Faculty, Staff, Student & Alumni Highlights: February 2013
Faculty
Dr. Richard (Dick) Cunningham has been asked to give faculty leadership to the School's Faith & Family Homelessness Project. The Project places the School in a dynamic partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which empowers local faith communities to vigorously identify the root causes of homelessness and develop educational models that confront the issue. Faculty are able to draw upon the resources and research underway in the Faith & Family Homelessness Project for their coursework and studies, including resource persons, videos and findings. Other faculty-initiated actions that integrate the Project with the life of the School include Brown Bag Discussion Lunches, the Red Chair Series for Student Community and more. An independent study course will additionally be offered this upcoming spring quarter by Dr. Cunningham: "Address Unknown: Family Homelessness".
Dr. Leticia Guardiola-Sáenz was the sole Latina contributor among 70 other contributors of varied ethnic backgrounds to the Twentieth Anniversary Edition of "Women's BIble Commentary, Third Edition."
Women’s Bible Commentary, Third Edition, is a trusted, classic resource for biblical scholarship, written by some of the best feminist scholars in the field today. This twentieth anniversary edition features brand new or thoroughly revised essays to reflect newer thinking in feminist interpretation and hermeneutics. It comprises commentaries on every book of the Bible, including the apocryphal books; essays on the reception history of women in the Bible; and essays on feminist critical method. The contributors raise important questions and explore the implications of how women and other marginalized people are portrayed in biblical texts, looking specifically at gender roles, sexuality, political power, and family life, while challenging long-held assumptions.
For more information on this and other titles, visit www.wjkbooks.com.
Dr. Sharon Henderson Callahan's two volume work, "Religious Leadership: A Reference Handbook" has just released its second volume. Seattle University's School of Theology and Ministry staff Rabbi Anson Laytner and faculty Dr. Jeanette Rdoriguez served as part of the editorial board that conceived, negotiated and invited authors to contribute to the total 97 chapters published. Both additionally wrote chapters themselves, and helped in editing the chapters solicited. Other faculty and friends of the School contributed chapters as well, including core faculty Dr. Tito Cruz and Dr. Valerie Lesniak.
Adjunct faculty, Dr. Jeanette Rodriguez is the 2013 recipient of this year's Seattle University McGoldrick Fellowship. Named for Father James McGoldrick, a legendary Jesuit who was known for his genuine care for students, the fellowship is awarded to faculty members who exemplify the values of Jesuit education and the spirit of Father McGoldrick.
Jeanette Rodriguez is precisely that kind of professor. She brings a great intellect and passion to her teaching, scholarship and service--inspiring her students not only to master the coursework, but to put their knowledge to use in building a more just and humane world. Her commitment to the most marginalized in society is abiding and deep. She founded Seattle University’s Center for the Study of Justice in Society, and much of her scholarship focuses on creating a more peaceful and inclusive society.
Professor Rodriguez has authored two books, coauthored a third, published dozens of book chapters and peer-reviewed articles, and has delivered 100-plus conference presentations. An internationally recognized scholar on Latin American theology and religion, gender and cultural diversity, she has held a number of key leadership positions, including president of the Academy of Hispanic Catholic Theologians, national council member for the Catholic peace movement Pax Christi and executive committee member of the European Network of Genocide Scholars. She is currently on the board of directors for the National Catholic Reporter. Among other awards and distinctions, Professor Rodriguez has received the U.S. Catholic Award (2000), an honorary doctorate from St. Xavier University in Chicago (2010) and the Distinguished Teaching Award from Seattle University (2010/Alumni Awards).
Dr. Marianne LaBarre, who spearheaded both the Seattle University Executive Master of Business Administration degree program and Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry's Certificate of Graduate Studies in Pastoral Leadership, has a new book coming out in March. She contributed to "So Much Better: How Thousands of Pastors Help Each Other Thrive" as a part of the TCP The Columbia Partnership Leadership Series. Available via Amazon here.
