Catholics and Cultures

Jay Carney, assistant professor of theology and director of the African Studies Program at Creighton University, considers Pope Francis' call for a "Year of Mercy," provides examples of how lay Catholic ministries are practicing mercy in post-genocide Rwanda, but acknowledges the difficulty of adopting a politics of mercy at the church or state level. His talk, April 14, 2016, is part of the McFarland Center's initiative on Catholics & Cultures.

Frank Graziano, the John D. MacArthur Professor of Hispanic Studies at Connecticut College, shares field research from his forthcoming book project, "Miraculous Images and Votive Offerings in Mexico" (Oxford University Press, November 2015).

Rachel Delphia, the Alan G. and Jane A. Lehman Curator of Decorative Arts and Design at the Carnegie Museum of Art, speaks about the Carnegie Museum's elaborate Neapolitan presepe, or nativity scene, and makes the case for presepi as works of art. The talk was held in conjunction with the Cantor Art Gallery exhibit, “The Italian Presepe: Cultural Landscapes of the Soul.”

Stephen Selka, associate professor in American studies and religious studies at Indiana University, shares his research on the Sisterhood of the Good Death (Boa Morte) in Bahia, Brazil, and their Feast of the Assumption, a weeklong celebration that combines Catholicism with Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion. Discover how this practice has become part of the cultural heritage for the African diaspora.

Anya Peterson Royce, Chancellor's professor of anthropology and comparative literature at Indiana University, is author of "Becoming an Ancestor: The Isthmus Zapotec Way of Death" (SUNY Press, 2011), which looks at the intricate blending of Catholicism and indigenous spiritual tradition in the death rituals of Zapotecs in southern Mexico.

Rev. Paul Mariani, S.J., assistant professor of history at Santa Clara University, talks about religious policy and conflict in the People's Republic of China since 1950 and how Catholics in China understand their faith today. He is author of "Church Militant: Bishop Kung and Catholic Resistance in Communist Shanghai" (Harvard University Press, 2011).

An International Visiting Jesuit Fellow at Holy Cross this year, Rev. A. Maria Arul Raja, S.J. shares his study of India's Dalit and theologies of the oppressed in this public lecture. Fr. Raja is director of Studies in the Theologate at Vidyajyoti College's Arul Kadal Centre and supervisor of Doctoral Studies at the Institute of Dialogue with Cultures and Religions at Loyola College in Chennai.

Rev. Thomas G. Casey, S. J., Dean of the Faculty of Missiology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, talks about lived religion in Ireland, Israel and Rome. Joanne Pierce, associate professor of religious studies at Holy Cross, offers a response.

Rowena Robinson, professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay, has focused her research on the sociology of religion and kinship, conversion, and Christianity in India. Mathew Schmalz, associate professor of religious studies and director of the College Honors Program at Holy Cross, offers a response.

Holy Cross seniors Andrew DeVivo, Diego Terrero, Andrea Koris, Brendan Kennedy, Michael Rogers, and Amanda Marello share their immersion and study abroad experiences in Catholic cultures around the globe and describe how their experiences and observations have helped to shape their Holy Cross education.

Thomas M. Landy, director of the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, introduces the new global initiative on Catholics and Cultures and outlines his vision for the study of global Catholicism at Holy Cross and beyond.