STM Faculty News

John F. Baldovin, S.J., professor of historical and liturgical theology, gave three lectures to the permanent deacons and their wives of the Diocese of Sacramento in March. He also delivered the Annual Sts. Cyril and Methodius Lecture, entitled “Making the City a Church: Liturgical Processions in Medieval Constantinople,” at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Seminary in Pittsburgh in May. Fr. Baldovin published the following in the last several months: “The Reformed Liturgy is a Team Sport,” Ecclesia Orans 39 (2022), 504–508; “Römisch-Katholisch Liturgiewissenschaft im englischsprachigen Raum vom 19. Bis zum frühen 21. Jahrhundert,” Martin Klockener, Reinhard Messner (eds.); Gottesdienst der Kirche, Handbuch der Liturgiewissenschaft – Band 1 – Wissenschaft der Liturgie, Begriff, Geschichte, Konzepte, Regensburg, Pustet: 2022, 511–521; “Shaping Space: Some Examples from the US,” in Thomas O’Loughlin (ed.), Shaping the Assembly: How Our Buildings Form Us in Worship, Dublin, Messenger Publications, 2023, 187–198; and “Liturgie,” in P.A. Fabre and B. Pierre (eds.), Les Jésuites: Histoire et Dictionnaire, Paris: Bouquins, 2022, 822–826.

André Brouillette, S.J., associate professor of systematic and spiritual theology, published two articles, one on the Church in French-speaking Canada (“Francophone Canada,” in Christianity in North America, Edinburgh Companions to Global Christianity, vol. 7, Kenneth R. Ross, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, and Todd M. Johnson [eds.], Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press: 2023, 52–63), and the other, in Spanish, based on a lecture given at a conference organized in Chile (“El Espíritu creador que disrumpe y empuja: Reflexiones desde la oración y la encarnación en Santa Teresa de Avilá en diálogo con Sarah Coakley,” in Hacia una intranquilidad creadora: Diálogos interdisciplinares por una teología del Espíritu, Francisco Correa and Benoit Mathot (eds.), Santiago, Chile: Ediciones del pueblo: 2022, 1–19). Fr. Brouillette was also elected chair of the International Relations Committee for the Society of the Study of Christian Spirituality, and also joined its board. Finally, the exhibit “Ignatian Pilgrimage Narratives,” presented at the TML in February/April 2023, was adapted in an online format and released recently at: https://sites.bc.edu/ignatianpilgrimagenarratives/

Vicente Chong, S.J., visiting assistant professor of systematic theology, presented the paper “The Art of Sammy Chong as a Revelatory and Symbolic Mediation of a Servant God” at the College Theology Society Annual Convention on June 2, 2023.

Andrew Davis, associate professor of Old Testament, published The Book of Amos and Its Audiences: Prophecy, Poetry and Rhetoric with Cambridge University Press in June 2023.

Heather DuBois, assistant professor of peace studies, trauma, and spirituality, presented a talk in May, “Healing Relational Selves with Judith Herman and John of the Cross,” at the Schreiter Institute Symposium on Trauma, Culture, and Spirituality Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, IL. She also published “Empowerment and Transformation: Correlating John of the Cross and Judith Herman for Trauma Healing,” in the International Journal of Practical Theology, vol. 27, Issue 1 (June 2023): 99–113.

Angela Kim Harkins, professor of New Testament and professor ordinaria, published the monograph An Embodied Reading of the Shepherd of Hermas: The Book of Visions and Its Role in Moral Formation in the Studies in Ancient Religion and Culture series published by Equinox Press. She also published two essays: the first is entitled “Immersing Oneself in the Narrative World of Second Temple Apocalyptic Visions” (SBL Press) and the second is “Retelling Foundational Events in Psalm 106: Experiencing and Remembering the Past” (Brill). Harkins delivered two papers: “Presence in the Heavenly Realm” at the International SBL in July and “An Embodied Reading of the Odes of Solomon: Ascent and Transformation” at the Boston College Historical Theology Colloquy in August. Her co-edited volume, Experiencing the Shepherd of Hermas (De Gruyter, 2022) was chosen for a book panel at the Centro Italiano di Studi Superiori sulle Religioni (CISSR) 9th Annual Meeting on Christian Origins, Bertinoro, Italy, in September.

