News

WORCESTER, Mass. – Dame Gillian Weir, legendary concert organist from London, England will perform Sunday, Oct. 4 at 3 p.m. in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel at the College of the Holy Cross.  This concert is the first of the Holy Cross Chapel Artists’ Series for the 2009-10 academic year.  The performance, which is handicap accessible, is free and open to the public.

As part of the Holy Cross Chapel Artists’ Series, Weir’s performance will feature a variety of notable pieces; including works from Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Xaver Schnizer, and Paul Hindemith.

Weir is one of the world’s most acclaimed musicians and has performed internationally at various festivals with prestigious conductors and orchestras. Weir is regarded both for her musicianship and for her charm that has distinguished her from her colleagues and has won her respect from audiences and critics.  She has received numerous honors and awards, most notably in 1996 when she was the first organist to become a Dame Commander of the British Empire.  In 1989, her six-part television series on the BBC was immensely popular and attracted over two million weekly viewers in Britain.  The program has been replayed in various countries throughout the world.

The 2009-10 season of the Chapel Artists’ Series marks the 25th anniversary of the installation and dedication of the Taylor & Boody organ in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel and James David Christie’s 25th year as Distinguished Artist in Residence at the College.

For more information about this performance or about the Chapel Artists’ Series, please call the music department at (508) 793-2296, or visit the department’s Web site.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Two lectures at the College of the Holy Cross this fall, will address the state of Catholicism in Asia. First, Smita Lahiri, associate professor of anthropology at Harvard University, will talk on “Mystical Transfers, Local and Global: The Modernity of ‘Folk’ Catholicism in the Philippines,” on Monday, Sept. 28 at 4:30 p.m. The following Monday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m., Peter C. Phan, the Ignacio Ellacuria Chair of Catholic Social Thought at Georgetown University, will present “The Mission of the Church in the Asian Context.” Both lectures will be held in the Rehm Library at the College and are free and open to the public. The events are part of the Deitchman Family Lectures on Religion and Modernity, sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at Holy Cross.

Lahiri, whose research focuses on the relationship between colonialism, Christianity, historical memory, and nation-building in the Philippines, will talk about a number of individuals she met while conducting research at Mt. Banahaw, a major center of folk-Catholic pilgrimage in the Philippines. She is working on a book titled, Surviving Superstition: Christianity in a Philippine Landscape.

Phan will provide an overview of the history and current situation of Catholicism in South and East Asia and then discuss how Christian mission is to be understood in that context. In addition to his teaching at Georgetown, Phan is also on the faculty of the East Asian Pastoral Institute, Manila and Liverpool Hope University, England. In 2000, he was the first non-Anglo to be elected President of the Catholic Theological Society of America. He is the author of numerous books including Christianity with an Asian Face (Orbis Books, 2003), In Our Own Tongues: Perspectives from Asia on Mission and Inculturation (Orbis Books, 2003), and Being Religious Interreligiously: Asian Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue (Orbis Books, 2004).

To learn more about these programs and other Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture events, visit holycross.edu/crec.

About The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College’s commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Susan Rankin, renowned chant specialist, fellow at the British Academy and professor of medieval music at the University of Cambridge, will give a talk about the rededication of the Pantheon in Rome in 609 A.D. on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 5 p.m. in Brooks Concert Hall at the College of the Holy Cross. The event, sponsored by the music department, is free and open to the public.

Rankin’s talk titled “Terribilis est locus iste: The Pantheon in 609,” discusses how the chant and liturgy composed for the rededication of the Pantheon transformed one of Rome’s most iconic buildings from a pagan temple into a Christian church.  Rankin will discuss how a building created as a temple to Roman, pagan gods could be transformed to a place of Christian worship. She will consider those ways in which the liturgy was used to persuade the people of Rome of a new meaning for the supremely iconic Pantheon.

