Lectures, Conferences & Other Programming
Explore the complex interrelationships between religion, ethics and culture.
The Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture sponsors and supports programming that explores basic human questions of meaning, morality and mutual obligation.
Lectures
This series explores the place of religious and spiritual life in a world that is sometimes at odds with faith, other times in search of it, and always at work reshaping it.
The Kraft-Hiatt Program for Jewish-Christian Understanding supports campus and community-wide educational initiatives that foster understanding of Judaism and Jewish culture, and dialogue between Jews and Christians. The McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture administers the program, including scholarships for students and faculty to study in Israel as well as regularly scheduled on-campus lectures.
The Thomas More Lectures explore ways the humanities illuminate moral dilemmas, enhance our capacity for understanding and empathy, and help us to imagine more just ways of living.
Past Lectures
To address the challenges of our time and the forces that shape our world at the intersections of religion, ethics and culture, the McFarland Center works alongside Holy Cross faculty to sponsor dozens of on-campus programs annually. Many of these events are also available to watch online.
Past events include:
Featured Conference
Signs of Hope: The Claggett Statement and Deaf Theology Today
Friday, March 28, 2025 and Saturday, March 29, 2025
Seelos Theatre, Kimball Hall
Penned in 1984 by an ecumenical group of ten Deaf and hearing women and men from North America, the Claggett statement was an early expression of Deaf Liberation theology produced at a time of cultural awakening and creativity among Deaf people. This symposium spotlights this important statement on its 40th anniversary, by bringing together scholars and practitioners from the United States and beyond to examine the past, present and future of the Claggett Statement for Deaf Christians across the world.
This symposium is co-organized by Audrey Seah (College of the Holy Cross) and Kirk VanGilder (Gallaudet University) with the support of Deaf Studies and Sign Languages, Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, and the Deaf Catholic Archives, Archives and Distinctive Collections at College of the Holy Cross. Attendance is free and open to the public. Registration opens on January 15, 2025.
Upcoming Conferences
Saturday, May 10, 2025 - Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Joyce Contemplative Center
Amanda Luyster, Assistant Professor in the Visual Arts Department and Medieval Studies scholar, organized this workshop in support of an upcoming edited volume, Devotion and Identity in British Medieval Art: New Directions.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025 - Friday, May 30, 2025
Katherine Lu Hsu, Assistant Professor of Classics, organized this workshop to help prepare an upcoming edited volume, Taking Stock: Stereotypes from Asian America to the Ancient Mediterranean.
Forum Members & Events
- Thomas Landy, McFarland Center
- Daniel Klinghard, Dean of Education and Academic Experience
- Michelle Bata, Student Development
- Caitlin MacNeil, Student Involvement
- Gregory Burnep, Political Science
- Clarissa Carvalho, Anthropology
- Audrey Seah, Religious Studies
- Diana Dukhanova, Russian Studies
- Mary Ebbott, Classics
- Vickie Langohr, Political Science
- Katherine Lu Hsu, Classics
- Gwenn Miller, History
- Ellen Perry, Classics
- Liat Spiro, History
What Democracy Means to Us
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
6:30 p.m., Rehm Library, Smith Hall
Join members of the Democratic Futures Forum and campus partners for a reflection on why democracy matters. The participants include Greg Burnep, Political Science; Diana Dukhanova, Russian Studies and Montserrat; Mary Ebbot, Classics; Daniel Klinghard, Political Science and Dean of Education and Academic Experience; Thomas M. Landy, McFarland Center for Religious, Ethics, and Culture; Katherine Lu Hsu, Classics; and Charles Todd, Dean of Students.
With special guest: Vincent Rougeau, President of the College of the Holy Cross.
Immigration 101: What's at Stake in 2024?
Monday, September 30, 2024
7 p.m., Hogan Ballroom
Legal Processes, Competing Perspectives, and Policies in Practice
One of the thorniest issues that democracies face today is immigration. In the United States, immigration will play a significant role in the 2024 presidential election. If you have questions about this vital issue or would like to have a meaningful conversation about it, this event is for you.
News, Fake News, and Democracy: Surviving Today's Media Landscape
Monday, October 28, 2024
5:00 p.m., Rehm Library, Smith Hall
The media landscape has shifted radically over the last few decades, shaping what we know about candidates and government. How do you navigate this media landscape? Can democracy survive it?
