CTU Logos Newsletter Spring 2020

Information for alumni, donors, and friends of Catholic Theological Union

A GR A DUAT E SCHOOL OF T H EOL OGY A N D M I N IST RY

SPRING 2020

VOL .

31 •

ISSUE

02

Sr. Barbara Reid Honored as Groundbreaking Feminist Scholar

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he University of Graz was founded in Graz, Austria, in 1585. A mere 410 years later, in 1995, the institution inaugurated a Women’s and Gender Studies Program. As the quarter-century mark of that program’s founding approached, its director thought, what better way to honor this milestone than to celebrate a pioneering feminist scholar? That pioneer is CTU’s beloved Sister Barbara Reid, OP, Professor of New Testament Studies and longtime Vice President and Academic Dean.

Sr. Mumbi Kigutha, CPPS, addresses fellow students at CTU 2019 Commencement.

CTU Alumna Addresses First Ever Pan-African Theological Congress

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n May 2019, Sr. Mumbi Kigutha, CPPS, was nominated by her fellow graduates to offer the student address at CTU’s Commencement exercises.

In that reflection, Sr, Mumbi cited that “womanist theology compels us to seek to see how the lowliest of women, black, poor, women of color, queer, non-binary and non-conforming women are treated.” She continued, “Until we acknowledge the poor status of women—especially women who are more marginalized than others—we will continue to flounder and not move forward. The intentions of patriarchy have not protected anyone as has been demonstrated that when too much power and influence is placed on the shoulders of a mere mortal, they eventually crumble because only God can be God.”

S AFRICA continued on page 4

A year-long series on MuslimChristian dialogue and criminal justice reform

Sr. Barbara’s creation and direction of the acclaimed Wisdom Commentary series, published by Liturgical Press, has contributed a significant feminist perspective to Biblical scholarship. Of the first 20 volumes published, seven have won awards from the Catholic Press Association and the Association of Catholic Publishers. 38 more volumes are planned to complete the series. Professor Christoph Heil, Dean of Graz University’s Faculty of Catholic Theology, noted: “With the rationale of the Wisdom Commentary series, Profesor Reid has set a milestone in feminist biblical interpretation.” Professor Irmtraud Fischer, speaking on behalf of the University’s focus on women and gender studies, added: “Throughout history, women have read and interpreted Bible texts.

However, interpretations of men have preS REID continued on page 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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This past December, Sr. Barbara was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Graz in Austria and invited to deliver the principal paper of the Women’s and Gender Studies 25th anniversary symposium.

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CTU student commissioned as first female Muslim Chaplain in US Department of Defense

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First fruits of the generosity of the Forward in Faith 50 th Anniversary capital campaign

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Our alumnae are also making an important MOST OBSERVERS WOULD AGREE that a contribution in a variety of theological and major issue still confronting the Catholic ministerial areas. Kenyan Sr. Mumba Kigutha, Church, in the US and internationally, is Rev. Mark Francis, CSV CPPS, MA ’19, has challenged the African Catholic recognizing the gifts of women in both ministry and Church by stressing that it must first “clean house” by decision-making positions in the Church. Pope Francis, decisively dealing with clerical sexual abuse before being able to in a recent meeting with Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, offer credible leadership. has asserted that “more must be done to include women in roles of advising and governance, but without reducing them to having In mid-December a historic event took place at CTU: the oathjust a ‘functional’ role.” While civil society continues to struggle to taking of the first woman Muslim candidate chaplain for the accord women equality with men in the workplace, so the Church United States Airforce, Saleha Jabeen, MA ’14, MDiv ’20. Saleha has been challenged to allow women to take their place as full insisted that CTU was the appropriate place for this oath because and equal partners in its mission and ministry. of its contribution to her call to minister as a Muslim chaplain.

CTU has been in the vanguard of Roman Catholic schools of theology in welcoming women as both students and as members Through the generosity of donors, of the faculty. One year after the founding of the school in 1968, CTU has been able to offer the Admissions Committee recommended the acceptance of international women’s scholarships qualified non-clerical students into CTU degree programs. The that make a difference around the world. following year Lois Didion, a religious of the Cenacle, was hired as an assistant in the Field Education department. Since then CTU is blessed with endowed scholarships that allow us to offer a women have been a crucial part of our faculty in a variety of quality theological and ministerial education to women both in theological disciplines: liturgy, moral theology, spirituality, the US and internationally. Through the generosity of donors, catechesis, biblical studies, pastoral counseling and practical CTU has been able to offer international women’s scholarships theology. Currently, women comprise almost 40% of the faculty. that make a difference around the world. Sr. Guadalupe Mancilla, a Comboni sister from Mexico will return to Zambia to work with Promoting the presence of women in the student body became ministerial formation programs, lay woman Annualite Uwingbire, a priority when President Paul Bechtold, CP, called a formal preparing for ministry in Rwanda, Sr. Judith Zhang Cuimiao, STCJ, consultation in 1974 that brought together representatives of 50 will return to China upon graduation to teach and mentor the women religious communities to discuss how CTU could better Catholic community, and Sujin Choi, SND, is completing her MA in prepare women for ministry. This concern has recently become biblical studies to serve the church in Korea. The Fr. John Linnan, institutionalized by the creation of a sub-committee of the Board CSV, scholarship, recently established by the Viatorian community, of Trustees composed of leaders of communities of women has welcomed its first scholar who is enrolled in the MA in Justice religious who regularly advise CTU on how best to respond to Ministry, Kim Martinez. Finally, the generosity of the Ladies of the changing needs of women ministers.

