Sporting Educational Pedagogy In Catholic Western Europe In The 19th And 20th Centuries: What We Can Learn From The Past,
2026
Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium
Sporting Educational Pedagogy In Catholic Western Europe In The 19th And 20th Centuries: What We Can Learn From The Past, Dries Vanysacker
Journal of Catholic Education
This article presents a historiographical overview of the development of the role of sport within the Western European Catholic education in the 20th century. Since the late 19th century, combining gymnastics with new sport disciplines was a huge challenge for Catholic schools. Within the 20th century, changing political situations and educational policies by governments continuously influenced the Catholic education theories and practice. Catholic schools also depended on the Holy See’s policy concerning education and its attitude toward sport. As the Catholic pedagogy is part of a broader theological concept of the human being, and the latter changed in the 1950s/1960’s, …
Sport, Human Flourishing And The Common Good: A Jesuit Perspective,
2026
Creighton University
Sport, Human Flourishing And The Common Good: A Jesuit Perspective, Patrick M. Kelly S.J.
Journal of Catholic Education
The author interprets humanist and early Jesuit education inspired by the Spiritual Exercises through the lens of the flow psychology theory of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi to highlight that they bring about differentiation – the development of the different interests, skills, dimensions of the person – and integration – in a way that is connected to community and fosters the common good. The inclusion of physical education and sports in the humanist and early Jesuit schools – the first instance of it in Catholic schools – was influenced by longer traditions which emphasized the unity of the person and a “play ethic”, …
Sport Is The New Religion? Speculations In A Time Of Profound Cultural Change,
2026
The University of Notre Dame Australia
Sport Is The New Religion? Speculations In A Time Of Profound Cultural Change, Richard M. Rymarz
Journal of Catholic Education
Utilizing a narrative approach, this article begins with an indicative account of how religion and sport are related in a particular context. This narrative is a prelude to a closer examination of the decline of religion in contemporary culture. Religion is conceptualized following Durkheim. Its decline, using sources such as Berger, Luckmann, and Stoltz, is simply explained by using powerful descriptors such as loss of ritualized practice, secular competition, and diminishing plausibility. A second narrative is offered as a departure point for the oft-discussed maxim that sport is the new religion. Rather than one being seen as a substitute for …
Introduction,
2026
Creighton University
Introduction, Max T. Engel, Matt Hoven
Journal of Catholic Education
Sports are a big deal in Catholic schools. But their educational, communal, and even spiritual elements within participating school communities are often underestimated in the research. This introduction firstly offers a concise survey of the theoretical foundation for Catholic endorsement of sports. It then provides a framework for understanding the major authors in the field and the key issues that scholars confront in the area. It concludes by outlining the articles presented in this special issue and invites readers to consider engaging with this expanding community of scholars and practitioners. Overall, this introduction explains the purpose and rationale for this …
Review Of Francis Of Assisi, Movement Maker: The Unconventional Leadership Of A Simple Saint,
2026
St. Bonaventure University
Review Of Francis Of Assisi, Movement Maker: The Unconventional Leadership Of A Simple Saint, Andrew Gertner Belfield
The Journal of Social Encounters
No abstract provided.
Senghor, Negritude And African Political Theology Senghor’S Eucharist: Negritude And African Political Theology,
2026
St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church
Senghor, Negritude And African Political Theology Senghor’S Eucharist: Negritude And African Political Theology, Rev. Fr. Basile Sede Noujio (Ph.D.)
The Journal of Social Encounters
No abstract provided.
Review Essay: The Persistence Of Community In Our Transactional Age,
2026
National Center for Laity
Review Essay: The Persistence Of Community In Our Transactional Age, Bill Droel
The Journal of Social Encounters
No abstract provided.
Theology Of The People As Modernity’S Alternative: A Review Essay,
2026
Mount St. Mary’s University, MD
Theology Of The People As Modernity’S Alternative: A Review Essay, William J. Collinge
The Journal of Social Encounters
In Modernity’s Alternative, Rocco Buttiglione presents the Argentinian theology of the people as an alternative to modernity as it has developed in Europe and North America. After an introduction, the first main part of this review essay discusses Buttiglione’s account of the development of the theology of the people and the major figures in it and how the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe marks the beginning of an alternative modernity. The second section considers Buttiglione’s parallel between Christian Platonists’ inculturation of Christian faith into Greek culture and Guadalupe’s inculturation of Christian faith into Mesoamerican culture. The third section …
The Vatican’S Moral Voice In The Critical Mineral Era: Does The Vatican Need A Policy Platform For Its Meetings With Mining Ceos?,
2026
University of Notre Dame
The Vatican’S Moral Voice In The Critical Mineral Era: Does The Vatican Need A Policy Platform For Its Meetings With Mining Ceos?, Raymond Offenheiser, Keith Slack
The Journal of Social Encounters
On January 19, three American Catholic bishops issued a striking warning about the future of American foreign policy, lamenting that it was undermining “the moral foundation for America’s actions in the world.” The bishops responded to a retreat toward transactional, power-centric diplomacy – one where human rights, international solidarity, and the common good are increasingly secondary to narrow national interests. This shift is most evident in the global race for “critical minerals,” – and perhaps nowhere is the need and opportunity for Church moral leadership clearer.