Melissa Kelley, associate professor of pastoral care and counseling, presented on “Spiritual Care in the Grief of Older Adults” for the Clinical Pastoral Education program at Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston in July.

Richard Lennan, professor of systematic theology and chair of the ecclesiastical faculty, presented workshops on Church, ministry, and synodality in the dioceses of Rockhampton, Wollongong, and Maitland-Newcastle in Australia. He also delivered the “Cathedral Lecture” in Newcastle on the topic “Shaping the Church's Future.” While in Australia, Lennan addressed a forum of “Catalyst for Renewal,” and was interviewed for the podcast Plenary Matters. This semester, he has presented a workshop on synodality for the Carmelite Sisters of Boston and Sacred Heart parish in North Quincy, MA. He also was part of the “Reimagining Women’s Participation” meeting at the Pastoral Center in Braintree, MA.

Rafael Luciani, professor extraordinarius in the STM ecclesiastical faculty, was appointed peritus (theological expert) for the XVIth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will be held in two assemblies, one in October 2023 and the second in October 2024, at the Vatican. He also continues with his advisory work on synodality and Vatican II studies for the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM) and the Confederation of Latin American Religious men and women (CLAR) as an expert member of their theological commissions. Some of Luciani’s recent contributions to major works are “Ermeneutica delle identità e delle relazioni in una Chiesa Popolo di Dio,” in Serena Noceti and Roberto Repole, Commentario ai documenti del Vaticano II, vol. 9, EDB, Bologna 2022, 149–160; and “Towards a Synodalization of the Whole Church,” in Reforming the Church: Global Perspectives, Declan Marmion, Savador Ryan (eds.), Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 67–82. In addition to this, he published several new academic papers: “Il cuore della recezione attuale dell’ecclesiologia del Popolo di Dio. Nuove vie nella teologia e nella pratica del sensus fidei,” Il Regno 7 (2023), 238–249; “El corazón de la recepción actual de la eclesiología del Pueblo de Dios. Nuevos caminos en la teología y la práctica del sensus fidei,” Medellín 185 (2023), 565–596; “La Restitutio al Pueblo de Dios latinoamericano y caribeño. Lo que afecta a todos debe ser tratado y aprobado por todos,” Revista CLAR 61/2 (2023), 14–29; and “Towards a Responsible Accountable Bond of the Episcopal Exercise in Light of the Sensus Fidelium of the Whole People of God,” Studia Canonica 56/2 (2022), 509–527.

Theresa O’Keefe, professor of the practice, religious education, had two contributions to the Religious Education Association’s annual meeting this past July. The plenary, called “Irresponsible Answers,” considered historic instances when religious institutions failed children through efforts to marginalize and eradicate their communities. Panelists also considered the impact of generational trauma and the awareness religious educators should have around such issues. She served as the panel moderator. The paper presented at the same conference was entitled “Imagining Belief and Belonging Anew: Constructive-Developmental Theory as an Aid to Effective Formation.”

Hosffman Ospino, associate professor of Hispanic ministry and religious education, organized and hosted a national consultation on Latino Catholics and public life. In collaboration with Dr. Christie De la Gándara of Fordham University, for whom he served as a dissertation director and advisor, Ospino organized an international conference on feminicide and Catholic responses, gathering national leaders and theologians from 22 different countries. He received grants from several foundations to support this project. He was interviewed for several podcasts about his recent national study on Catholic organizations serving Hispanic youth. The interviews appear at Window Light, AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast, and ACSTechnologies. Ospino gave a keynote presentation titled “Catholic Campus Ministry in an Increasingly Hispanic Church” at the annual meeting of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association in Indianapolis. He also delivered keynote presentations at the following meetings: Diocese of Winona-Rochester’s Eucharistic Congress, Catholic university leaders, Institute for Administrators in Catholic Higher Education 2023, ISKALI’s leadership convocation, annual meeting of National Association of Hispanic Deacons, and Diocese of Brooklyn’s Stewardship Conference.