Bethany makes possible studies at CTU for Australian Mercy Sr. Catherine Solano, focused on preparing for intercultural ministry CTU women faculty continue being in the theological forefront and Kathleen O’Brien, a lay woman from Washington, Illinois who nationally and internationally. This past December, former is studying systematic theology.

Academic Dean and Professor of New Testament Barbara Reid, OP, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Graz All students at CTU are immeasurably enriched by the presence in Austria for her Wisdom Commentary series of feminist biblical of women on the faculty and in the student body. It is safe to say commentaries. At a recent women’s Catholic Leadership that women make an essential contribution to the quality Conference held at Saint Mary’s College presenters included preparation in theology and ministry for which CTU is recognized CTU faculty and an alumna. around the world. P

Cardinal Bernardin Jerusalem Lecture

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wenty five years ago, the Archdiocese of Chicago established the Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Jerusalem Lecture, an annual speaker series designed to foster enhanced Jewish-Catholic relations. Dr. Malka Simkovich, CTU’s Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies, delivered the annual lecture in 2019 at DePaul University in Chicago.

In this milestone anniversary year, Cardinal Cupich will deliver this 25th annual lecture at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, returning to where the series began. The Bernardin Jerusalem Lecture series commemorates Joseph Cardinal Bernardin’s voyage to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by local Catholic and Jewish leaders.

Fr. Mark Francis will join Cardinal Cupich and other Catholic and Jewish leaders in Chicago as part of the delegation to Jerusalem to consider how best to live out our local dialogue over the next 25 years. Co-sponsors of the series, together with the Archdiocese of Chicago include Catholic Theological Union; the American Jewish Committee-Chicago Chapter; the Anti-Defamation League; the Chicago Board of Rabbis; DePaul University; the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago; and the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies. P

S REID continued from cover

vailed. We not only want to re-pose gender questions and issues and to explore the old texts from a female perspective, but also to make the women of the Bible visible again.”

Quite an entourage accompanied Sr. Reid on her journey to Graz in December. Along with her two sisters and brothers-in-law and a friend from Grand Rapids, CTU colleagues made the trip: President Mark Francis, CSV, Leslie Hoppe, OFM, Carroll Stuhlmueller Distinguished Professor of Old Testament Studies. Barbara’s community, the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids, was represented by Lucianne Siers, OP, Director of the IRF and Hesburgh Programs at CTU. And Barbara’s longtime publisher, Liturgical Press, was represented by Hans Christoffersen.

Long known for her excellence in biblical scholarship, [Barbara Reid] has been in the forefront of feminist biblical interpretation.

— FR. MARK FR ANCIS

At the investiture ceremony, the Rector of the University, Dr. Martin Polaschek remarked that, “By awarding the honorary doctorate in theology, the University of Graz honors the pioneering work of Professor Barbara Reid for the gender-sensitive interpretation of the Old and New Testaments.” CTU President Francis stated, “The conferral of an honorary doctorate on Barbara Reid by the University of Graz (Karl-Franzens-Universität) is an extraordinary honor for Professor Reid. Long known for her excellence in biblical scholarship, she has been in the forefront of feminist biblical interpretation. As President of CTU, my presence at this conferral underscores the academic and pastoral importance given to her work by the faculty and students at Catholic Theological Union.”

Sr. Barbara Reid is a Dominican Sister of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and has been a member of the faculty of Catholic Theological Union since 1988. Her remarkable career at CTU has included nine years as Vice President and Academic Dean. Professor. Reid has been actively involved in the Association of Theological Schools of the United States and Canada, including her current service on their Board of Directors. She also served as President of the Catholic Biblical Association.

From left to right: University of Graz Dean Christoph Heil; Sr. Barbara Reid, OP; Rev. Mark R. Francis, CSV; Rector Martin Polaschek and Vice-Dean Pablo Argarate.

PHOTO CREDIT: UNIGRAZ/GASSOR

Sr. Barbara has been awarded numerous honors over the last two decades. She was inducted into Aquinas College Hall of Fame and has received the Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence from Barry University, the St. Martin DePorres Award from the Southern Province of Dominican Friars, the Jerome Award from the Catholic Library Association of America, the Theological Award for Distinguished Women Theologians from the College of Mount St. Joseph, and the Sophia Award from Washington Theological Union.

The ceremony has concluded, Sr. Barbara’s entourage has seen her safely back to Chicago, and a new decade has begun. None who know this remarkable scholar will be surprised to hear that, in addition to her courseload and leading a trip to the Holy Land in May, she is hard at work, collaborating with Shelly Matthews on the Wisdom Commentary volume on Luke’s Gospel. P

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S AFRICA continued from cover

Only a few months later in early December, Sr. Mumbi would address an audience of bishops, religious and lay theologians, ethicists and other professionals from around the world who’s work focuses on Africa at the first ever Pan-African Theological Congress on Theology, Society, and Pastoral Life in Enugu, Nigeria. The Congress was convened to develop best practices and new approaches for doing theology and pastoral ministries in the changing faces of faith and life in Africa. Below is a re-print of an article first featured in the global publication, Crux, on Sr. Mumbi’s critical address.

