Seton Hall Co-Sponsors Annual Symposium for the National Catholic Studies Consortium - Seton Hall University
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
The three-day event was hosted by The Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage
and co-sponsored by Seton Hall University’s Center for Catholic Studies and Duquesne
University's Catholic Studies Program. Throughout the symposium, faculty and administrators
from all universities shared common ideas, visions and best practices in Catholic
Studies. The diversity of institutions, disciplines and structures provided rich and
thought-provoking discussion.
Four members of the Seton Hall community participated in the symposium including Reverend
Gerald Buonopane, Minister to the Priest Community and Professor of Chemistry; Ines Murzaku, Ph.D., Director of the Catholic Studies Program and Professor of Religious Studies;
Gregory P. Floyd, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Catholic Studies and University
Core Fellow; and Matthew Higgins, Ph.D. Director of Programs at the Center for Catholic
Studies.
Presentations Highlighted Best Practices in Seton Hall’s Programs
Murzaku and Father Buonopane both delivered presentations to the consortium as part
of the program's many discussion sessions. Murzaku presented twice: ffirst on the International Federation of Catholic Universities and then on "Mission Integration and Innovation: Teaching Catholic Studies." In her
second presentation, she highlighted the various successes of the Catholic Studies
Program, including the newly formed Catholic Social Thought in Action Academy.
Addressing the topic of mission vision and integration, Murzaku used visuals to demonstrate
how Seton Hall's cross-curricular approach to integrating Catholic Studies, which
includes students from majors across the University taking courses together in the
Catholic Intellectual Tradition, is an integral part of the fulfillment of Seton Hall's
mission. She explained the ways in which Seton Hall's interdisciplinary model is faithful
to the root word of "Catholic"—"katholou," implying the ideas of integrality and moving
toward wholeness.
Murzaku further tied in St. John Henry Newman's The Idea of a University, and she showed the ways Catholic Studies at Seton Hall leads to mission integration,
building bridges among disciplines and areas of practice.
"It was exciting to participate in this weekend with leaders in Catholic Studies from
around the United States and beyond," said reflected Murzaku. "This was the second
annual meeting of the group, and we can already see an increase in collaboration among
the universities. I was also happy to see a substantial increase in the number of
women administrators in key Catholic Studies and mission- and identity-related positions.
This was a great step forward in letting the genius of women be more fully expressed,
as St. John Paul II said in his Letter to Women."
Father Buonopane later presented as part of a panel titled "Practices in Faith, Reason,
Justice," where he showcased a practical application of the integration of Catholic
Studies into cross-university disciplines and into various facets of intellectual
inquiry and human experience. 
Father Buonopane described the strong course outcomes he has observed in his five
semesters of teaching this course that he developed: students embrace the relationship
between faith and science; they have evaluated food security and sustainability plans
in countries around the world; and students' individual and group work for the course
has shown strong potential as a starting point for innovations in future research
and practice.
"Attending the annual symposium of the Catholic Studies Consortium at Loyola University
Chicago was an extraordinarily inspiring and enlightening experience," commented Father
Buonopane. "My eyes were opened ever more so to the vastness of the field of Catholic
Studies and the variety of courses and activities offered in departments and programs
at the many universities represented. The gathering at LUC of such amazing scholars
demonstrated the universality of the Church and what it truly means to be Catholic
and how the Catholic Intellectual Tradition is applicable to all disciplines, including
those in the arts, literature, sciences, philosophy and religion, and law."
An Opportunity to Exchange Experiences, Best Practices and Challenges
As Director of the Center for Catholic Studies, Floyd emphasized the many benefits
of Seton Hall's membership in the Catholic Studies Consortium, noting "To learn from
the successes and challenges of faculty and administrators from the nation's top Catholic
colleges and universities over three days in a spirit of genuine collaboration and
mutual encouragement is as rare as it is helpful. We at the Center are grateful to
be able to support this growing movement which is positioned to do much good for Catholic
higher education."
The first Center for Catholic Studies was founded at the University of St. Thomas,
Minnesota, in 1993 followed by Seton Hall University in 1997. These universities were
at the forefront of a national initiative that has given rise to over 50 centers,
programs, and initiatives in the intervening decades.
Faculty and Administrators from over a dozen Catholic colleges and universities attended the symposium
Seton Hall's support for this national network has been enhanced by its recent Porticus Grant, which seeks to support and revitalize the identity and mission of Catholic colleges
and universities by developing a network of faculty leaders within institutions and
across institutions who are at the service of the local church and community.
Looking ahead, Seton Hall looks forward to participating in the next two annual symposia,
which are scheduled to take place at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut in Fall
2023 and in the fall of 2024 at Seton Hall itself.
Categories: Faith and Service
