Priest, theologian, and author James Alison will present the annual Candlemas Lecture at Boston College on February 7 at 7 p.m. in Gasson Hall 100. His talk, titled “Catholicity, Sacrifice, and Shame: Subverting Polarization in Our Contemporary Ecclesial and Political Cultures,” is presented by the BC Lowell Humanities and co-sponsored by the BC Theology Department. Seating can be reserved here. Fr. Alison is known for his expertise on the great French thinker René Girard and for his writings and pastoral outreach on LGBTQ issues. He is the author of several books, including Jesus the Forgiving Victim: Listening for the Unheard Voice; Raising Abel; The Joy of Being Wrong; Faith Beyond Resentment: Fragments Catholic and Gay; On Being Liked; and  Undergoing God, among others.