NUN WARNS AFRICAN CATHOLICS, ‘IF YOU WANT TO LEAD, CLEAN HOUSE ON ABUSE’

BY CHRISTOPHER WHITE Reprinted with permission from the December 7 edition of Crux Now.

AS THE NUMBER OF AFRICAN CATHOLICS CONTINUES TO SOAR, one Kenyan nun is warning that they must first “clean house” when it comes to the issue of clergy sexual abuse before exhibiting greater leadership in the global Church.

“The African Church is said to be the fastest growing Catholic demographic and is expected to reach 350 million by the year 2050,” said Sister Mumbi Kigutha during the Pan-African Conference on Theology, Society, and Pastoral Life taking place this week at Bigard Memorial Seminary. “The implication of such growth is already being felt all over the global Church, as we see the changing skin hues in those filling the pews and also serving in ministerial positions.”

…it is in community—an all-inclusive church, where everyone is given a seat and voice— that we shall heal and be reconciled and restored to a right relationship with God, self and one another.

— SR. MUMBI KIGUTHA

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“We need to clean house, so to speak, before we take up a place of leadership in our evolving and beloved church,” she cautioned in a lacerating talk to international delegates of professors, priests, and seminarians.

As for gender, Kigutha said “the Church reinforces gender roles, positioning women as being available for men, further enforced by the many roles that nuns play in facilitating priestly work.”

“We are wounded, the body of Christ is ailing, clergy and laity alike, perpetrator, victim or both, we are all in dire need of healing,” she said on Friday, noting that while clerical abuse is often focused on the issue of the abuse of minors, the abuse of nuns at the hands of priest has gone largely unexposed.

If the reason for exlusion prior had been the sacrament of Holy Orders, what is it this time?

The only remaining difference that is then discernible is purely biological and anotomical.

While the global clergy abuse crisis has dominated headlines over the past year, Kigutha recalled that in 1994, a Medical Missionary of Mary, Sister Maura O’Donoghue, filed a report on the abuse of nuns that went ignored by the Vatican.

Twenty-five years later, the Vatican finally held a worldwide abuse summit in Rome where Nigerian Sister Veronica Openibo told representatives from every bishops’ conference around the world that abuse was not just a western problem, but a global one. That same month, during an in-flight press conference, Pope Francis himself would acknowledge the abuse of nuns by priests, and he said the Church must do more to prevent it.

During her address, Kigutha identified three major contributions to the root cause of abuse and its reoccurrence in the Church: power and boundary issues, a culture of secrecy and dominance, and cultural norms and gender roles.

The authority granted to priests, she argued, often blurs boundaries with other religious, especially “when the other person happens to be an adult nun who quote unquote is part of the establishment.”

She said that the power is often lorded over such individuals, especially through their control of finances, real estate, cars, and ecclesial connections.

In calling out the secrecy within the Church, she said that the institution is often self-referential, preferring to protect itself at the expense of victims.

“Such situations allow abusers to thrive, much like in domestic violence situations, where we ask victims to forgive and keep the matter within the family… Abusers are well aware of these realities, they know all will be well, when they use their power to harm others,” she said.

— SR. MUMBI KIGUTHA

To further punctuate her point, she noted that at the two most recent Synods in Rome, religious brothers were invited to participate and vote, but that function was not extended to the women who were present. “If the reason for exclusion prior had been the sacrament of Holy Orders, what is it this time? The only remaining difference that is then discernible is purely biological and anatomical,” she said.

Looking ahead, Kigutha, who is a member of the congregation of the Sisters of the Precious Blood, used her remarks to urge the Church to embrace a model of restorative justice when it comes to abuse so that both the victims and perpetrators may receive healing and justice.

“A restorative model of justice does not negate that there should be consequences for one’s actions, however that justice is always tempered with truth, mercy and love, for all have indeed sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” she said.

“Restorative justice seeks to bring back all to right relationship with God, self and others. Charity and social justice begins at home and we need to establish better ways of helping our sisters and brothers, of course starting with victims of sexual abuse but also reaching out to perpetrators,” she continued, noting that abuse is often further perpetrated by victims of abuse and that the Church cannot neglect either party.

Personal trauma begets institutional trauma, she argued, adding that this self-woundedness must be acknowledged so that the cycle of abuse is not continued.

Speaking to a majority African audience, Kigutha drew on two African concepts—Sankofa, which is a symbol of learning from the past, and ubuntu, which means compassion and humanity— that she said would be useful for the global Church in charting a way forward through one of the most painful and divisive issues for Catholics around the world.

“It is in community that we are born, formed and thrive, and it is in community—an all-inclusive church, where everyone is given a seat and voice—that we shall heal and be reconciled and restored to a right relationship with God, self and one another,” she concluded.

Following her address, Kigutha was flocked by a group of seminarians seeking to have their picture taken with her. The nun obliged, but warned them: “You’ve heard my talk, so now you’re accountable to me. I better not hear any stories of you mistreating anyone!” P cruxnow.com

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Muslim-Christian Dialogue and Criminal “Justice” Reform

BY SYED ATIF RIZWAN, PHD

An ongoing series that brings together Muslim and Christian scholar-teachers and activists dedicated to bringing justice and equity to a criminal justice system in which the adjective “criminal” ironically describes the “system” far more than it does the type of “justice” the system purports to dispense.

