The Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California

NEWSLETTER • SPRING 2012 The Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California

IFACS.com Filling Shelves with the Heart of the Institute ne of the first things Elizabeth Garrett did as Provost was to dedicate a bookshelf in her office to showcase the current research of the faculty. “It is important for me Oto have the work of the faculty as the first thing people see when they come to my office. Who we are as people is in part defined by our scholarship. That is why we become professors—our research is the heart of who we are.” Among the many books that the Institute has already published are a number that Fr. Heft has written or edited. “I am fortunate to be the person in the Office of the Provost who works closely with Fr. Heft and with the Institute,” says Provost Garrett. Shortly after joining the Provost’s Office in 2005 as the Vice President for Planning and Bud- get, she met Fr. Heft. One of Fr. Heft’s former students at the University of Dayton met Garret when he took her law course at the University of Chicago. He told Heft about how wonderful he thought Garrett was, both as a person and as a professor, and Fr. Heft, after arriving on campus, made a point of meeting her, and found, not sur- prisingly, that both of them shared many interests, including a passion for teaching and a deep interest in the impact and role of religion in society. Garrett explained: “I come from a family that has always been interested in interfaith dialogue. My father attended for a while the Princeton seminary and my mother is involved in encouraging interfaith dialogues in Oklahoma. Jim and my family,” continued Garrett, “were able to connect based on a shared interest in conversations that cross the boundaries of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam; we all recognize that people of different faiths share different values and that through Elizabeth Garrett discussion we can move forward with a continued inside…

The Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, located at the University of Southern California, fosters Catholic intellectual and scholarly life. It brings together scholars from across the world in all disciplines who desire to engage in cross-disciplinary, ecumenical, and inter-faith conversation and research that retrieves, critiques, and develops a deeper understanding of the roles of religion and, particularly, Catholicism today. continued from front page better understanding of each other.” Having served as Provost for a little over a year, Garrett appreciates her relationship with Fr. Heft, whom she considers a friend and mentor. “It is wonderful for me to have friends who are experienced leaders in higher education and who can offer thoughtful, supportive advice for confronting some of the challenges of my job.” Provost Garrett notes that one of the things she is most proud of with respect to the Institute is its A published book lives on ability to convene first-rate scholars and outstand- and has an influence on ing religious leaders from scholarship and on thinking around the world—either at USC or at locations like for decades to come. the Vatican—to examine some of the pressing issues of our time. “To produce impressive scholarly work from such events can increase the influence of the events themselves—and their publications have done precisely that. A published book lives on and has an influence on scholarship and on thinking for decades to come. I’m especially proud that the Institute has produced and published a number of high quality works with leading academic presses such as Oxford.” Garrett believes the Institute’s goals correlate with some of the emphases set forth in the new USC Strategic Vision. “The University strives for excellence in everything we do. That translates to consequen- tial research, recruiting and “I am delighted that Beth retaining the best faculty and Garrett has accepted our admitting the top students invitation to serve on the from around the world; the Institute shares this passion board of the Institute. She for excellence. You see that is a great leader at USC, in its work, in the people who understands and supports the it brings to campus as lectur- ers and the conversations it mission of the Institute, and fosters between members will help us benefit the most of different religions, or from our unique, strategic between different disciplines, such as economists and ethi- and very valuable relationship cists.” She also notes that Fr. with the University.” Heft holds an endowed chair — Fr. Jim Heft on the USC Dornsife faculty, an honor that reflects his col- leagues’ value and esteem for his outstanding achievements. As a new Board member, Provost Garrett is committed to helping the Institute raise money to endow fellowships, lectures and conferences. She would love to fill her shelves with the “heart” of the Institute: first rate research in the service of the human community. Garrett will also help the Institute find a location for its residential center near campus. “I think this is an auspicious time, not only for me to join the board, but also for the Insti- tute itself. The Institute is uniquely positioned to be part of the University’s endowment campaign, and with my support and that of many others, it is already taking advantage of that great opportunity.” From the President Dear Friends, Most people know that when an organization is said to have “momentum,” then they are saying something positive about it. The Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies enjoys increasing momentum, not by itself only, but along with the great University of Southern California. I can report with pleasure that wherever I go around this country or even in Europe and parts of Asia and the Middle East, it seems that many people have heard of the Institute; some even know a good deal about it. This is very encouraging, to say the least. One of the reasons for this momentum is that we continue to appoint superb members to our Board of Trustees. I am very pleased to report that USC’s new Provost, Elizabeth Garrett, has joined the board. Her leadership and support gives additional energy, and solidifies an even closer working relationship between USC and the Institute. To learn more about Provost, and now Institute Trustee, Garrett, we have featured her in this edition of the newsletter. Another reason for our increased momentum is that we have published four excellent books just this past year. They explore critical issues such as interreligious dialogue, the challenges of exercising authority in today’s Church, the importance of Catholic high schools and how Catho- lic social teaching can shape the education of engineers. Two more books will be published this year, one which includes the papers from our very successful Vatican conference, and the other on developments, some intended and some not, after Vatican II. What’s more, we have two more excellent books planned for 2013. We are also now in a position where it makes sense for us to look for a home for the Insti- tute. USC is helping us find a historic building near campus where Institute scholars will be able to spend a year doing, discussing their research, and finding creative ways to disseminate it to the wider public. Our Associate Director of Research, Gary Adler, now Dr. Gary Adler (congratulations!) con- tinues to lead the Generations in Dialogue Program that brings together young scholars with a world class Catholic intellectual. He is also editing an Institute research book on secularization and the role of religion in modern society. I have mentioned only a few of the events that together contribute to the momentum the Institute now enjoys. Most of all, I thank all of you for supporting our mission, for your helpful suggestions, and your generous contributions. Without your financial support, we would not be able to capitalize on the momentum we enjoy nor be able to achieve our ultimate mission of producing research with consequence for the betterment of the Church and the world. To make a contribution, please visit our website www.ifacs.com and click “Support Us.” Sincerely,