Combining art history, music history, and the study of liturgy and ritual, the talk considers music’s role in defining ritual space for what was then and is now the largest unreinforced solid concrete dome in the world.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at the College of the Holy Cross will present “After the Fall: Capitalism and a just way forward,”  a guest lecture series and online forum exploring the U.S. economic system. All events in the series, to be held throughout the 2009-10 academic year, are free and open to the public.

In the aftermath of the credit meltdown that began in 2007, leaders and thinkers from wide-ranging vantage points — including President Barack Obama, Pope Benedict XVI and United States Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner — have suggested that the crisis demonstrates the need to reassess basic assumptions of capitalist economic systems. For a surprising number of major thinkers, underlying assumptions about the rationality, reward mechanisms and distribution of benefits inherent in unregulated markets all have been called into question.

This series will explore the lessons learned during the credit crisis and offer diverse perspectives on how to construct a new economy that is sustainable and just. Featured speakers this fall will include Jacob Hacker, Stanley B. Resor Professor of Political Science at Yale University and an expert on the politics of U.S. health and social policy; William D. Nordhaus, Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University and an authority on the economics of climate change; and David A. Spina ’64, retired chairman and CEO of State Street Corporation, the world’s leading provider of services to institutional investors. The series also will host three events that approach economics from the perspective of Muslim, Jewish and Catholic law.

“The credit crisis of the past two years provides us with an important opportunity to assess the benefits and shortcomings of our economic system, to examine how it embodies our social priorities, and to imagine what kind of system we really want and can have,” says Thomas M. Landy, director of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture and coordinator of the series.

The talks will be recorded for podcast and available at www.holycross.edu/crec. A corresponding Web forum will encourage feedback and dialogue to continue online.

Upcoming events:

* Wednesday, Oct. 7; 7:30 p.m., Rehm Library
The Middle Class at Risk: The New Economic Security and What Can Be Done About It: Jacob Hacker, the Stanley B. Resor Professor of Political Science at Yale University, will report on the broad-based risk-shift from society to individuals — across healthcare, pensions, and job security — as a result of philosophical pressure in the political arena, increased opportunity for private industry, and economic pressures.
* Thursday, Oct. 15; 7:30 p.m., Rehm Library
Islamic Law, Shariah-based Finance, and Economic Theory: Caner Dagli, assistant professor of religious studies at Holy Cross, was an interfaith affairs consultant at the Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan, providing consultative support to HM King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and his special advisor HRH Ghazi bin Muhammad.
* Monday, Oct. 19; 7:30 p.m., Rehm Library
The Challenge of Climate Change: William D. Nordhaus, Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University, is one of the main economists working on climate change models. He recently chaired a panel of the National Academy of Sciences that produced a report, Nature’s Numbers, recommending approaches to integrate environmental and other non-market activity into the national economic accounts.
* Tuesday, Nov. 3; 7:30 p.m., Rehm Library
David A. Spina ’64, retired chairman and CEO of State Street Corporation, the world’s leading provider of services to institutional investors, and a member of the Holy Cross board of trustees, will share lessons learned from the collapse of the financial markets and changes that would improve the banking system.
* Thursday, Nov. 12; 7:30 p.m., Rehm Library
How to Prevent the Next Great Depression: A Jewish Law Perspective: Aaron Levine is the Samson and Halina Bitensky Professor of Economics and chairman of the department at Yeshiva University. A noted authority on Jewish commercial law, he recently published “The Global Recession and Jewish Law” in American Economist and is editor of the forthcoming publication Judaism and Economics (Oxford University Press, Spring 2010).
* Tuesday, Nov. 17; 7:30 p.m., Rehm Library
Flourishing Economies: Supporting and deepening personal and public awareness: Daniel Barbezat, professor of economics at Amherst College, will explore consumption versus consumerism and the pursuit of happiness. Do economists know how to deliver happiness? How do our dominant economics models implicitly understand what it means to be happy? In light of what we are learning from behavioral studies, how does that have to change?

To learn more about this series and to sign up for email updates from the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, visit www.holycross.edu/crec.