Dean Mark S. Markuly, Ph.D. gave a presentation at St. Louis on Wednesday, January 30th, from 7:00-9:00pm, which focused on the 50th Anniversary of Vatican II, discussing the Decree on Ecumenism. Rabbi Mirel from Temple B’nai Torah offered comments following Dean Markuly's presentation. Denominational leaders were available as respondents to questions as appropriate, during the question and answer time.
Dean Markuly was interviewed by the Everett Herald regarding the Pope's resignation this month, here. In addition, Dean Markuly & Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon were interviewed on Thursday, February 21st's KIRO Radio show "Ross & Burbank", about the Pope's resignation.
Students
Current Class of 2014 Master of Divinity student, Alissabeth Newton, had a devotional published in the Jan-Feb 2013 issue of "The Upper Room". A paper
entitled “Playing with Pictures of Paradox: Children and Jesus Christ
in Søren Kierkegaard and Godly Play [a Montessori based program of
children’s faith formation]" that Alissabeth wrote along with Dr. Mark L. Taylor was presented at the annual meeting of the Pacific
Northwest American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature, and was additionally accepted for publication by "The Journal of Childhood and Religion".
Master of Arts in Transformational Leadership Class of 2013, Lorenzo Herman, SJ, has been elected and installed as president of the National Black Catholic Seminarians Association. Click here for the full story.
For more about Lorenzo's studies at the School, read a recent article from our interview here.
Current Class of 2013 Master of Arts in Transforming Spirituality student, Theresa Henson's paper paper entitled, "The Arts and Monastic Culture," has been accepted for presentation in the "Arts andReligion" program unit at the Pacific Northwest American Academy of Religion meeting at Seattle University (May 3-5, 2013).
From the fall of Rome to the present day, monasteries have served as protected spaces within chaotic social and political milieus. These sanctuaries have not only preserved the heart of their particular traditions, they have nurtured cultures, preserving history and providing space and time for the development of artistic expressions. Conversely, many artists must develop structured daily creative practices reminiscent of the discipline and faith of a monk. Like monks, artists live a rarefied life that is the result of making sacrifices and deep commitments. Both monks and artists are drawn by the transcendent; they both take the risk of listening to divine inspirations and expressing those visions in the world.
This paper explores the intersections of monastic culture and art practice including the historical context of how monasteries have nurtured the arts and the spirituality of creativity. This paper also explores the unique integration of arts and monastic life as expressed in the present day through the Spirituality and the Arts program at the Monastery of St. Gertrude in Cottonwood, Idaho. Nearly three years old, the program demonstrates how a monastery can become a sanctuary for artistic expression and by doing so, express the primary imperatives of its own 1,500-year-old Benedictine tradition. Topics covered include how a monastic arts program answers the call to community, and how that program fulfills the mission of ministry, manifesting justice and healing.
Alumni
Rev. Elizabeth Felt, Master of Divinity 2010 Alumna, was ordained in 2011 and was installed as the new Associate Pastor of Community Life at First Lutheran Church of Richmond Beach this past Sunday, February 24.
Rev. Annette Andrews-Lux, Master of Divinity 1991 Alumna as well as former faculty and program coordinator for the School's Scripture and Leadership Training (SALT) program, was
ordained on Saturday, January 19 at Trinity Lutheran on Whidbey Island
and installed as pastor at Bethany Lutheran on Sunday, January 20. Her
ordination service reflected the diversity that she grew to respect and
cherish through her intersections with Seattle University's School of Theology
and Ministry. Annette also received a Post-Master's Certificate in Spiritual Direction through the School in 1997.
Kelly Hickman, 2010 Alumna of the Master of Arts in Transforming Spirituality program, will be speaking on February 12 at Holy Names Academy as the Catherine M. LaCugna Endowment speaker. Kelly will be speaking the entire day, offering a workshop-presentation at six consecutive class periods to an auditorium of students, about 125-150 individuals attending each session.