Fr. Jim Heft, S.M., President

We recently launched the Institute’s Twitter account, please follow us: @IACSUSC. Generations In Dialogue Update Chicago Meeting of the Merle and Peter Mullin Scholars

e you yours, and I will versity). They reflected on the vocation of be yours.” This was what scholarship. One session was dedicated Nicholas of Cusa, a 15th to their teaching: how they could pass “B on their love for the mystics and saints Century mystic, hoped God would say in his heart. Nicholas, a brilliant scholar, they study to today’s students. One young shows us how to contemplate God in our scholar reflected on his goal of “human- life. But how can you and I learn such izing students” by inviting them to locate inspiring words from the past? To hear their life questions in the long conver- Growing Dynamic Scholarship in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition the wisdom of past we need guides: those sation of Christianity. Another young who study the past, relate it to the pres- scholar described her use of The Interior ent, and pass it to the future. Castle, and how her students loved a 16th Century text about God and the interior life. But really to understand these young scholars, one brief vignette reveals their unique gift for bridging tradition to today. On Saturday night, they watched The Tree of Life. This popular recent film left many moviegoers scratching their heads because they had no guide for understanding. If you were able to see it with these young scholars, though, you would hear of the film’s relation to Paul’s Letter to the Romans, its allegorical structure based on Augustine’s Confessions, and its natural portrayal of creation evoking Teilhard de Chardin. And, most importantly, you would be encouraged to pray: “Be you yours, and I will be yours.”

Bo Karen Lee (Princeton Theological Seminary), David Albertson (USC), Michon Matthiesen (Providence College) Participants in 2012 Generations in Dialogue Meeting with Bernard McGinn

The Generations in Dialogue (GID) program puts together two generations of scholars, providing mentoring for young scholars in the first steps of their academic careers. These young scholars are the next generation of guides for college students, for the Church, and for society. Without these new guides, the Christian love of learning is not passed on. Without mentoring from senior scholars, these new guides could lose connection to an intellectual community of faith. At the GID spring meeting in Chi- cago, five young scholars gathered with Bernard McGinn (Chicago Divinity School) and Peter Casarella (DePaul Uni- Institute Trustees Honored at the 2012 Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Award Dinner

Father Heft with Institute Board Members and honorees, Father Bryan Hehir (left) and Peter Steinfels (right)

Monika K. Hellwig Presidents’ Distinguished Award Winner Service Award Winners Rev. J. Bryan Hehir Margaret O’Brien Steinfels Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice and Peter Steinfels of Religion and Public Life, John F. Kennedy School of Co-directors, The Center on Religion and Culture Government, Harvard University Fordham University