About The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College’s commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president of the College of the Holy Cross, today announced Holy Cross’ Climate Action Plan, which documents the College’s commitment to reducing campus greenhouse gas emissions and outlines initiatives designed to achieve an overall goal of climate neutrality.  As a charter signatory of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in fall 2007, Fr. McFarland appointed an environmental task force of faculty, staff and students to promote campus practices beneficial to the environment and explore initiatives that reduce the College’s carbon footprint.

“Like many organizations committed to building a more just, humane and sustainable world, the Society of Jesus is committed to protecting the natural environment, as a number of its recent documents have shown.  In that spirit, our community shares a commitment to the sustainable development and stewardship of our planet.  As members of a global society, we have a special responsibility to examine our contributions to climate change, to make positive changes to improve the environment and to act in solidarity with all those who share the world’s resources,” said Fr. McFarland.  “By signing the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, Holy Cross has made public its dedication to reducing our negative impact on the environment and to making environmental awareness a key component of campus life.”

Holy Cross’ plan calls for a 20 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2015.  The College has already demonstrated a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions since 2007 with the procurement of a hydro-electric energy source.  In addition, a number of projects to reduce energy consumption have been completed, including installation of more efficient boiler systems, upgrades to several campus steam lines and traps, new lighting and occupancy sensors, replacement of all Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) computer screens, and replacement of some HVAC units.  The College has set a goal of climate neutrality by or before 2040, which is consistent with long range goals set on a global scale.

Other initiatives on campus aimed at making Holy Cross more environmentally sustainable include the elimination of trays from the dining hall, which has significantly reduced food waste, water and energy use; a community garden that produces food for the main dining hall and members of the Worcester community; and the introduction of two Zipcars (including a hybrid vehicle).  In addition, the College’s Integrated Science Complex (consisting of the new Smith Labs, completed in January 2009, and the complete renovation of Haberlin Hall, currently in progress) incorporates high energy efficiency standards in all phases of design of construction, and will seek silver LEED certification.

As a signatory of the ACUPCC, Holy Cross receives support and resources designed to help the school achieve the outlined climate objectives and has access to a supportive network of peer institutions that share insights into best practices.  Six hundred fifty college and university presidents have joined the ACUPCC, a comprehensive climate change initiative through which schools are committing to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on their campuses, dedicate research and programs to the development of climate change solutions, and train their students to address the climate crisis upon graduation.

About the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment:
Launched in 2007, the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment is a network of 650 signatory schools, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This high-visibility effort to address global warming garners institutional commitments to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the research and educational efforts of higher education to equip society to re-stabilize the earth’s climate.  The ACUPCC is led by a Steering Committee comprised of more than 20 university and college presidents.  The lead supporting organization of the initiative is the national nonprofit Second Nature, based in Boston.  For more information, visit www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org.

Related information:

* Holy Cross’ Carbon Neutral Plan (PDF)
* Sustainability Web site

WORCESTER, Mass. – Award-winning author Kate Walbert will kick off the Visiting Writers Series at the College of the Holy Cross with a reading on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Levis Reading Room at Dinand Library. The event, sponsored by the Jenks Chair in Contemporary American Letters and the Creative Writing Program, is free and open to the public.

Walbert is the author of four books including Our Kind, a National Book Award Finalist for fiction in 2004; The Gardens of Kyoto, winner of the 2002 Connecticut Book Award in Fiction; Where She Went, a collection of linked stories and a New York Times notable book; and her latest novel, A Short History of Women (Scribner, June 2009).

Leah Hager Cohen, the new Jenks Chair in Contemporary American Letters at the College and the organizer of the event, praised Walbert’s latest work on the front page of the New York Times Book Review:

“Wickedly smart… A gorgeously wrought and ultimately wrenching work of art… Each chapter is like a slice of exquisite cake… I found myself going back time and again to reread whole paragraphs, not because they’d been obscure, but in the way one might press a finger to the crumbs littering an otherwise cleaned plate: out of a desire to savor every morsel… Kate Walbert may work in miniature, but her scope is vast.”