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n the title of her groundbreaking book on mass incarceration in the United States, Michelle Alexander famously refers to the American criminal “justice” system as “the new Jim Crow.” Alexander’s work details the grim reality that, despite the Civil Rights Movement of the last century and the preliminary progress made in the struggle against systemic racial injustice, “We have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.”

…mass incarceration continues to be one of the principle foci of CTU’s course on Racial Justice and Community Organizing…

Alexander’s prophetic insight resonates deeply with the mission of CTU and its Catholic-Muslim Studies Program (CMSP) and its dedication to Muslim-Christian solidarity for social justice. In fact, mass incarceration continues to be one of the principal foci of CTU’s course on Racial Justice and Community Organizing: Interreligious Perspective and Practice taught by Shamar Hemphill, CTU’s clinical instructor in faith-based community organizing and Professor Scott C. Alexander, founding director of CMSP. As soon as Professor Syed Atif Rizwan arrived on campus and began sharing his intersecting passion for research into classical Muslim jurisprudence of crime and punishment and faith-based activism for criminal justice reform, the vision for an entire year of CatholicMuslim programing for 2019-2020 began to take shape. With the support of the Waraich Foundation, the CMSP leadership team of Hemphill, Rizwan, and Alexander set about planning a series of three major events focused on (re)imagining criminal law through the lens of restorative rather than retributive justice. In Professor Rizwan’s words, “We need a legal system reflective of our deepest held values as people of faith: a system that dispenses ethically-bound justice and treats all of God’s children, offenders and victims alike, in accordance with their inviolable human dignity, eschewing all prejudice based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status.”

Grounded in the imperative of justice and compassion exemplified in the lives and teachings of Jesus Christ and the Prophet Muhammad, may God’s peace and blessings be upon them, CMSP launched its annual event series: Muslim-Christian Dialogue and Criminal “Justice” Reform. This ongoing series brings together Muslim and Christian scholar-teachers and activists dedicated to bringing justice and equity to a criminal justice system in which the adjective “criminal” ironically describes the “system” far more than it does the type of “justice” the system purports to dispense.

In October 2019, Professor Najeeba Syeed, of Chicago Theological Seminary, and Professor Jeremy V. Cruz of St. John’s University were the featured speakers in “Fixing a Broken System: Muslims and Christians Working for Criminal ‘Justice’ Reform.” Professor Syeed argued that the Quranic notion of justice is deeply imbued with the holistic sense of “balance” and “equity” and thus is inherently restorative. She also drew on her decades long experience as an advocate for criminal “justice” reform to illustrate the real practical value and salutary effects of restorative over retributive justice. Professor Cruz stressed the need for Catholic prison ministries to speak truth to power. He spoke about the ways in which the Catholic ethos of justice can offer decolonial hope of identity and social systems. Professor Cruz also encouraged Catholics, indeed all people, to spend less time at soup kitchens and more time at changing our country’s institutions so that no one has to go to soup kitchens in the first place. The audience learned about the issues confronting the criminal “justice” system, presented with specific proposals to change it, and inspired to take action in their own communities.

Those in attendance also had the opportunity to engage the speakers and share experiences about the broken systems of criminal “justice” in a variety of different global contexts, including South East Asia and Central America.

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Above left: Syed Rizwan, PhD, welcomes participants to the November program.

Above right: Christie Billups, DMin moderates a panel with Mr. Bilal Evans and Mr. Nasir Blackwell.

Right: Syed Rizwan, PhD, together with Najeeba Syeed, PhD, and Jeremy V. Cruz, PhD.

In November 2019, Professor Christie Billups, who teaches her popular “Faith Behind Bars” course at Lewis University, joined Mr. Nasir Blackwell and Mr. Bilal Evans, community organizers working on criminal “justice” reform for Chicago’s renowned Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) in “Resisting the Injustices of Mass Incarceration: The Power of Faith-Based Activism.” These three experts drew on over 75 years of combined experience to speak about mass incarceration as a systemic and uniquely American human rights epidemic, disproportionately impacting people of color. The sixty attendees, including a large group of undergraduates from Professor Billups’s course, heard first-hand narratives of the gross injustices of the penal system and of the equally gross injustices faced by returning citizens who are compelled to a life of social and economic marginalization long after they have theoretically “payed their debt to society.”

Mr. Blackwell, Mr. Evans, and Professor Billups also spoke in detail about their work with returning citizens and the many ways in which people in the audience and others can get involved in various criminal “justice” reform initiatives.

On May 28, 2020, CMSP will hold the third and final major event of this year’s event series: an academic symposium designed as an important step toward the production of a proposed collection of essays tentatively entitled Islamic Law, Jurisprudence, and Criminal “Justice” Reform. The symposium will bring together scholars for the purposes of sharing with one another, in closed session, the first drafts of their cutting-edge research on the potential contribution of the Islamic legal tradition to criminal “justice” reform here in the US. The symposium will culminate in a major public dialogue event, including a keynote address by Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of California Los Angeles, School of Law, and author of Reasoning with God: Reclaiming the Shari’ah in the Modern Age. The leadership of CTU hopes that the series will inspire those of us in places of privilege to take much-needed action to fix our broken criminal “justice” system. We must do whatever we can to help the powerless and help build institutions that not only treat everyone with justice and compassion, but with dignity. P

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CTU Student Commissioned as First Female Muslim Chaplain in US Military History We need more CTUs in this world to bring hearts and minds together.

