"Without the opportunity to take class at Saint Mary’s, I never would have known this joy that dancing brings me."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Remembering Three Distinguished Thinkers, an Afternoon of Reflection
Media contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(574) 284-4579
January 28, 2011 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—The Center for Spirituality and the Cushwa-Leighton Library will co-sponsor an afternoon discussion on the lives of three distinguished thinkers who passed away in the past year. The event, titled “We Remember One Year Later: A Conversation Considering the Contributions of Three Distinguished Thinkers” will take place on Tuesday, February 8 at 4 p.m. in the library. The public and college community are invited to participate in this conversation.
“In the Catholic tradition, it is customary to remember those who have died, especially at the first year anniversary of their deaths. So, it is proper for Saint Mary’s to remember three distinguished, if not controversial, thinkers who contributed much to the intellectual and scholarly life of the Church in the twentieth century,” explains Robert Hohl, librarian at the Cushwa-Leighton Library.
The Catholic theologian Edward Schillebeeckx (died December 23, 2009) will be remembered by Sr. Kathleen Dolphin, director of the Center for Spirituality at Saint Mary’s College.
The feminist theologian Mary Daly (died January 3, 2010) will be remembered by Stacy Davis, associate professor of religious studies at Saint Mary's College.
The social historian and activist Howard Zinn (died January 27, 2010) will be remembered by Jan Pilarski, director of the Justice Education Program at Saint Mary's College.
Fr. Edward Schillebeeckx, O.P., was one of the most important theologians of contemporary times. His contributions to the Second Vatican Council were necessary if not universally approved. His theological career frequently saw him tweaking the nose of the Vatican, yet his bold and innovative theological writings were never condemned. He continued teaching and writing into his nineties and up to the time of his death. A man of a vibrant and creative intellectual life, Schillebeeckx is singularly worthy of continued study.
Mary Daly, who graduated from the Saint Mary’s College School of Sacred Theology in 1954, was a radical feminist philosopher, academic, and theologian. Daly taught at Boston College, a Jesuit-run institution, for 33 years. Daly moved away from her Catholic and Christian origins and created her own theological anthropology based around the context of what it means to be a woman. She was a controversial thinker in both traditional and feminist intellectual circles.
Howard Zinn was an American historian, author, activist, playwright, public intellectual, and Professor of Political Science at Boston University from 1964 to 1988. He wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People’s History of the United States. Zinn wrote extensively about the civil rights, civil liberties, and anti-war movements. His memoir, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train, was also the title of a 2004 documentary about Zinn's life and work.
For more information about the event, please contact Bob Hohl, librarian, Cushwa-Leighton Library, Saint Mary’s College, rhohl@saintmarys.edu or call (574) 284-5287
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” in the U.S. News & World Report 2011 College Guide. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.