She has also written numerous plays including Year of the Woman, produced at the Yale Cabaret and the Lantern Theater in Philadelphia; Quiet, She Said; and Elsewhere, which has had readings at Playwrights Horizons and Ars Nova, in New York, and the Marin Theater, in Marin, California.

Walbert lives in New York City with her husband and daughters.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The music department at the College of the Holy Cross will present the following musical performances on campus during October 2009. All events are free and open to the public. For additional information, please contact the music department events line at 508-793-3528.

Thurs., Oct. 1; 7 p.m.
Ensemble Gombert
Chamber Choir from Australia
Brooks Hall

Sun., Oct. 4; 3 p.m.
Dame Gillian Weir
International Concert Artist
London, England
St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Wed., Oct. 7; 8 p.m.
Holy Cross Chamber Orchestra Concert
Brooks Concert Hall

Fri., Oct. 23; 8 p.m.
College Choir Family Weekend Concert
St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Fri., Oct. 23; 10 p.m.
Holy Cross Jazz Ensemble Family Weekend Concert
Hogan Campus Center Ballroom

Sat., Oct. 24; 3 p.m.
Chamber Orchestra Family Weekend Concert
Brooks Concert Hall

WORCESTER, Mass. – Noted Catholic poet and literary biographer Paul Mariani will speak about the life of Jesuit priest and poet Gerard Manley Hopkins in a lecture titled, “What Hopkins Can Teach Us,” Monday, Sept. 21, at 4:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The event is part of the Presidential Colloquium on Jesuits and the Liberal Arts, sponsored by the president’s office and the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture. It is free and open to the public.

Mariani, University Professor of English at Boston College, has published over 200 essays and reviews and is the author of 16 books, including five biographies and six volumes of poetry. His biography Gerard Manley Hopkins: A life was published last year (Viking/Penguin, 2008). Mariani will talk about Hopkins’ work and its significance for understanding Jesuit life and mission, both in his time and now. Thomas M. Landy, director of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture and a lecturer in sociology and anthropology, will respond with some suggestions about what Hopkins’ legacy can mean for education at Holy Cross.

To learn more about this program and other Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture events, visit holycross.edu/crec.

About The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College’s commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.

WORCESTER, Mass. – B.J. Cassin, venture capitalist and chairman and president of the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation, will give the Thomas More Lecture at the College of the Holy Cross on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library. The lecture, sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, is free and open to the public.

The Thomas More Lecture on Faith, Work and Civic Life honors a graduate of Holy Cross who exemplifies the College’s dedication to the integration of faith and learning. The alumnus or alumna is invited to speak about his or her own profession, vocation, and the ethical opportunities and challenges faced there.

Cassin, who graduated from Holy Cross in 1955, has been a venture capital investor for 30 years and was a financial founder of a number of technology companies including Cadence Design Systems, Cerus Corporation, Equatorial Communications, Laserscope, PDF Solutions, Quantum Corporation, Scientific Microsystems and Stratacom. Previously, he co-founded the Fortune 500 company Xidex Corporation. He serves as chairman of Cerus Corporation and is on the board of four other private companies.

In 2000, he founded the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation, which makes grants to private, faith-based schools that serve low-income, high-risk students. Since its founding, CEIF has committed more than $22 million to establish and grow 80 middle and high schools that follow the NativityMiguel and Cristo Rey models of Catholic education in urban, economically challenged areas across the U.S. In Massachusetts, CEIF has made grants to: North Cambridge Catholic High School in Cambridge; Notre Dame High School, Blessed Stephen Bellesini Academy and Esperanza Academy in Lawrence; Nativity Prep School in New Bedford; and Nativity School of Worcester.

Cassin has also helped Holy Cross with a $1 million grant in 2002 to further minority recruitment and retention on campus. In 2003, he was a recipient of the College’s Sanctae Crucis Award, which recognizes the distinguished achievements of alumni.

He and his wife, Bebe, live in Los Altos Hills, Calif. and have five children and six grandchildren.

To learn more about this program and other Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture events, visit holycross.edu/crec.