— ABDUL-R A SHEED MUHAMMAD, ISL AMIC SOCIET Y OF NORTH AMERIC A

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n December 19, 2019, the first woman muslim chaplain candidate in the United States Air Force commissioned in a ceremony that took place at CTU. Current student Second Lieutenant Saleha Jabeen, MA ’14, MDiv ‘20, was joined on this historic occasion by a large crowd of her family, friends, faculty and fellow students. Chaplain Major General Steven A. Schaick, Chief of Chaplains, of the US Air Force, administered the oath and conducted the pinning ceremony. MG Schaick who, in addition to his responsibility for providing guidance on all matters pertaining to the religious and moral welfare of Air Force personnel, also advises the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff on religious, ethical, and quality-of-life concerns.

Saleha’s academic mentor, Dr. Scott Alexander, director of the Catholic-Muslim Studies Program at CTU, offered a welcome and introduced as emcee for the occasion, Ms. Dilnaz Waraich, trustee of the Waraich Family Foundation. She noted, “I had the honor of knowing Saleha for the past few years as a community organizer in my role at the Muslim Community Center. Her passion, meticulous attention for details, and drive to create more equity in this world are clearly obvious. I’m not just proud of Saleha alone. I’m proud of America. I’m proud of how we each can make a difference in America.”

Reflecting CTU’s strong commitment to interreligious dialogue and understanding, the opening prayer was offered by Rabbi Rachel Mikva of Chicago Theological Seminary; Alia Bilal of InnerCity Muslim Action Network (IMAN), and Mary Ellen Knuth, director of the CTU lay formation program.

An impassioned endorsement of Saleha for Chaplain Candidacy came from Safaa Zarzour, Vice President, of the Islamic Society of North America and Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad, Chaplain, Islamic Society of North America. Citing the historic nature of the day, Zarzour commented, “I have witnessed instances and places where the presence of a Muslim chaplain played a role in creating bridges and perhaps even erasing some stereotypes and misconceptions. We were proud to be the first endorsing agency of the very first Muslim chaplain in the US Army, and today we are a hundred million times more proud to be the first agency to endorse the very first female Muslim chaplain in the Air Force!”

Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad thanked CTU for having the “moral courage to have an interreligious program second to none.” He continued, “We need more CTUs in this world to bring hearts and minds together. As a chaplain myself for nearly 30 years I can give open testimony that being a chaplain is actually the work of the prophets because we don’t just represent our own faith group but we represent humanity itself. And as a representative of humanity, a chaplain must be prepared to deal with sometimes the most difficult and challenging human circumstances, and we have to be able and willing to make many sacrifices.”

The program concluded with a joyful feast of Middle Eastern foods enjoyed by all present. The commissioning of one of our own students, Lieutenant Saleha Jabeen, demonstrates a remarkable story of hope, in stark contrast to the division and strife on display across the globe. CTU is humbled to be a part of this important milestone, an expression of the Catholic Church’s own strong commitment to promoting respect and harmony among the world’s religions. P To view a video of the event, go to: learn.ctu.edu PHOTO CREDIT: TECH. SGT. ARMANDO A. SCHWIER-MORALES, US AIR FORCE.

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A New Approach to Ministry in Retirement

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s the population of men and women religious and diocesan priests ages, Catholic Theological Union is exploring innovative ways to offer its resources in service to these lifelong ministers. In June 2019, CTU held a month-long residential mini-sabbatical for men and women religious and diocesan priests who are transitioning into retirement.

“The years in which we find ourselves moving from focusing on work to focusing on being can feel like a continuum of pure joy to frightening loss,” says Sr. Cathy Olds, OP, one of twenty-two participants in this inaugural program.

Reframing Retirement for Mission included three weeks of morning lectures and workshops to help participants navigate their transition into feasible new forms of ministry. Themes included the spirituality of aging, theological updating, transition and loss, and physical well-being. The experience also integrated the arts, daily mass, spiritual direction, a six-day directed retreat, small groups, and communal life over shared meals, walks and activities in Chicago.

A foundational assumption of the program is that retirement need not mean withdrawal from meaningful work on behalf of Christ’s mission and ministry, but will require a realistic, necessary and creative adjustment in how to discern and respond faithfully to new calls. In this way, the program dovetails nicely with CTU’s Thriving in Ministry grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., which researches and develops programming in support of Catholic professionals in ministry.

The group of June retreatants came together very quickly, developing new friendships and sharing their experiences of mission in many parts of the world. “It was a multi-cultural experience,” says Maria Goretti Beckman, OP. “We were energized to reach out to one another.”

“My experience of retirement now is a positive time of consolation,” says Rev. Anthony Pennicott, MA ‘07. “Most of the preoccupations, anxieties, pressures and excess baggage of the recently passed chapter of life have been stripped or fallen away. The golden gift of my vocation as a priest is still there, brighter and freer. But now I have more time to pray and reflect and read and am able to care for others at a slower, deeper gentler and more joyful and more empathetic level.”