About the Monika K. Hellwig Award The Monika K. Hellwig Award for Outstanding Contribu- About Presidents’ Distinguished Service Award tions to Catholic Intellectual Life honors an individual who has Criteria for the Presidents’ Distinguished Service Award are significantly advanced Catholic intellectual life. as follows: • Personal service of exceptional quality to Catholic higher education The Institute congratulates • Significant promotion of Catholic higher education through public advocacy Trustee Hehir and Trustee Steinfels • Advancement of Catholic higher education through philan- for this well-deserved honor. thropy or voluntary development activities Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies to Host a True Wealth of Nations Conference on “Human Agency, Social Structures, and Moral Responsibility” At the University of Southern California, June 20–24, 2012

his conference is part of an on-going research project the Institute has been supporting since 2006 called The True TWealth of Nations (TWN). This project has been led by Dan Finn, Institute trustee, economist, and theologian who teaches at St. John’s University in Minnesota, and Paul Caron, who is a former Institute trustee and was head of J. P. Morgan in Switzerland and Belgium. They have formed a very dynamic relationship bringing together the best of the academic and economic worlds. At their first conference held at USC in the summer of 2008, This summer’s June conference, titled “Human Agency, Finn and Caron set Social Structures and Moral Responsibility,” will examine the In 2009, the Pontifical Council out to test whether degree of responsibility that individuals have when, as work- the major princi- ers or consumers, they participate in the market. Conference for Justice and Peace invited ples of Catholic organizer and project leader Professor Finn characterizes it as the Institute to organize a social teaching follows: on economics, if Markets do many wonderful things in coordinat- conference held in Rome applied compe- ing economic activity, and many of us are among tently, would put the most fortunate beneficiaries of markets. Yet we the world on the path to sustainable prosperity for all, including also know that markets cause hardships and at times the poor and the marginalized. In 2010, Oxford University Press even tragedies in the lives of many people around the published the major papers of that conference under the title globe. Do we bear responsibility for those hardships of The True Wealth of Nations: Catholic Social Teaching and and tragedies because we participate in and benefit Economic Life. from the markets which bring about those harms to Even before the publication of this book, the TWN ap- distant and sometimes not so distant others? proach, which stressed both empirical validation and moral No one individual involved in the market can, alone, make principles, generated real interest in the Vatican. In 2009, the much of an impact by withdrawing or staying in the market. Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace invited the Institute to But can Christian responsibility for something as complex as organize a conference held in Rome on Pope Benedict’s 2009 the market suggest actions that might be taken corporately—ac- encyclical on the economy, Caritas in veritate, and how that tions that respect making a profit as well as diminishing the encyclical might apply to the United States. The major papers negative effects of the market on some people? Answers to that from that conference, also edited by Dan Finn, have just been question will be explored in depth at this conference. Individual published by Oxford as The Moral Dynamics of Economic Life: and corporate responsibility for participants in the market is an An Extension and Critique of Caritas in Veritate. important and under-developed area of Catholic social thinking. Below are confirmed conference participants: sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California. Margaret Archer, Director of the Center for Social Ontology, Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne. Brian Matz, Carroll College. Margaret Archer joins EPFL after many years Professor of Dr. Matz is Assistant Professor at Carroll College. Follow- Sociology at Warwick University during which she developed ing an early career in the business world, Dr. Matz earned a her ‘Morphogenetic Approach’ to social theory. She now heads Th.M. in Historical Theology from Dallas Seminary, a Ph.D. in the project at EPFL ‘From Modernity to Morphogenesis’. She Historical Theology/Early Christianity from Saint Louis Univer- was elected as the first woman President of the International sity, and a Ph.D. and S.T.D. in social ethics from the Katholieke Sociological Association at the 12th World Congress of Sociol- Universiteit Leuven. ogy. She is a founder member of both the Pontifical Academy Thomas Ogletree, Yale Divinity School. of Social Sciences and the Academy of Learned Societies in Professor Ogletree has served as dean of Yale Divinity the Social Sciences and is a trustee of the Centre for Critical School (1990–96) and the Theological School at Drew Univer- Realism. sity (1981–90). He was director of graduate studies in religion Albino Barrera, O.P., Professor of Economics and Theology at at Vanderbilt University (1978–81). He is the author of five Providence College in Rhode Island. books: The World Calling: The Church’s Witness in Politics and Fr. Barrera’s books include Market Complicity and Chris- Society; Christian Faith and History: A Critical Comparison of tian Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 2011), Globalization Ernst Troeltsch and Karl Barth; The Death of God Controversy; and Economic Ethics: Distributive Justice in the Knowledge The Use of the Bible in Christian Ethics; and Hospitality to the Economy (Palgrave MacMillan, 2007), Economic Compul- Stranger: Dimensions of Moral Understanding. He is coauthor sion and Christian Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 2005), of From Hope to Liberation: Towards a New Marxist-Christian God and the Evil of Scarcity: Moral Foundations of Economic Dialogue and co-editor of Lifeboat Ethics: Moral Dilemmas of Agency (University of Notre Dame Press, 2005), and Modern World Hunger. Catholic Social Documents and Political Economy (Georgetown Douglas Porpora, Drexel University. University Press, 2001). Douglas V. Porpora is chair of the Department of Psychol- John Coleman, S.J. Associate Pastor at St. Ignatius Church in ogy, Sociology, and Anthropology at Drexel University. He is an San Francisco. active member of NETWORK, a national social justice lobby, For many years, Fr. Coleman was the Casassa Professor of and is the author of three other books, The Concept of Social Social Values at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Structure (1987), Landscapes of the Soul: The Loss of Moral His books and other writings have focused largely on areas Meaning in American Life (2001), and Transcendence: Critical connected to sociology of religion and also to social ethics. His Realism and God (2004). most recent work has concentrated on issues of globalization. Cristina Traina, Northwestern University. Pierpaolo Donati, University of Bologna. Cristina L. H. Traina serves a Professor of Religion at Pierpaolo Donati is Full Professor of Sociology of the Northwestern University. Her areas of research focus on Chris- Family at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of tian theology and ethics, with emphasis on Roman Catholic and Bologna (Italy), where he also serves as Chair of the Post-Grad- feminist thought. She received her Ph.D. in theology from the uate course (Ph.D) in Sociology and as Director of the Ceposs University of Chicago Divinity School and has been a member (Center of Research on Social Policy). He also teaches advanced of the Northwestern Department of Religious Studies since sociology and sociology of welfare. He is Past-President of the 1992. Areas of special interest include childhood; the ethics of Italian Association of Sociology, and founder and director of touch in relations between unequals; sexuality and reproduction; CIRS (Intra-university Center for Sociological Research), a net- ecology; justice issues in bioethics; economic and immigration work of academic networks for empirical research. He has been justice; and method. Traina favors an interdisciplinary approach a member of many committees in public and private institutions to ethics, drawing on research in philosophy, anthropology, of scientific research and advisory boards in social policies, both psychology, history, and other fields. at the national and international level. Cardinal PeterTurkson, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Professor Mary Hirschfeld, Villanova University. Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, President of the Dr. Hirschfeld earned her Ph.D. in economics at Harvard Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Archbishop emeritus University in 1989. After teaching economics for fifteen years of Cape Coast (Ghana), was born on 11 October 1948 in Was- at Occidental College, she returned to school to study theol- saw Nsuta, Ghana. He was President of the Ghana Catholic ogy at the University of Notre Dame, and is currently writing Bishops’ Conference (1997-2005) and member of the Pontifical a dissertation in Moral Theology on the intersection of the Commission for Methodist-Catholic Dialogue; Chancellor of the disciplines of theology and economics. Her publications include Catholic University College of Ghana; member of the National articles in the Review of Economics and Statistics, History of Sustainable Development, Ministry of Environment; member Political Economy, and the Journal of the Society of Christian of the Board of Directors of the Central Regional Development Etics. In addition she is a participant in the True Wealth project Committee and treasurer of the Symposium of Episcopal Con- ferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). What the Critics are Saying

