The Human Journey Colloquia Series
Upcoming Events
Chipping Away at the Stained Glass Ceiling: Women's Strategies for Ecclesial Reform
Chipping Away at the Stained Glass Ceiling: Women's Strategies for Ecclesial ReformFebruary 11, 2026 | 2 p.m. | Loris Forum
At the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic magisterium explicitly condemned any discrimination on the basis of sex as "incompatible with God's design." Since then, reformers have attempted to bring the church's teachings, practices and governance in line with this basic principle of gender equality. Surveying sixty years of reform efforts with an eye towards lessons for our present moment, this talk draws on archival research and interviews to analyze strategies women reformers employ in attempts to influence the all-male hierarchy on topics as varied as birth control, inclusive theological and liturgical language and the possibility of ordaining women deacons. Guest Speaker: Dr. Mary Kate Holman, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Fairfield University
Women, Peace and Activism in Modern Society
February 17, 2026 | 5 p.m. | Loris Forum
This panel will explore women’s role in peace activism across borders and time. Presented by Professors Kate Kelly (Social Work), Kelly Marino (History) and Ashley Morin (History)
Can Social Media Be Saved?
February 18, 2026 | 2 p.m. | Loris Forum
Social media is a cesspool of anger, hypocrisy and lies. Can it be saved? Is there anything about social media that is good and worth redeeming - or should we throw out the whole system and start over? Guest Speaker: John Grosso, SCPR ‘17
What It Means to be a Human in the Age of AI
February 18, 2026 | 3:30 p.m. | Loris Forum
Big questions: is AI an “evolutionary” stage? Does AI confront its limits in the face of embodiment? Does human “action” – read Drama – make a difference in the world of AI? Panelists: Professors Charlie Gillespie (Catholic Studies), Christine Susienka (Philosophy) and June-Ann Greeley (English) – moderator
Integral Ecology for a Flourishing Earth Community
February 25, 2026 | 2 p.m. | Loris Forum
This talk will highlight some of the inspiration of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Thomas Berry toward an integral ecology in Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si'. We will draw on Teilhard’s evolutionary spirituality and Berry’s views of an ecological spirituality to highlight how these perspectives provide a basis for environmental care and social justice for our Earth community. Guest Speakers: Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, Co-directors of Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology
Intersectional Feminist Criminology
March 10, 2026 | 7 p.m. | Loris Forum
"Traditional criminology textbooks often focus on the same ideas and leave out many voices — especially those of women, people of color, disabled people and queer communities. Michalsen’s book turns that approach on its head. It follows the structure of a typical textbook but looks at each topic through an intersectional feminist lens. That means it considers how different aspects of identity — like race, gender, disability and sexuality — shape people’s experiences with the criminal legal system. Guest Speaker: Venezia Michalsen, Ph.D., Southern Connecticut State University
The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism and Why It Matters
March 11, 2026 | 2 p.m. | Loris Forum
Today many people believe that humans are the most intelligent, virtuous, successful species that ever lived. In this book talk, NYU primatologist Dr. Christine Webb will outline how human exceptionalism is an ideology that relies more on human culture than our biology, exposing many scientific studies’ biases against other species and revealing underappreciated complexities of nonhuman life.
Dilexi Te
March 11, 2026 | 3:30 p.m. | Loris Forum
Pope Leo has written an important document called “Dilexi Te’ meaning “I have loved you”. Faculty will discuss with students the meaning of this love in their lives and their world today. Presented by Dr. June-Ann Greeley (English), Dr. Brent Little (Catholic Studies), Dr. Thomas Hurley (Catholic Studies)
Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Keeping the Faith as a Vatican Reporter
Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Keeping the Faith as a Vatican ReporterThe Jacqueline & Edward Musante Center for Catholic Studies Endowed Lecture
March 18, 2026 | 2 p.m. | Loris Forum
Guest speaker Colleen Dulle, Associate Editor at America Media, is a multimedia journalist covering Catholic and Vatican news and analysis at America Media, where she hosts and produces the weekly news podcast Inside the Vatican. She has reported national and international news for Catholic News Service, the Associated Press, The Times-Picayune and the St. Louis Review.