Sister Lucianne Siers, OP, the founding co-director of this new initiative, says, “It’s exciting to reach out to this population which has offered so much service to the Church over their lifetimes. It’s exciting to offer ministry to the ministers.” Marian Diaz, DMin, co-director, echoes her sentiments, “Men and women religious and diocesan priests have formed me in the fullness of the Catholic tradition over the years. I am blessed to be able to support them during this time of transition.”

While Reframing Retirement focused on religious and diocesan priests in 2019, CTU has received numerous requests to open it up to lay people as well. In response, Reframing Retirement 2020 will be open to lay ecclesial ministers who face the transition to retirement. In addition, CTU is considering options for developing the program in different formats for lay people in general. These programs might include a series of weekend retreats, online components and group sessions. Please let us know if you have any interest or feedback.

Reframing Retirement for Mission in 2020 will run from May 29 to June 26 and include lectures, panel discussions and classroom instruction; one-to-one spiritual direction; daily prayer and mass; a week-long retreat; recreational activities in Chicago; and a creative writing/arts workshop. P

There has been a real letting go period.

I now have a sense of freedom, not having major responsibilities. I am focusing on being much more than doing.

— RUTHANN SCHERER, CSJ

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As the commitment to CTU’s Forward in Faith capital campaign continues to grow, the impact of early commitments is being felt through increased scholarships, as well as investments in faculty excellence, and innovation, technology and programming.

One example pf the impact of the campaign is the establishment of the John E. Linnan, CSV, Theology and Ministry Endowed Scholarship to provide funds for graduate theological education to those inspired by and drawn to the vision of the Clerics of St. Viator. The first Linnan scholar, Kim Martinez, serves as Campus Minister at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and is pursuing a Master of Arts in Justice Ministry online from her home in Nevada.

Kim Martinez

Viatorian Scholarship Endowment Bears First Fruits

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IM MARTINEZ ESTABLISHED A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE VIATORIAN COMMUNITY FROM A HIGH SCHOOL RETREAT, DRAWN EARLY TO THEIR DEDICATION TO YOUTH IN THE CHURCH. Later at Mundelein College, she had her first real experience of the dynamic roles that women could have in the church through the example of the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

As a female associate in a traditionally men’s religious order, Kim feels the powerful ways that God works in unexpected ways in our lives to fulfill our calling. “I feel that the Viatorians are ahead of their time in recognizing the gifts of each and every one of us in the church, and embrace the myriad of ways that each of us has been called, while sharing the journey in community with one another.”

Twenty five years ago, Kim moved to Las Vegas at the invitation of a Viatorian school president at Bishop Gorman High School where she spent her first years teaching, and now in Campus Ministry. “The gift to be able to work with teens at such a crucial time in their lives, when they are searching for a personal and meaningful relationship with God, continues to be my call.”

Through her preparation for a Master of Arts in Justice Ministry at CTU, Kim works with high school students on social justice awareness and how we are called to respond. “In my work I have felt more and more called to move in the direction of working not only on awareness, but of ways that I can personally make a difference.” P

Today, Kim works with young women and men in the church, instilling in them what she learned from both the Viatorians and the BVMs.

Next Generation Challenge

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IFTY PERCENT OF CATHOLICS 30 YEARS OLD AND YOUNGER HAVE LEFT THE CHURCH, AND ONE OUT OF SIX AMERICAN MILLENNIALS IS A IS A SELFPROFESSED “FORMER CATHOLIC.” Yet for each young Catholic who feels some alienation from the Church there are others who hear God’s call and are enthusiastically joining their peers as young and committed Catholics.

Here at CTU we are contacted weekly by the very best of this next generation of Catholics. They want to explore deep callings: to be missionary disciples, to be teachers in inner city schools, to be social workers for Catholic Charities, or to serve the poorest of the poor with Catholic Relief Services. Frequently, these young men and women lack the resources to complete their theological and pastoral studies without debt. The Forward in Faith campaign has therefore made raising scholarship funding for this next generation a central goal, along with a commitment to intensify recruitment efforts to this demographic.

A dear friend of CTU has offered this bold challenge: for every dollar we raise devoted to welcoming young people into the Catholic Church, she will match it with a dollar of her own, up to $400,000 dollars over two years. We achieved the $200,000 match for the first year, but need to achieve $200,000 in the following qualifying donations by December 2020: • Donations from new supporters • Donations from previous supporters who have not made a gift to CTU in the past two years • Significantly increased donations from current supporters, equaling five times their largest gift We invite you to take the opportunity to join this special effort to empower the next generation of servant leaders in the Church and to share this challenge with your own “next generation” of family and friends. There is perhaps nothing closer to the heart of CTU’s founding mission to prepare effective leaders for the Church, ready to witness to Christ’s good news of justice, love, and peace.

Learn more at: ctu.edu/forwardinfaith

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HAPPENINGS

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A Alumna Beth Knobbe, MDiv ’07, participated in the National Young Adult Ministry Summit held at CTU in the fall, bringing together leaders from across the country to vision where the field of Catholic Young Adult Ministry is called to go next.

B CTU students, faculty, and alumni joined thousands of young people in the Climate Strike March in September in Chicago.

