2016 Conference: CST @ 125

Building Good Economies: Interdisciplinary and Practical Perspectives

This conference was made possible thanks to the generous support of John & Jeanette Walton, and the John P. & Constance A. Curran Charitable Foundation.

Wednesday, April 20 - Friday, April 22, 2016
Fordham University Lincoln Center

For 125 years since, popes and believers, along with scholars, leaders and activists across the globe have contributed to this evolving social tradition, whose goal is to understand and to promote societies and economies that include and serve all, especially non-elites, the vulnerable, and the poor.In May, 1891, Pope Leo XIII engaged the “new things”—Rerum novarum—of modern, industrialized society in the first- ever papal encyclical devoted to economic issues and the plight of vulnerable workers and families, and the era of “modern Catholic social teaching” was born.

In April 2016, the Curran Center hosted a remarkable gathering of scholars, leaders, professionals, and activists at Fordham University to:

Celebrate 125 years of modern Catholic reflection on and advocacy for inclusive, people-serving, and sustainable economies
Be informed, challenged, and inspired by internationally-renowned thinkers and dynamic leaders who are laboring to understand and build good economies for the 21st century
Participate in vibrant, cross-disciplinary conversation on the intersections between faith, scholarship, policy, and action

The conference engaged in serious, interdisciplinary and multi-level dialogue on issues surrounding good economic theory and practice, through plenary sessions, panels, and concurrent programs that:

Enhanced understanding of and critical engagement with modern Catholic social thought on economy and society within the three publics of academy, church, and wider society
Advanced critical, multi-disciplinary analyses of Catholic social teaching’s engagement with key economic topics, focusing on sources, methods, theory and practices
Brought modern Catholic social thought on economy into robust conversation with relevant disciplines and professional fields of practice (including business, social and public service, civic associations and movements)
Examined intersections between Catholic social thought and economic theory, policy, and practice pertaining to various arenas (ecclesial, governmental, business, education, activist, associational – unions, civic organizations, families/households, etc.) past and present
Contributed to the creation of scholarly, pedagogical, and popular media designed to engender and sustain ongoing education and public conversation, debate, and action informed by the priorities and principles that CST champions.