Pax Christi International’S Representation Within International Governmental Organisations,
2026
Pax Christi International
Pax Christi International’S Representation Within International Governmental Organisations, Fr. Paul Lansu, Giulia Bordin
The Journal of Social Encounters
Pax Christi International (PCI) has used its consultative status at the United Nations since 1979 to connect grassroots peacebuilding with international policymaking. Initially focused on disarmament and human rights, PCI contributed to key international treaties and advocated against human rights violations worldwide. Over time, its advocacy expanded to include active nonviolence, ecological justice, sustainable development, and the accompaniment of local peacebuilders. By strengthening collaboration across its global network and enabling partners from conflict-affected regions to engage directly with international institutions, PCI continues to promote human dignity, international law, and a just and lasting peace through inclusive multilateral advocacy.
Mystical Revelation And Knowledge Of God: Reclaiming Spirituality In Theology Through The Mystics,
2026
Duquesne University
Mystical Revelation And Knowledge Of God: Reclaiming Spirituality In Theology Through The Mystics, Elizabeth A. Merski
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Since the scholastic era, the pursuit of God has occurred preeminently through reason, leading to an imbalanced theology of God that persists to the present day in the form of intellect-centered theology. As a resolution, this work proposes that the mobilization of private, mystical revelation as a source of legitimized theological knowledge of God has the potential to close the existent epistemological gap between reason/belief and theology/spirituality, demonstrating the integral unity between authentic knowledge of God and the receiver’s personal acceptance of God in faith. After examining the required methodological components for the discipline of theology and identifying criteria for …
The Church And Nature’S Cathedral: Catholics, Protestants, And The Yosemite Chapel,
2026
Texas Tech University
The Church And Nature’S Cathedral: Catholics, Protestants, And The Yosemite Chapel, Adam Hogan
Eastern Sierra History Journal
John Muir saw nature and national parks as religious symbols themselves. Since Muir’s day, generations of Americans have worshipped in the outdoor sanctuaries. However, while much scholarly attention has focused on national parks as symbols or religious icons, scholars have paid far less attention to the actual church services that have taken place in America’s national parks. Yet, a church in a national park presents many complications, and Adam Hogan explores these dilemmas through a history of the controversies surrounding who could pray in the Yosemite Chapel.
Cultural Humility, Reformation Of Power Structures, And Cultural Competence As Seeds And Fruits Of Interculturality,
2026
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Cultural Humility, Reformation Of Power Structures, And Cultural Competence As Seeds And Fruits Of Interculturality, Doug Herbek
Obsculta
This piece examines how interculturality both promotes and is fostered by cultural humility, reformation of power structures, and development of cultural competence. As we pursue interculturality, we incarnate the Gospel. In the process, local church leadership becomes inclusive and integrative, worship becomes more heartfelt, and community and unity are fostered as we celebrate our differences.