About The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College’s commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews and NBC’s The Chris Matthews Show, will give a talk at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23 in the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom at the College of the Holy Cross.  Following his talk, Matthews will be available to sign copies of his book, The Hardball Handbook: How to Win at Life (2009).  The event, which is free and open to the public, is part of the College’s recognition of Constitution Day (Sept. 17) and the freedoms it affords, including freedom of the press.

Also in connection with Constitution Day, R. Shep Melnick, the Thomas P. ONeill, Jr. Professor of American Politics at Boston College, will give a lecture titled “Does the Constitution Encourage Gridlock?” on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 4 p.m. in the Hogan Campus Center, Suite A.  His talk is sponsored by the Department of Political Science.

A proud and devoted 1967 graduate of Holy Cross, Matthews has distinguished himself as a journalist, Washington bureau chief, presidential speechwriter, congressional staffer and best-selling writer.  He is the author five books including Hardball (1988), Kennedy & Nixon (1996), Now Let Me Tell You What I Really Think (2001), American: Beyond Our Grandest Notions (2002), and Life’s a Campaign (2007), released in paperback as The Hardball Handbook (2009), in which he reveals some practical truths about how to achieve success in politics and in life.

Before his career in television, Matthews worked for 15 years as a print journalist.  He joined the San Francisco Examiner in 1987, serving as Washington Bureau Chief for 13 years, and as a national columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle for two years.  Prior to entering journalism, he served as a speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter and a top aide to House Speaker Thomas P. O’Neill Jr.

Matthews has returned to campus several times in recent years, including as commencement speaker in 2003.

His talk is sponsored by the College’s Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies and the Office of Public Affairs.

For media access to the Matthews event, contact:
Kristine Maloney, Director of National Communications & Media Relations, 508-793-2419/kmmalone@holycross.edu

Cristal Steuer, Manager of Communications & Media Relations, 508-793-2419/csteuer@holycross.edu

To request an advance interview with Matthews, please contact Tina Urbanksi, MSNBC/Hardball with Chris Matthews, at 202-885-4437/Tina.Urbanski@msnbc.com.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Rev. Friedhelm Mennekes, S.J., a visiting international Jesuit scholar at the College of the Holy Cross, will give an illustrated lecture titled “On the Sacredness of Emptiness: Contemporary Art and Religion at St. Peter’s Jesuit-Church in Cologne,” on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 4 p.m. in the College’s Rehm Library. The lecture, presented by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, is free and open to the public.

For more than three decades, Fr. Mennekes has focused on fostering a dialogue between the world of faith and the world of contemporary art. He has written extensively on the spiritual dimension in artistic works and “on the disastrous relationship between modern art and the Christian churches.” In 1979, he started an exhibition program of contemporary art in sacred spaces, first at the church of St. Markus, Frankfurt, and later at the church of St. Peter’s, Cologne, with its annex, the Kunst-Station Sankt Peter, a center of contemporary art and modern music that he founded. Fr. Mennekes invited some of the world’s leading contemporary artists—including Josef Albers, Francis Bacon, Anish Kapoor, Barbara Kruger, David Salle and Cindy Sherman—to install site-specific works in the still-active parishes.

Since 2003, he has worked on a project for young artists in the Kurdish part of Iraq.  It is a regular collaboration between the Art Laboratory, Suleimanyah (Iraq) and the Kunst-Station Sankt Peter, Cologne. Fr. Mennekes has traveled to Iraq and organized three exhibitions of Kurdish artists from Iraq in St. Peter’s, Cologne and the Art Academy of Leipzig, Germany.

Fr. Mennekes is professor emeritus of pastoral theology and sociology of religion at Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology, Frankfurt, Germany.  Until recently he was also pastor of the Jesuit Church of St. Peter’s, Cologne, Germany. He is currently teaching a seminar titled “New Art in Sacred Spaces” in the visual arts department at the College.

To learn more about this program and other Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture events, visit holycross.edu/crec.

About The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College’s commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.