Curran Center for American Catholic Studies
The Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies advances knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of American Catholicism within the academy and the church, and with the broader religious community and the general public.
Our threefold mission is to:
- Educate rising generations of religiously-informed citizens
- Foster ecumenical, inter-religious, and interdisciplinary engagement with Catholic thought and practice
- Promote informed and compassionate analysis of the critical religious and social issues of our time.
In 2001, university president Rev. Joseph O'Hare, SJ, approached Rev. Mark Massa, SJ, about forming a center for the study of American Catholicism. In the following months, Fr. Massa set to work developing Fr. O'Hare's vision, in hopes of establishing a nationally-recognized hub for the study of American Catholic history, identity, and practice.
In 2004, John and Connie Curran expressed to Fr. Massa their interest in endowing the center, and the Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies, named in honor of John's parents, was born. Dedicated to advancing the Jesuit Catholic educational mission of the university, the Curran Center is a hub for many different types of events and programs, including public lectures, faculty seminars, major scholarly conferences, and an undergraduate concentration that, in the words of our students, shapes the way Fordham students "see and engage the world."
Dante's Tightrope: A Lecture & Reading by Micheal O'Siadhail
Monday, September 16, 5PM
Tognino Hall, Duane Library, Rose Hill Campus
Flannery O'Connor's "Everything that Rises Must Converge": Race & Grace
Saturday, September 28
Symposium: 2-4:30PM, Tognino Hall, Duane Library, Rose Hill Campus
Compagnia de' Colombari Performance: 7PM, Fordham Prep Leonard Theatre
Prophetic Fire: The Power of Hip-Hop, Media, and Faith
Presented by Jesuit scholastic and Fordham alum Michael Martinez '13
Friday, October 25, Time TBA
Flom Auditorium, Walsh Family Library, Rose Hill Campus
Cuéntame: How Women's Storytelling Shapes the Future of the Church
15th Annual Rita Cassella Jones Lecture presented by Natalia Imperatori-Lee, Professor of Religious Studies, Manhattan College
Tuesday, November 5, 6PM
Tognino Hall, Duane Library, Rose Hill Campus
A Look Back: Past Event Highlight
The Structure of Theological Revolutions: How the Fight Over Birth Control Transformed American Catholicism
A Presentation and Book Discussion with Curran Center Founding Director Mark Massa, SJ (Boston College)
April 1, 2019 | 6 p.m.
Tognino Hall, Duane Library
Fordham University Rose Hill