C Rev. Richard Benson, CM, processing into mass with CTU student acolytes at November’s Sundays at CTU Laudato Si’: Our Privilege and Challenge as Children of Earth featuring Sr. Dianne Bergant, CSA. D Rev. Kevin Sandberg, CSC, PhD, Executive Director of the Center for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame, participated in a reflection after the private screening of the movie Hesburgh during Sundays at CTU. He is pictured here with Florence Merkl-Deutsch, MAPS ’15.

E In November members of CTU’s Board of Trustees and provincials from the Corporation Board came together at Mundelein Seminary for a retreat.

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F A year after Priesthood in Religious Life: Searching for New Ways Forward, was published, Fr. Daniel P. Horan, OFM, Fr. Stephen Bevans, SVD, Fr. Eddie De León, CMF, Fr. VănThanh Nguyễn, SVD, Fr. Robin Ryan, CP, and Maria Cimperman, RSCJ, came together to discuss critical issues in priesthood and religious life today.

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G Rev. Matt Malone, SJ editor, America Magazine gave the keynote address at the inaugural Donnelly Family-Bernardin Conference at CTU’s Catholic Common Ground Initiative.

H Rev. Edward Foley, Cap., introduces the annual Duns Scotus Lecture Asian Slavery in the Americas: Franciscanism, Race, and Identity in the Asian American Experience given by CTU Alumnus Fr. Linh Hoang, OFM. I Carmen Nanko-Fernández gave a reflection to the 70 participants of the National Pilgrimage to El Paso, organized by the Latinx Catholic Leadership Coalition, leaders and partner organizations including Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership.

J US Congressman Jesús Garcia received the Saint Óscar Romero Award at the 25 th annual Corazón de Romero, in support of CTU’s Óscar Romero Scholarship Program.

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KUDOS ANNOUNCEMENTS

PUBLICATIONS

IN MEMORIAM

Rev. Edward Foley, Cap., published the book, Defragmenting Franciscanism: Collaboration in a Post Ite vos Era (Paul Bechtold Library Publications, October 2019). The podcast, Advent: The Art of Paying Attention, from his First Friday Club of Chicago event can be found on Learn@CTU.

Christine Henderson, Assistant Dean for Academic Advising and Programs, has been selected to participate in the ATS Women in Leadership Mentoring Program. The gathering to launch the program will be held March 24 to 26, 2020, in Jacksonville, Florida, with the theme, Mentoring the Next Generation of Leaders. Christine will begin an EdD in Global Catholic Educational Leadership at DePaul later this year.

Sr. Mary Frohlich, RSCJ, published the book, Breathed into Wholeness: Catholicity and Life in the Spirit (Orbis Books, 2019).

Rev. Dan Horan, OFM, published the book, Catholicity and Emerging Personhood: A Contemporary Theological Anthropology — Catholicity in an Evolving Universe Series (Orbis Books, 2019).

AWARDS Richard N. Fragomeni received a bronze medal in the Enduring Light (Devotional) category from the Illumination Book Awards for his book In Shining Splendor: Easter Season Meditations on the Exsultet (World Library Publications). The Enduring Light medals are designed to reward exemplary Christianthemed books published since 2000.

Jay Nawrocki, MA ’19, has joined CTU as Admissions Counselor, and will complete his MDiv degree in May 2020. Prior to coming to study at CTU, Jay worked for a legal publishing company as a Medicare and Medicaid policy analyst for 17 years. Jay reflected on the new position: ”As a student I learned how valuable CTU’s mission is in helping to prepare leaders for the Church, which is very similar to a personal goal of my own, which is helping people learn more about their religion and faith so they can fully participate in their church.”

Barry Sullivan, CTU Life Trustee member and Cooney & Conway Chair in Advocacy, has been appointed to Loyola University Chicago’s School of Law’s inaugural George Anastaplo Professor of Constitutional Law and History.

Tom Owens, former CTU Board Member and Life Trustee, died in September 2019. Tom co-founded a publicly traded computer business before retiring in his 50s and creating Cara, a nationally known nonprofit workforce development group that has become a model for getting marginalized people into the workplace.

Dedicated and passionate about the future of the Church, Tom provided strategic guidance and generous resources to CTU the ten years he served on the Board. He continued to support and encourage CTU as a Life Trustee after stepping down from the Board in 2012.

By harnessing the good work of talented and committed colleagues at Cara, Tom made it possible for countless individuals contending with overwhelming odds to find meaningful, productive work, and to achieve self-worth.

Rev. Ferdand Okorie, CMF, has been promoted to Assistant Professor of New Testament Studies and is the Director of Bible Study and Travel Programs. He has also been selected to participate in the ATS Roundtable Seminar for Newly Appointed Faulty in Theological Education in Jacksonville, Florida, from March 27 to 29, 2020.

WOMEN OF THE CHURCH: A CATHOLIC LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE Regina (Gina) Wentzel Wolfe, PhD, presented at the Women4Impact Conference in Thimphu, Bhutan, which was co-sponsored by Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and Bhutan’s JSW Law School, the first law school in the country. The focus of the conference was women’s empowerment and leadership with particular emphasis on the many advances women in Bhutan are making.