About True Wealth of Nations: “This is an important book for the crucial question it raises and Catholic Social Thought and its mode of response, as much as for how well it succeeds.” It “res- Economic Life: olutely eschews the typical hand-wringing about the indifference “A basic challenge of interdisciplinary of young people to religion, and their naiveté in attempting to be research is to gather together sufficiently ‘spiritual but not religious,’ to “believe without belonging.’ Instead, high levels of expertise from various fields it makes clear from success stories in all three traditions, that it is possible for faith communities to ‘pass on’ their faith effectively.” so that the insights generated can exceed th what any of the disciplines might produce America, October 15 , 2007. on their own. The True Wealth of Nations “…[T]his volume is a substantial contribution to the discussion succeeds in assembling an impressive of the faith of the young in contemporary society.” Theological array of both professional and academic Studies, Vol. 68, No. 4. economists, social scientists, and Christian thinkers to examine the About Catholicism and Inter- contribution Catholic social thought can make to economic life in CatholiCism and religious Dialogue: the twenty-first century.” The Journal of Religion, Vol. 92, No. 1. interreligious That a moral vision makes for good economics is “at once star- Dialogue “This design of this book is excellently conceived.” The introduction provides “a tling and welcome.” “Some of the lists here of what would make eDiteD by James l . h eft, s . m . for “true wealth” are some of the fullest and best thought out of good overview of Catholicism and interre- anything I have seen in CST literature. They show off the treasure ligious dialogue which is fair and balanced, trove of insights from tradition and demonstrate the impoverished nicely outlining the tightrope that the Cath- horizons of contemporary governments and businessmen.” The olic approach generates: affirming the deep Tablet, June 11, 2011. spiritual value of learning from the Other and respecting the Other, while at the same About The Crisis of Authority time, carrying out non-coercive witness to in Catholic Modernity: the truth that in Christ, God reveals Himself and call to salvation all “The names of the editors and authors peoples. …Catholics and other Christians will be indebted for this of this book attest to the solid scholarly rich, vivid, challenging and hopeful picture of the possible future of worth and accessibility of their reflections interreligious dialogue.” Reviews in Religion and Theology, 2012. on an urgent topic. …[T]he book deserves About Catholic High Schools: high praise for the level of serious thought Facing the New Realities: and the breadth of well-founded knowledge that it makes available. Readers with the “This is a serious book about a seri- continued vitality of the Christian tradition ous subject. …[T]here is little or no at heart will not be disappointed.” Theo- educational jargon in this book. This is a logical Studies, Vol. 73, No. 1. conservative view of education, but one that deserves respect and support.” Educa- About Passing on the Faith: tion Next. Transforming Traditions “Although the challenges facing Catho- for the Next Generation lic education show no signs of abetting, of Jews, Christians and Heft’s book provides hope that Catholic Muslims: high schools that have understood their distinctive Catholic mission This volume “demonstrates the im- and who have found ways to foster lay leadership will not only portant role that interreligious dialogue survive, they will be the first choice of post-deferential parents as can play in practical theology. Even more well.”First Things, February 2012. importantly, it shows the value of such “I think this book will become, as it should become, a standard dialogue as we seek to faithfully re-imag- reading in Catholic education. Every administrator of Catholic ine our respective traditions for life in the schools, indeed every teacher in a Catholic school, should have this postmodern world.” Horizons: The Journal of the College Theology boo to study and, I predict, enjoy. I plan to return to ‘Catholic High Society, Vol. 35, No. 2. Schools’ frequently.” Amazon: Review. October 30, 2011. Elizabeth and Robert Plumleigh Lecture Series – Spring 2012 hrough the continued generosity of Elizabeth and Robert he Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies is Pleased TPlumleigh, the Institute sponsored the Spring 2012 Lecture Tto Announce the Fall 2012 Elizabeth and Robert Series focused on Religion and Politics. For more information, Plumleigh Lecture Series: “Latinos and the Changing please visit www.ifacs.com American Catholic Church”

