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Catholic Studies

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Aims

Two of Hope’s three original constituent colleges were Catholic foundations. A key expectation of a Catholic university level institution is that it fosters a critical appreciation and a creative appropriation of the living tradition of Catholic Christianity.

  • The group exists to encourage, promote and co-ordinate high quality and internationally recognised research and publication in the broad area of Catholic Studies.
  • A major target is to maximise the quality of the University’s submission for the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise by enhancing research outputs and also by strengthening the research culture.
  • The group should provide additional critical scholarly underpinning for curriculum developments in cognate areas, ensuring that teaching at Hope of elements of the curriculum which are linked in any way with Catholic Studies is based on cutting-edge scholarship and research. In this way the group should facilitate original, creative and soundly based teaching that is fully informed by research.
  • By promoting in-depth studies of diverse aspects of the Catholic intellectual, cultural and ecclesial traditions, the group should contribute to inter-disciplinary, ecumenical and inter-faith enquiry, reflection and dialogue at Hope, with other universities, and in the wider community.
  • The group should serve to consolidate and extend the links between scholars at Hope and scholars in the local and wider Catholic community, thereby contributing to and fostering collaboration in service of thinking in, with and for the church. This in turn should enable Hope to assist in the process of understanding the impact of new cultural patterns on the church, on faith and the life of discipleship, to identify new strategies for addressing pastoral realities in a realistic and constructive manner, and of providing consultancy expertise in service of the church and its agencies.
  • Central to Hope’s mission is the education, training and formation of teachers for church, as well as for community, schools. A strong research base in Catholic education should significantly enhance the quality of Hope’s implementation of this aspect of its mission.
  • The group will contribute to Hope’s standing among and relationships with Catholic universities internationally by establishing, consolidating and extending links and collaboration with relevant partners.

Upcoming Events

Thursday 10th May 2007, 5pm – 6.30pm
The Gradwell Lecture - Professor Lisa Sowle Cahill: Changing Patterns in Catholic Sexual Ethics Professor Cahill, a leading Catholic moral theologian, from Boston College, USA.

Group Members

  • Revd. Dr Peter McGrail, Head of group, e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
  • Professor John Sullivan,
  • Dr David Torevell
  • Revd. Dr Kevin Kelly

Associate researchers will be drawn from other Hope staff with an interest in one or more aspects of Catholic Studies, from research active local and regional archdiocesan and diocesan clergy and other scholars, from Hope’s research students, and from visiting scholars with interests and strengths in relevant fields. Associate members currently include Rev Dr Peter Phillips, Mgr Michael O’Dowd, Ros Stuart-Buttle.

Indicative Areas of Coverage

  • The Catholic intellectual tradition
  • Catholic theology, philosophy & history
  • Catholic education & formation
  • Contemporary ecclesiology
  • Liturgy; worship & spirituality; ethnography of worship
  • Catholic modernism
  • Ethnographic research of contemporary Catholic community
  • Formation for ministry
  • Pastoral theology

Steps & Strategies Include:

  • Series of academic seminars, led by staff, external scholars in the field and research students
  • Support for students working on research based dissertations and theses
  • Collaborative planning and support for research and publication - by staff, students and associate members
  • Research project on Catholic University chaplaincy
  • Conduct other research-based consultancies
  • Enhance use of Gradwell Collection in Sheppard-Worlock library
  • Support bids for funding for research projects.
Last Updated ( Saturday, 19 July 2008 )
 
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