Inside the Core this Week: Some Good News from the Faculty  

Though much of the news of late has been very disturbing, to say the least, I am happy to share several items of decidedly good news about four of our Core faculty members. One of the great things about the Core is our faculty — the Core Fellows, the full-time faculty teaching from other departments, and our wonderful adjuncts. So, despite the tough times, let's celebrate these accomplishments:

• Dr. Greg Floyd, Core Fellow, has been appointed the new Director of the Catholic Studies Center. The announcement went out a week or so ago, but I wanted to make sure we celebrate his appointment here, "Inside the Core." Greg has been working with Msgr. Liddy, retiring Director of the Catholic Studies Center, for a while. He is also the editor for The Lonergan Review. Congratulations, Greg!

• Dr. Jordan Miller, Core Fellow and former adjunct for many years prior, recently published an article on the Resurrection of Jesus in the Easter season and in light of the pandemic in Today's American Catholic. Read Dr. Miller's article, "'He Is Not Here, for He Is Risen': Thoughts on the Current Pandemic in the Light of Easter" for some encouragement and inspiration during this time.

• Dr. Roger Alfani, First Year Advisor in Freshman Studies and adjunct faculty member for the Core and the School of Diplomacy, heard from Dr. Nicole Eggers from Tennessee-Knoxville University that she is using his book, Religious Peacebuilding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Peter Lang, 2019), in her graduate summer course on the history of African Christianity from mid-twentieth century to the present. Dr. Eggers also invited Roger to visit and speak to her class in July.

• Dr. Andrea Bartoli, Core Fellow, appeared as a speaker for the Earth Institute of Columbia University's Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity. Dr. Bartoli is the president of the Community of Sant' Egidio's Foundation for Peace and Dialogue, as well as the leader of our Sant' Egidio Prayer Community here at Seton Hall (which meets at 4 p.m. every Thursday during the regular academic year in Xavier Chapel). In his talk, Andrea tells about the start of the Sant' Egidio Community and its continuing values and work, particularly with regard to peace-keeping in South Sudan.

So, despite all the disturbing news, I hope these exciting things happening with our faculty will lift your spirits. They certainly lift mine!

Categories: Faith and Service