clough School of Theology and Ministry, and the Church in the 21st Century Center have received Catholic Media Association Book Awards, which honor authors, publishers, and editors who have made significant contributions to the Catholic literary landscape. Awards were announced June 27 at the Catholic Media Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
Joseph Professor of Theology Kristin Heyer and BC alumnus Conor Kelly were honored with a first place award for their co-edited volume The Moral Vision of Pope Francis: Expanding the US Reception of the First Jesuit Pope (Georgetown University Press). The book features contributions from many Boston College-affiliated scholars who reflect on Pope Francis’s implicit approach to moral theology, evaluating his teachings and actions to characterize his moral vision and explain how this vision should apply to a range of contemporary issues.
Growing God (Paraclete Press), a children’s book written by Church in the 21st Century Center Director Karen Kiefer and illustrated by Kathy De Wit, received several honors, including third place awards in the Children’s Book Reader, Children’s Book Series, and Children’s Book Design and Production categories. It was also awarded an honorable mention in the Illustrations category.
Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Canisius Professor of Theology James F. Keenan, S.J., received an honorable mention in the Theological and Philosophical Studies category for his publication, The Moral Life: Eight Lectures (Georgetown University Press). The book is a collection of Fr. Keenan's Martin D'Arcy, S.J. Memorial Lectures delivered at the University of Oxford. A Festschrift in his honor, titled Bothering to Love: James F. Keenan’s Retrieval and Reinvention of Catholic Ethics (Orbis Books), was awarded second place in the Morality, Ethics, Mariology, Redemption category. Bothering to Love was co-edited by BC alumni Christopher Vogt and Kate Ward, and features contributions from Fr. Keenan’s former doctoral students whose scholarly essays explore the realm of Catholic ethics through Fr. Keenan’s body of work as a moral theologian.
The late Boston College theologian Richard Gaillardetz’s meditations on his terminal diagnosis and illness earned two honors. While I Breathe, I Hope: A Mystagogy of Dying (Liturgical Press), edited by Grace M. Agolia, received a first place award (grief and bereavement) and a second place award (memoir).
Professor of Philosophy Peter Kreeft's Ethics for Beginners: Big Ideas from 32 Great Minds (Word on Fire) received third place honors in the category of Morality, Ethics, Mariology, Redemption. The volume surveys the ideas of important ethical philosophers and provides expert analysis and reflection from Kreeft.
Associate Professor of Theology Emeritus Robert Imbelli’s book Christ Brings All Newness: Essays, Reviews, and Reflections (Word on Fire) received third place awards in two categories: anthology and theological and philosophical studies. In this volume, Fr. Imbelli offers a theology and vision of the Christian faith that is intellectually stimulating and deeply affective.
Alumnus Ryan Duns, S.J., was recognized with a third place award for his book, Theology of Horror: The Hidden Depths of Popular Films (University of Notre Dame Press). The book was honored in the Popular Presentation of the Catholic Faith category. In the book, Fr. Duns explores 15 classic and contemporary horror films and brings to light their implicit theological and philosophical themes.
Catholic Women Preach: Raising Voices, Renewing the Church (Orbis Books), the third installment of a series of books featuring homilies offered by Catholic women, was awarded an honorable mention in the Liturgy or Worship category. The volume was co-edited by Elizabeth Donnelly and Boston College graduate Russ Petrus. Several BC faculty, alumnae, and a student contributed to Catholic Women Preach. The book was also recognized by the Association of Catholic Publishers with a third place award for Resources for Ministry.