Theology News and Accomplishments
Department News
Fordham holds reception at AAR/SBL conference
On the evening of November 18, 2023, Fordham University's Theology Department hosted a reception for current Fordham faculty and students, prospective students, and Fordham alumni at the 2023 American Academy of Religion and Society for Biblical Literature conferences. Multiple students and faculty members in the Theology Department attended the conferences as participants, respondents, and presenters. For a full list of contributions made to this year's conferences by faculty, students, and graduates of Fordham, please see this list.
Eleven Fordham Students In Rome for Pope’s Synod on Synodality
Ten Fordham undergraduates and one graduate student arrived in Rome on Saturday to observe Pope Francis’ historic Synod on Synodality and participate in related events. Read the full article on the Fordham News website.
Scholarship Fund Extends the Legacy of Acclaimed Feminist Theologian
“It’s like a gift to your life that says, ‘Something that I was passionate about, and devoted all my energy to, is going to go forward in these students, these women who get the scholarship,’” Sister Johnson said. “It’s wonderful.” Read the full article here.
Faculty Highlights Fall 2023
Guardado discusses book with Orbis' Robert Ellsberg
Assistant Professor Leo Guardado released his book Church as Sanctuary: Reconstituting Refuge in an Age of Forced Displacement through Orbis Books on December 8, 2023. Robert Ellsberg, editor-in-chief of Orbis Books, interviewed Guardado about the book. The interview, described by Ellsberg as "one of the best interviews I've done with an Orbis author," is accessible on YouTube.
Fiano launches latest book at Center for Jewish Studies event
On Thursday, November 30, the Center for Jewish Studies, Theology Department, and Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University hosted a book launch at Fordham's Lincoln Center campus for Emmanuel Fiano's latest book, Three Powers in Heaven: The Emergence of Theology and the Parting of the Ways. Fiano is an associate professor of Syriac studies for Fordham's theology department and the faculty chair for undergraduate theology studies at the Rose Hill campus.
Guardado caps fellowship with lecture on Gutiérrez at IACS
In "Between Memory and Prophecy," a lecture hosted by the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California, on Monday, November 13, Leo Guardado, Ph.D., assessed the past fifty years of Gustavo Gutiérrez’s theological contributions, the global impact and reception of a commitment to doing theology from the perspective of the poor and insignificant, and the ongoing challenges liberation theology presents for a global Catholic Church. Dr. Guardado was the IACS's inaugural DePaul Fellow. The IACS Hancock and DePaul Fellowships support scholars conducting cutting-edge research across different academic disciplines that contributes to Catholic thinking.
The full lecture can be viewed on the IACS's YouTube page.
Massaro delivers 15th Annual Burunat Memorial Lecture
The Rev. Thomas Massaro, S.J., Ph.D., delivered the fifteenth annual Burunat Memorial Lecture at Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus on Sunday, October 29. His topic, "Pope Francis as Moral Leader: Ethicist, Discerner, Communicator, and Advocate for Social Justice," described and analyzed how Pope Francis has functioned in each of these roles during his pontificate and how the ethical achievements of his papacy have reshaped the role played by the Catholic Church across the globe.
The Burunat Lecture is held each year thanks to the Julio Burunat Memorial Fund, established by Julio's spouse Dr. Silvia Burunat. Julio earned two Ph.D.'s at Fordham and touched many lives by his caring witness and commitment to his profession of teaching for almost 35 years. In addition to the annual lecture, the fund supports a deserving graduate student in theology.