Latinos AND THE Changing American Catholic Church

Tuesday Is This the Mormon Moment? Will Tuesday Manuel Pastor, PhD Feb. 21, 2012 Mitt Romney be the Mormons’ JFK? Sept. 18, 2012 USC Professor of American 5:00 PM David Campbell, PhD, John Cardinal Studies and Ethnicity; Director of USC Davidson O’Hara, C.S.C. Associate Professor of Program for Environmental and Conference Center Political Science at the University of Notre Regional Equity; Co-Director of Dame and co-author of American Grace: How Center for the Study of Immigrant Religion Divides and Unites Us. This lecture Integration was broadcast by C-Span. Co-author of Uncommon Ground: Race and Co-sponsored with the America’s Future USC Department of Political Science Tuesday Michele Dillon, PhD Tuesday Religion, Media, and Politics Oct. 9, 2012 Professor of Sociology, March 27, 2012 Diane Winston, PhD, Knight Chair in University of New Hampshire 6:30 PM Media and Religion at the Annenberg School President-elect of the Society for Communication and Journalism at USC for the Scientific Study of Religion Tuesday Faithful Citizenship: Directions Co-author of Catholics in America survey April 24, 2012 and Dangers for Catholics in this 5:00 PM Election Year Thursday Carlos M. N. Eire, PhD USC Davidson John Carr, PhD, Executive Director of Nov. 15, 2012 Riggs Professor of History and Conference Center the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Religious Studies, Yale University Development of the United States Catholic Author of Learning to Die in Miami Bishops’ Conference and A Brief History of Eternity Co-sponsored with the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School.