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At the Women of the Church: a Catholic Leadership Conference held this fall at Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana, hundreds gathered to examine how women’s leadership is a source of strength and knowledge, and to imagine new possibilities for women as leaders in the Catholic Church. Presenters at this conference included CTU faculty C. Vanessa White (inset, center), Maria Cimperman, RSCJ (inset, right), and alumna Beth Knobbe, MA’06 (inset, left), who is with Catholic Relief Services.

ALUMNI NEWS

SAVE THE DATE: CTU’S 2020 ALUMNI RETREAT AND REUNION

Claire M. Anderson, DMin ’12, spoke on two leading Russian spiritual leaders, Maria Skobtsova (1891-1945) and Catherine Doherty (1896-1985) at the Siena Retreat Center on January 27, 2020 in Racine, Wisconsin. This presentation is part of a Mystics and Prophets series offered by Siena Retreat Center.

SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020 Retreat, Mass and Dinner begins at 2:00pm on our Chicago campus PRESENTER:

Sr. Christa Parra, IBVM, MDiv ’16

Rev. Dennis Chriszt, CPPS, MDiv ’82, DMin ’98, will co-teach a Summer@CTU course, Initiating Adults into Christ: A Practical, Theological, Liturgical and Catechetical Endeavor with Vicky Tufano, Todd Williamson, MTS ’96, and Timothy Johnson.

Rev. James Donohue, CR, MA ’88, published Moral Vision: Seeing the World with Love and Justice, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018, with a foreword by William Mattison.

LEARN@CTU RE-LAUNCHES Almost ten years after its initial launch, CTU is pleased to announce the re-launch of its multimedia platform, Learn@CTU. With the redesigned continuing education platform, users can stream world class lectures on handheld devices, and receive engaging blogs and podcasts weekly.

Justin Huyck, MA ’17, published Baptism, Alive in Christ, with Little Rock Scripture Study and the Liturgical Press. He has been named to the Board of Directors for the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership.

Rev. J.M. Joseph Jeyaseelan, CMF, DMin ’17, was named as the Major Superior of the Claretian Missionaries in Sri Lanka on October 24, 2019.

Maggie Kast, MTS ’87, will publish Side by Side but Never Face to Face, a novella and stories, Orison Books, in May 2020 in October, 2019.

Rev. Pablo Mora, SJ, DMin ’98, and Rev. Peter Hughes, SSC, DMin ’04, served as invited experts at the Synod on the Amazon in Rome.

Michael J. Sanem, MA ’11, Director of Faith Formation and Pastoral Associate at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri, authors the blog incarnationiseverywhere.com.

Glenda Spearman, MDiv ’04, published an article Emergency Baptisms and Blessings Range Across Faiths and Cultures, with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains.

Katharine Ward, MDiv ’11, participated in the planning meeting for Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church in Munich, Germany in October. CTU alumna Anna Floerke Scheid, MA ’04, also attended as well as 45 other scholars from 27 countries.

Sr. Bridget Zanin, MSC, MA ‘06, was named Executive Director of the National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini in Chicago.

See for yourself online at: learn.ctu.edu

THRIVING TODAY Thriving Today is a new program offered by CTU’s Thriving in Ministry initiative made possible by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., that aims to provide quality content and supportive connections to enhance well-being in Catholic ministry. Thriving Today brings together cohorts of Catholic professionals in ministry including priests, deacons, religious men and women and lay men and women.

To learn more information and be considered for participation in a future cohort, visit: ctu.edu/thriving-in-ministry

CORRECTION In the last edition of Logos, we incorrectly listed Sr. Kathleen Mitchell’s degree as an MDiv. Her correct credentials should be listed as Kathleen Mitchell, FSPA, MA ’11, DMin ’14.

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Cardinal Fitzgerald

Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald will receive CTU’s Blessed are the Peacemakers award in recognition of his lifetime of outstanding scholarship and groundbreaking pastoral leadership as the Church’s highest ranking expert in Islam and Catholic-Muslim relations.

In addition, CTU will award The Simon Family, with the Diakonia award, honoring their extraordinary commitment to all levels of Catholic educational, justice and social services in Chicago. P

Join Us in Sowing the Seeds of Ministerial Excellence Summers at CTU offer you the opportunity to step back in order to step up your response to God’s call in your life!

We invite you to take courses or workshops for credit or audit from CTU’s renowned faculty, visiting professors, and facilitators. Attend daily mass, participate in formation activities, or spend time reflecting in our meditation chapel. Our panel discussions and public lectures will address current issues in theology and ministry, and plant the seeds of renewal. Enjoy walks or bike rides by Lake Michigan, take in the restaurants and social life of Hyde Park, or sit in the atrium.

Learn details about our summer programming and register online at ctu.edu/summeratctu. Please direct questions to Marian Diaz at 773.371.5436 or summer@ctu.edu. P

Logos is published twice a year with information for alumni, donors, and friends of Catholic Theological Union.

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EDITORS Colleen Kennedy Kellene Urbaniak

VDM

PAID

On April 29, Catholic Theological Union will host its annual Blessed are the Peacemakers Trustee Dinner at the historic Palmer House Hilton in Chicago.

PUBLISHER Rev. Mark R. Francis, CSV

Nonprofit Org. U . S . P O S TA G E

2020 Trustee Dinner