An international group of more than 20 scholars explores the realm of Catholic theological ethics through the contributions of Boston College Canisius Professor of Theology James F. Keenan, S.J., one of the most influential Catholic ethicists today. Co-edited by BC alumni Christopher P. Vogt (St. John’s University) and Kate Ward (Marquette University), Bothering to Love: James F. Keenan’s Retrieval and Reinvention of Catholic Ethics (Orbis Books, 2024) was officially unveiled at a two-day conference honoring Fr. Keenan held at BC in September. The Festschrift features chapters on areas such as fundamental moral theology, virtue and virtues, bioethics, ethics of sex and gender, and spirituality and morality. Read more from BC News.
‘Bothering to Love’
Poet Camille Dungy
“Poetry Days Presents: An Evening with Camille T. Dungy” will showcase Dungy’s poetry and her ability to cross genres as she did in her latest publication, Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden (Simon & Schuster, 2023). Dungy’s talk will take place at Boston College on October 9 at 7 p.m. in Gasson Hall 100. Dungy is the author of four collections of poetry, including the award-winning Trophic Cascade. She is the editor of the anthology Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry, the first anthology to bring African American environmental poetry to national attention. At the intersection of prose, nature writing, and environmental justice, Soil is about Dungy’s seven-year odyssey to diversify her garden in the predominately white community of Fort Collins, Colorado. She is a University Distinguished Professor at Colorado State University. Her appearance is presented by BC’s Lowell Humanities Series and cosponsored by Boston College Poetry Days, the American Studies Program, and the English Department. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. (Photo by Beowulf Sheehan)
Posted in Guest Authors, Lowell Humanities Series
Tagged American Studies program, English Department, environment, nature, poet
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The Anatomy of a Murder
On July 31, 1952, a murder occurred in a bar in a small resort town in northern Michigan. The trial that followed, in which young army lieutenant Coleman Peterson was tried for murdering the bar owner, inspired a bestselling novel and an Academy Award-nominated film starring Jimmy Stewart. Boston College Jesuit priest Frank J. Parker, S.J., showcases the far-reaching power of a single crime in his new book, The Anatomy of a Murder Trilogy: A Classic Trial, Book, and Film. His book follows the murder from the barroom to the court room to the theatrical release of the 1959 film. Now retired, Fr. Parker was a professor in the Carroll School of Management and adjunct professor in BC Law School. Throughout his long career, Fr. Parker served as an attorney, consultant to the Government of Bermuda, and United States delegate to UNESCO and the U.N. Human Rights Commission. In 2023, he celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.
The gift of giving
The word philanthropy comes from the Greek words meaning “love of humanity.” This important message is the heart of a new children’s book written by 2014 Boston College graduate Jessica Carbone. Philanthropy Means Love is a story about how helping others through donations, even when you don’t think you’re giving a lot, is a profound sign of love. Illustrated by Deri Joe, Philanthropy Means Love is a lyrical book that teaches kids to support the causes they care about. Carbone works in Boston College’s Office of University Advancement.
‘The Moral Vision of Pope Francis’
For more than a decade, Pope Francis has led the Roman Catholic Church, emphasizing collegiality in ecclesial governance and focusing global priorities on the poor, the marginalized, and the environment. Pope Francis’s vision for the Church and the reluctance by many Catholics in the United States to engage with this vision are explored in a new book, The Moral Vision of Pope Francis: Expanding the US Reception of the First Jesuit Pope (Georgetown University Press, 2024). Co-edited by Boston College’s Joseph Professor in Catholic Theology Kristin Heyer and BC alumnus Conor Kelly of Marquette University, The Moral Vision of Pope Francis brings together leading U.S. Catholic theologians and theological ethicists to reflect on Pope Francis’s implicit approach to moral theology, evaluating his teachings and actions to characterize his moral vision and explain how this vision should apply to a range of contemporary issues. The book’s contributing authors also examines the Ignatian influences shaping Francis’s pontificate. In addition to Heyer, BC faculty who contributed to the book are Lisa Sowle Cahill; James F. Keenan, S.J., and Andrea Vicini, S.J. In addition to Kelly, BC alumni who contributed to the book are Elyse Raby; M.T. Davila; Thomas Massaro, S.J.; Daniel DiLeo; Laurie Johnston; Megan McCabe; and Maureen O’Connell. Read more in BC News.