David Campbell, PhD delivers lecture on Feb 21, 2012 Elizabeth and Robert Plumleigh with Father Heft and David Campbell Special Announcement “in the lógos of love” A Conference on the Predicament and Promise of Catholic Intellectual Life Co-Sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies and the University of Dayton λόγοςSpring 2013

alker Percy called it a “predicament.” Catholic higher education, despite significant challenges One sign that the world has ended, the world and setbacks, flourishing in many ways unforeseen by we knew, the world by which we understood our- previous generations; Wselves, an age which began some three hundred years ago with • a significant and growing number of younger Catholics the scientific revolution, is the dawn of the discovery that its who identify with no religious tradition (the “nones”); world view no longer works and we find ourselves without the • large groups within the Church who have not yet seen their means of understanding ourselves. cultural traditions influence the thinking of the Church, but There is a lag between the end of an age and the discovery which offer an invigorating and potentially transformative of the end. The denizens of such a time are like the cartoon cat resource; that runs off a cliff and for a while is suspended, still running, in • a highly-developed, too-little-known or -used body of mid-air but sooner or later looks down and sees there is nothing social thought available to be brought to bear on the great under him. public questions of the age, though susceptible to politiciza- U.S. Catholic tion as well as to disconnection from other key aspects of intellectual life at the Catholic theology and social life; “There is a lag between beginning of the third • the rise of a “culture of choice”—brought about by in- the end of an age and millennium is both creased mobility, the growth of a market mentality, and the intensely vibrant and decline of intergenerational formation—in which mem- the discovery of the end.” immensely challenged bership in religious congregations becomes increasingly in the following (and voluntarized, sorting religious communities into enclaves of many other) ways: the like-minded; • a larger, more broadly educated cohort of scholars, many • a deepening polarization of culture in society and in reli- of whom have received excellent educations in secular uni- gious communities as a result of the rise of pluralized and versities, and now provide the opportunity for bridging the fragmental communications media in the form of cable and divide between religion and the academy in new ways; satellite television, the Internet and social media. • several generations of theologians, most of them laypeople, educated outside the seminary, bringing the perspective of The moment in which we find ourselves is one of great pos- the laity to the study of theology, and theological expertise sibility and great uncertainty. What does Catholic intellectual and insight to the academy and to university education; tradition look like in the age of Fox News and Wikipedia? In • persistent doubts about whether U.S. Catholics and faculty his meeting with young university professors during his recent at some Catholic colleges and universities are cultivating trip to Spain for World Youth Day, Pope Benedict XVI, speak- the kind of rich intellectual life and culture previous genera- ing as the scholar he still is, offers a stirring vision of what the tions imagined as the goal and challenge of the freedom scholarly life can and should be, a vision in which “the Uni- Catholics have in the United States; versity has always been, and is always called to be, the ‘house’ • a deeply divided Catholic population, in which scholar- where one seeks the truth proper to the human person,” an edu- ship is too often put at the service of political partisanship cation “embracing the full measure of what it is to be human.” rather than at the service of the truth and of the poor and The history of Catholic intellectual life and of Catholic higher marginalized; education offers ample testimony to the power of this vision • an affluent Catholic population, successful beyond their and the readiness of the Church’s members and collaborators to grandparents’ greatest hopes, with large percentages of the respond to the call. younger generation acquiring university educations, and The power of this vision can mask the ways in which it is threatened. Currently too many Catholic intellectuals who want to respond to this call, who see themselves as already respond- ing, find difficulty in bringing their gifts to the Church to begin the conversation. Changes in the role of the theologian within the Church, changes in the role of the intellectual in public life, raise questions about where creative and critical forms of Catholic scholarship can find a home and an audience, even if we are fortunate enough to produce them. We hope in this conference to find ways to address this impasse, to delve into the resources available to bridge this gap and bring all that we can bear to the tasks that we all see as our vocations. This conference, co-sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies and the University of Dayton, seeks to examine four dimensions of this issue. Two speakers will address each of the topic areas. These participants will be invited to a preliminary (one-day) meeting about a year in advance of the conference, to discuss their approaches to their topics and aid the coherence and substance of the conference for participants and attendees. The first topic below would set the scene for the ones that follow. The others are crucial aspects for discussion and reflection.