See-Judge-Act In The Age Of Viral Violence: Moral Agency, Praxis, And Social Media,
2026
Duquesne University
See-Judge-Act In The Age Of Viral Violence: Moral Agency, Praxis, And Social Media, Thomas Elias
Graduate Student Research Symposium
More and more, young adults are encountering war and violence through an unrelenting stream of social media images and videos: bombed apartment blocks, civilians fleeing airstrikes, and acts of political violence. Psychological research links exposure to unfiltered depictions of war with heightened trauma symptoms. In the age of social media, people undergo the moral processes online in response to war, terror, and injustice. While these platforms amplify global awareness, they also strain the capacities of moral agents to see clearly, judge responsibly, and act meaningfully. Drawing on Catholic social thought, digital ethics, and psychological research, this project explores how viral …
Women’S Peace Agency: Reading Africae Munus In The Framework Of Emilie Townes’ Womanist Ethics And The Cultural Production Of Evil,
2026
Duquesne University
Women’S Peace Agency: Reading Africae Munus In The Framework Of Emilie Townes’ Womanist Ethics And The Cultural Production Of Evil, Leonard N. Zifac
Graduate Student Research Symposium
This paper employs Emilie M. Townes's womanist ethical framework—particularly her concept of the "cultural production of evil"—to critically examine Pope Benedict XVI's post-synodal exhortation Africae Munus (2011) and its treatment of African women's agency in peacebuilding. While Africae Munus calls the Church in Africa to serve reconciliation, justice, and peace, and acknowledges women's dignity and contributions to family and community life, the document largely confines women's roles to maternal, supportive, and domestic spheres without adequately challenging the patriarchal structures that systematically marginalize women from strategic leadership and formal peace processes. Drawing on Townes's analysis of how cultural narratives, religious discourse, …
The Pope, American Politics, And The Battle For Tolkien’S Soul In The Twenty-First Century,
2026
Fairfield University
The Pope, American Politics, And The Battle For Tolkien’S Soul In The Twenty-First Century, Kelsey A. Fuller-Shafer
Journal of Tolkien Research
This essay considers the contemporary ramifications of the use of Tolkien’s works and personhood in the political and cultural dialogues of the United States. Tolkien’s fiction was recently cited by Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States, in his encyclical letter in May of 2026 reacting to artificial intelligence, in the same era that tech billionaires are selecting names for their AI companies from Tolkien’s legendarium. These actors find themselves not just in a dispute about ethical usage of AI, but also as commentators on and subjects to the growing political divide in the United States, and …
Judaism And Catholicism: Possibilities Of An Inter-Spiritual Dialogue,
2026
College of the Holy Cross
Judaism And Catholicism: Possibilities Of An Inter-Spiritual Dialogue, David Neuhaus
Journal of Global Catholicism
This article examines the possibilities of an inter-spiritual dialogue between Catholics and Jews. Describing the transformation of the Catholic attitude to Jews andJudaism in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, moving from a teaching of contempt to one of respect, it analyses the far-reaching reformulations of Catholic theology that promote an interreligious dialogue. After centuries of traumatic history, Jewish reactions have been hesitant. However, the past decades have led to a burgeoning relationship that can indeed flower into a mutual inter-spiritual dialogue that deepens the faith of both Catholics and Jews.
Jainism And Catholicism – Dialoguing Spiritually,
2026
Pontifical Gregorian University
Jainism And Catholicism – Dialoguing Spiritually, Bryan Lobo
Journal of Global Catholicism
The inter-spiritual dialogue between Jainism and Catholicism lends itself towards discovering similarities and dissimilarities between the two spiritualities. Recognizing this discovery, this paper, without claiming to be exhaustive as regards the spiritual themes, discusses the chosen themes to facilitate greater reflection and potential to re-discover elements that can help the growth of understanding and practicing the preferred spirituality.
Islam And Catholicism: Theology And Practice Of Inter-Spiritual Dialogue,
2026
Institute of Catholic Theology of Humboldt University in Berlin
Islam And Catholicism: Theology And Practice Of Inter-Spiritual Dialogue, Felix Koerner
Journal of Global Catholicism
This article explores foundations, preconditions, aims, persons, groups, practices, methods, texts, and criteria of Muslim–Christian inter-spiritual dialogue. In-ter-spiritual dialogue thrives within the network of other dialogical forms: dialogue of life and collaboration, of theological and practical understanding. This article argues that the spiritual dimension of dialogical encounter may itself constitute a critical site of moral reflection, enabling participants to perceive injustice more clearly and to respond to it more responsibly. Nevertheless, the integrity of in-ter-spiritual dialogue depends upon the cultivation of trust, candor, and a shared orientation toward mutual enrichment and spiritual purification. Where dialogue is subordinated to extrinsic strategic …
The Dialogue Of Spiritual Experience In Buddhist-Christian Encounter,
2026
Yale University
The Dialogue Of Spiritual Experience In Buddhist-Christian Encounter, S Mark Heim
Journal of Global Catholicism
Can one learn more about one’s own religion through the practices of another? My positive answer to this question is illustrated in this paper by reflection on aspects of the Buddhist practice of emptiness, in specific connection with Christian under-standing of our lives as creatures. The Buddhist meditative practices I have in mind have several things in common. They are introspective (activated in one person’s inner consciousness) and premised on the Buddhist understanding of emptiness (specifically “no self ” teachings). Buddhist introspective practice takes at least three broad forms. One of these is a meditative analytical awareness of the contents …