Posted in Alumni Authors, Boston College Authors
Tagged ethics, moral theology, Pope Francis, Theology Department
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Boston’s Black athletes
Boston College Associate Professor of the Practice Susan Michalczyk has contributed a chapter to the new book, Boston’s Black Athletes: Identity, Performance, and Activism (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024). The book, edited by Robert Cvornyek and Douglas Stark, interprets Boston’s contested racial history through the diverse experiences of the city’s African American sports figures who directed their talent toward the struggle for social justice. In recounting the struggles and triumphs of these individuals, Boston’s Black Athletes amplifies their stories and reminds readers that Boston’s Black sports fans found a historic consistency in their athletes to shape racial identity and cultural expression. Michalczyk’s chapter is on BC’s first Black football player, Lou Montgomery ’41.
Learning about Máire Comerford
On September 18 at 4:30 p.m., documentary filmmaker Hilary Dully will speak about Máire Comerford (1893-1982) who was actively engaged in the Irish War of Independence and the subsequent Civil War. Dully will trace Comerford’s footsteps from gentile beginnings in rural Ireland to Republican icon—a journey of extraordinary commitment to a national ideal, explored and reimagined through her unique archive, recently acquired by Boston College’s Burns Library, with particular emphasis on Comerford’s letters. Dully is the editor of On Dangerous Ground- A Memoir of the Irish Revolution (Lilliput Press), written by Comerford and published 40 years after her death. On Dangerous Ground has been described as “a classic in the very hour of its launch” by History Ireland magazine and as “a moving and vivid memoir” by Books Ireland. Dully’s talk, taking place at Burns Library, is sponsored by Burns Library in collaboration with the BC Irish Studies program.
Colorful journey
The newly released Max’s Life in Blue is the debut children’s book by Boston College alumna Caysie Carter Harvey. Illustrated by Valerie Imparato, Max’s Life in Blue is a captivating tale of a young boy living in a world painted entirely in blue. The story explores the concept of colors and the strength of family bonds. Despite living in a world that’s entirely blue, Max learns that it’s okay to be different. Max’s Life in Blue offers valuable lessons on diversity, love, and self-acceptance. Harvey graduated from BC in 2010 and earned a M.Ed. the following year. A university administrator residing in New England, Harvey is passionate about literacy development. She calls Max’s Life in Blue “a testament to her dedication to fostering a love for reading in the next generation.”
Computer scientist, author Fei-Fei Li
Renowned computer scientist Fei-Fei Li, whose groundbreaking work on human-centered artificial intelligence has made her a leading voice in the conversation about technology’s role in society, will be the featured speaker at First Year Academic Convocation tonight. Li, who served as a vice president at Google and chief scientist at Google Cloud, will offer both professional and personal insights on the opportunities and challenges of AI—the subject of her 2023 book The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI—to the BC Class of 2028. Li is the inaugural Sequoia Professor in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University, and co-director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute. A native of Beijing who immigrated to the United States with her parents when she was 16, Li is known as the creator of ImageNet, a key catalyst of modern artificial intelligence. She has described The Worlds I See as “half memoir, half science.” Read more from BC News.
Amy Stanley: Stranger in the Shogun’s City
Amy Stanley, the Wayne V. Jones II Research Professor in History at Northwestern University, will discuss her award-winning book Stranger in the Shogun’s City: A Japanese Woman and Her World at Boston College on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. in Gasson Hall 100. A social historian of early modern and modern Japan, Stanley has special interests in global history, women’s and gender history, and narrative. Stranger in the Shogun’s City explores the life of an unconventional woman during the first half of the 19th century in Edo—the city that would become Tokyo—and offers a portrait of a city on the brink of a momentous encounter with the West. It won the National Book Critics’ Circle Award in Biography and PEN/America Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award in Biography and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Stanley is also the author of Selling Women: Prostitution, Markets, and the Household in Early Modern Japan, as well as articles in the American Historical Review, The Journal of Japanese Studies, and The Journal of Asian Studies. The lecture is presented by the Lowell Humanities Series and is co-sponsored by the History Department and the Asian Studies program. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
BC Bookmarks 