The contemporary moment in context, especially of the last half-century and yoke other authorities to their own agendas. Where do the U.S. Catholic intellectual life has changed since 1950 in church and the university stand to speak in this new arena? ways nearly unimaginable to those of that earlier generation. These changes have occurred in a wider, global context that has Christian tradition, sexual morality, and gender definitively altered the role of the intellectual in public life. We One of the most distinctive aspects of contemporary Catho- seek a compelling, freshly-imagined overview of the substance lic intellectual life is the unprecedented number of women of those changes and the possibilities they pose for the next scholars; one of the greatest current obstacles is a diffuse but generation of Catholic intellectuals, both within and outside the real and probably increasing sense of disconnection, a shift in university. the sense of belonging, which weakens the ties between the contemporary Church and its members. This shift has been pushed Academic life and Catholic intellectual tradition to the point of crisis by the blow to the hierarchy’s teaching Catholic intellectual tradition was altered irrevocably by the authority dealt by the clerical sexual abuse scandal, which is rise of the secular research university in the 19th century. Aca- in turn related to a wider loss of credibility on issues of sexual demic life was altered by the relegation of religion to a separate morality. On what resources can Catholic intellectual life draw sphere of voluntarism and sentiment. After at least two centuries to address these issues in ways that move beyond the last half- of separation, there are signs of a rapprochement. What do Cath- century’s culture wars? olic intellectual tradition and contemporary academic practice have to offer to each other today? How might their potential In his 2009 encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict mutual influence provide new resources for the Church as it XVI writes, “Truth, by enabling men and women to let go confronts the challenges of its third millennium? of their subjective opinions and impressions, allows them to move beyond cultural and historical limitations and to come Media and public life together in the assessment of the value and substance of things. All of these others factors are deeply affected by the com- Truth opens and unites our minds in the lógos of love: this is munications revolutions that have thrown open the gates and the Christian proclamation and testimony of charity” [§4]. By given rise to new forms of authority: the pundit, the special inviting a wide variety of scholars to think through the current agenda organization, the partisan blogger, and cloud-sourced situation and possible futures of Catholic intellectual life in light Wikipedia. These new figures have quickly achieved social of this challenge to link love and truth, this conference will draw capital exceeding that of traditional ecclesial and academic on ancient and contemporary resources in the hope of address- authorities. Indeed they have the power to delegitimize, frame, ing Percy’s (and our) predicament to the good of whatever age it is that is emerging. Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC University Religious Center, Suite 102 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 90089-0751

Contact Information

Father James L. Heft, S.M. President and Alton Brooks Professor of Religion Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC A USC Charitable University Religious Center, Suite 102 University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0751 p: (213) 740-3055 Gift Annuity: [email protected]

Gary Adler A Gift that Gives… Associate Director of Research Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC and Gives Back to You University Religious Center, Suite 102 University of Southern California, n annuity is a contract under which USC, in return for a transfer of Los Angeles, CA 90089-0751 p: (213) 740-1864 cash, marketable securities, or other assets, agrees to pay a fixed [email protected] Aamount of money to one or two individuals for their lifetime. By establishing a charitable gift annuity benefiting the Institute forAdvanced Shelia Garrison Catholic Studies, you can secure your own future, generate lifetime income, Administrative Assistant and enjoy an array of tax benefits. In addition, your legacy gift will help Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC further the Institute’s mission. Your charitable gift annuity pays dividends University Religious Center, Suite 102 University of Southern California, now and for generations to come! Los Angeles, CA 90089-0751 p: (213) 740-1864 f: (213) 740-2179 Sample One-Life Gift Annuity Rates: [email protected] Age of Donor Rate 70 years 5.7% J. Todd Thaxton Director, Central Projects, 75 years 6.3% University Advancement University of Southern California 80 years 7.1% Bovard Administration Building, Suite 260 85 years 8.1% 3551 Trousdale Parkway Los Angeles, California 90089 90+ years 9.5% p: (213) 740-7826 (Gift Annuity Rates are based on the suggested rates approved by [email protected] the American Council on gift annuities and are subject to periodic review) Website For more information, contact Todd Thaxton at 213-740-7826 or via e-mail at [email protected]. www.IFACS.com