Social Justice Week
March 24, 2026 | 7 p.m. | SHU Community Theatre
Rabbi Norman Lamm Was Right: Why Catholics Should Look Upon Nostra Aetate as Only A Step in the Right Direction
Rabbi Norman Lamm Was Right: Why Catholics Should Look Upon Nostra Aetate as Only A Step in the Right DirectionThe Ellen B. Lubell & Leslie Byelas Center for Catholic Studies Endowed Annual Lecture on Jewish Christian Dialogue
March 25, 2026 | 2 p.m. | Loris Forum
Christians tend to assume we stand on equal footing with people of other religious traditions, that there is no variance in the power dynamics between us. It is this, I believe, that leads to our inflating Vatican II’s Nostra Aetate out of proportion. Yes, it was a sea-change in the Roman Catholic approach to the Jewish world, but given our history of antisemitism and our ongoing complicity with antisemitism and anti-Judaism, it remains smaller on the horizon that we like to acknowledge. Guest Speaker: Jon M. Sweeney, Religion Editor/Associate Publisher, Monkfish Publishing
“Story can shelter us”: John Moriarity, Deep Time and the Labor of Hope
March 31, 2026 | 3:30 p.m. | Loris Forum
Drawing upon the writings and legacy of John Morarity, this lecture examines the critical role of story in creating a framework for hope in face of climate grief and planetary loss. The lens of deep time invites the human animal to discern their place in natural, mythological, and spiritual history and through the lens of Morarity’s philosophy we understand that in doing so the human species might better navigate our present ecological crisis as a labor of collective hope. Guest Speaker: Dr. Christine Cusick, Professor English and Director of the Honors Program at Seton Hill University
Great Minds Lecture
April 2, 2026 | 7 p.m. | Martire Theatre
Presented by Professor Torrie Hanley (Biology)
Integral Ecology, Integral Technology: Applying Laudato Si' in the Age of AI
Integral Ecology, Integral Technology: Applying Laudato Si' in the Age of AIApril 8, 2026 | 2 p.m. | Loris Forum
Guest Speaker: Dr. John P. Slattery, Executive Director, Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology and Law, Duquesne University
#METoo and The Healing Power of Poetry: Exploring Caste Politics in the Works of Pramila Venkateswaran
April 9, 2026 | 2 p.m. | Loris Forum
In 2020, Isabel Wilkerson’s bestseller, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent, highlighted the similarities between the U.S. and India, particularly their shared feudal caste systems that determine social hierarchies through access. Dalit women in India, positioned at the lowest levels of caste, class, and gender, make up much of the labor force and often fall victim to sex trafficking and forced prostitution. Join Pramila Venkateswaran, poet laureate of Suffolk County, Long Island, and author of her recent books, Exile is Not a Foreign Word and Tamil Dalit Feminist Poetics: Resistance, Solidarity and Power, and Professor Emerita at Nassau Community College (SUNY). She will present poetry readings from her collection and discuss chapters from her book that explore how Dalit feminist poets redefine feminism and Tamil modern poetry, providing insights into the Dalit body, spirituality, music, culture and their connection to land and democracy. Moderated by Professor Nidhi Shrivastava, English. Sponsored by English, Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies and The Human Journey Colloquium
David Tracy Memorial
April 15, 2026 | 2 p.m. | Loris Forum
Guest speaker Stephen Okey, Ph.D., Saint Leo University will give the keynote address celebrating the memory of Fr. David Tracy, one of the most prominent theologians of the 20th century.
Word and Song
April 16, 2026 | 5 p.m. | Chapel of the Holy Spirit
A collaboration between the Diocesan Guild for the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Sacred Heart University’s Center for Catholic Studies, Word and Song are special candlelight celebrations of sacred music and readings meant to deepen spiritual reflection and open our hearts and minds to God’s presence in our lives.
Why I Remain a Gay Catholic: A Spiritual-Sexual Journey
Why I Remain a Gay Catholic: A Spiritual-Sexual JourneyApril 22, 2026 | 2 p.m. | Loris Forum
Guest Speaker: Father Paul F. Morrissey, Augustinian friar and ordained priest. Co-founder of the Philadelphia chapter of Dignity (LGBTQ ministry in the Catholic Church. Co-Founder of Communication Ministry (CMI) an international monthly newsletter, journal and retreat ministry for LGBTQ priests.
Laudato Si' Event
April 23, 2026 | 2 p.m. | Loris Forum
Past Events
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration
January 21, 2026
Guest Speaker: Jeffery A. Fletcher, President and Executive Director of the African American Collections, Inc. and the Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum, Stratford, CT.
Dignity in the Digital Age
January 29, 2026
Explore how media influences tone, truth and trust. Join us for a practical panel conversation on digital civility, misinformation and everyday habits that keep our community respectful on and offline. Presented by Dr. Mark Congdon (Communication Studies), Dr. Bill Yousman (Communication & Media) and Rodney Osumo (student)