The conversation will begin with the insight and experience of the panelists and expand to include the whole audience's perspectives. The panel, moderated by Director of the McFarland Center Thomas M. Landy, includes:
- Devin Gouvêa, Assistant Professor of Philosophy
- Mark Shelton, Director of Library Services
- Andre Isaacs, Associate Professor of Chemistry
- David Shettler, Vice President for Information Technology & CIO
- Jeremy Thompson, Vice President for Communications and Marketing
Ignatian Pilgrimage
Since 2003, the College of the Holy Cross has organized an annual summertime pilgrimage for its faculty to visit important sites in the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. The pilgrimage is an opportunity for religiously diverse faculty to share a lived experience of early Jesuit history and Ignatian thought, which enriches their understanding and teaching of the College's Jesuit mission.
Pilgrimage Details
Through Northern Spain, the pilgrims trace Ignatius' footsteps, from Loyola Castle, the site of his birth and conversion, to the cave at Manresa where he dwelled for nearly a year, praying and practicing what would become his Spiritual Exercises. They visit the monastery at Montserrat, the birthplace of St. Francis Xavier and the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. Then, they fly to Rome and visit the apartments of St. Ignatius, the Gesù church and the church of St. Ignatius, and the sites of other early Jesuit ministries.
Holy Cross invites groups from other Jesuit colleges and universities to join us on pilgrimage. More than 100 faculty and key administrators have done so already, particularly from Xavier University, St. Louis University, Loyola University Maryland, and Loyola University Chicago. Arrangements for other institutions' participation are finalized by December of the year before the trip.
No matter their religious affiliation or scholarly background, the faculty and staff who have made the pilgrimage consistently report back that the pilgrimage was somehow personally transformative and provided new understanding of what Jesuit mission in higher education means today.
Thomas M. Landy, director of the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at Holy Cross, organizes the pilgrimage annually.
Monday, May 26, 2025
Depart Boston for Bilbao.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Arrival Bilbao. Walking tour near Guggenhein, visit the Casco Viejo, light lunch at a café, and then continue to Azpeitia. Dinner and overnight in Azpeitia.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Breakfast. Travel to Loyola, visit Loyola Castle and celebrate Mass at the Conversion Chapel, lunch at a restaurant in Azpeitia near the shrine, continue with a visit to the parish Church of St. Sebastian, the hospital where Ignatius lived, and Our Lady of Olatz (all Ignatian sites). Dinner/overnight in Onati.
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Breakfast, travel to Xavier (lunch on our own), visit the Castle. Dinner/overnight in Xavier.
Friday, May 30, 2025
Breakfast, travel to Montserrat. En route, visit the Cave of St. Ignatius at Manresa for Mass. Dinner/overnight at Montserrat.
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Breakfast, full day at Montserrat (lunch on our own). Dinner/overnight Montserrat.
Sunday, June 1, 2025
Breakfast, travel to Barcelona, visit the Gothic Quarter, including Santa Maria del Mar and places where Ignatius lived (lunch on our own), visit Sagrada Familia. Dinner/overnight in Barcelona.
Monday, June 2, 2025
Breakfast, transfer to Barcelona airport for flight to Rome. On arrival, visit St. Paul Outside the Walls and walk along the Via Appia Antica; lunch at Cecilia Metella restaurant; continue to the city to check into the hotel; free time this afternoon and evening.
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Breakfast, morning visit to Ignatian sites, including the Gesù, San Ignazio and Santa Maria Maggiore; afternoon and evening free.
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Breakfast, morning visit to Jesuit Refugee Service at the Jesuit Curia. Lunch and early afternoon on your own; mid-afternoon visit to San Andrea al Quirinale before our closing Mass at the rooms of St. Ignatius and closing dinner. Overnight in Rome.
Thursday, June 5, 2025
Breakfast, transfer to airport for return to the U.S.
Virtual Class Visits
Virtual Classroom Visits give students first-hand access to scholars, authors, performers, and community leaders whose work they are studying. Initiated during a year of remote learning, this program continues to make possible unparalleled opportunities for student engagement with scholars in the classroom.
Contact Us
Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture
Location
College of the Holy Cross
1 College Street
Worcester, MA 01610-2395
1 College Street
Worcester, MA 01610-2395
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.