Mercy, Always, in Everything, Mercy
The William H. Shannon Chair in Catholic Studies presents:
“Mercy, always, in everything, mercy,” Thomas Merton wrote in his journal, Turning Toward the World. This prayer of the Trappist monk, mystic, and prophet — whose centenary we celebrate in 2015 — expresses faith in the God who is Mercy and who calls all to be “signs and sacraments of mercy.” Pope Francis is certainly such a sign, embodying mercy in his words, his actions, and his very person. Fittingly, Pope Francis has proclaimed a year-long Jubilee of Mercy to begin in December 2015. The William H. Shannon Chair in Catholic Studies joins in the celebration with this year’s lecture series.
We have invited our speakers to reflect on mercy in the context of their work, writings, and lives. Each, in his or her own way, has much to teach us about mercy: what it is, how urgently it is needed in our Church and world, and how we might become a people of mercy, creating what Pope Francis calls “an oasis of mercy,” what Thomas Merton terms a “climate of mercy,” and what Elaine Prevallet, S.L., names “pockets of hope.” Speaking from a place of faith and attentive to the “signs of the times,” our lecturers do not shy away from difficult questions and issues; rather, they confront the problems and challenges before us with integrity, courage, and mercy, inviting us to do the same.
Please join us in welcoming to the Shannon Chair podium our distinguished speakers: John Dear, Tina Beattie, Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., and Emmanuel Katongole.
John Dear
- Disarming the Heart, Disarming the World: The Peacemaker’s Work Today
September 10, 7 p.m.
Forum, Otto A. Shults Community Center - Peace Be With You: Practicing Nonviolence in a World of Violence and War
September 11, 1:30 p.m.
Linehan Chapel, Golisano Academic Center
John Dear is an internationally recognized voice for peace and nonviolence. A priest, pastor, retreat leader, and author, he served for years as the director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the largest interfaith peace organization in the U.S. After September 11, 2001, he was a Red Cross coordinator of chaplains at the Family Assistance Center in New York, where he counseled thousands of relatives and rescue workers. Dear has traveled the war zones of the world, been arrested some 75 times for peace, led Nobel Peace prize winners to Iraq, recently visited Afghanistan, given thousands of lectures on peace across the U.S., and served as a pastor of several churches in New Mexico.
His most recent books include Walking the Way: Following Jesus on the Lenten Journey of Gospel Nonviolence to the Cross and Resurrection(2015); Thomas Merton Peacemaker (2015); The Nonviolent Life (2013); and A Persistent Peace: One Man's Struggle for a Nonviolent World(2008). He is featured in the film The Narrow Path. He has been nominated many times for the Nobel Peace Prize, including by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Senator Barbara Mikulski. He works for Campaign on Violence, is a priest of the Diocese of Monterey, California., and lives in New Mexico.
Tina Beattie
- Mothering and Mercy: A Theological Reflection on Marian Art and Pope Francis's Theology
October 22, 7 p.m.
Linehan Chapel, Golisano Academic Center - Bringing Women’s Gifts to the Table
October 23, 1:30 p.m.
Linehan Chapel, Golisano Academic Center
Timothy Radcliffe, O.P.
- Keeping Hope in the Desert: What Our Brothers and Sisters in Iraq Can Teach Us
February 11, 2016, 7 p.m.
Forum, Otto A. Shults Community Center - Is Mercy about Forgetting?
February 12, 2016, 1:30 p.m.
Linehan Chapel, Golisano Academic Center
Emmanuel Katongole
- Reconciling Tenderness: On Learning Mercy from God
April 7, 2016, 7 p.m.
Forum, Otto A. Shults Community Center - Planting Tenderness: Laudato Si' and the Bethany Land Institute in Uganda
April 8, 2016, 1:30 p.m.
Linehan Chapel, Golisano Academic Center
Christine Bochen
Email: cbochen4@naz.edu
Website: https://www2.naz.edu/shannon-lecture/shannon-chair-catholic-studies/
Location: Nazareth College, East Avenue, Rochester, NY, United States
Phone: 585-389-2728