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Holy Cross Magazine, Vol. 60 No. 3, Fall 2026, College Of The Holy Cross

Holy Cross Magazine

Fellowship of the Spring
The mission of Holy Cross’ storied Spring Break Immersion Program? It’s not service.
Story by Abby Riviello
Photography by Avanell Chang

St. Ignatius Wouldn’t Care If You Went to the Gym
“Cura personalis” is widely used — and also widely misunderstood. What does the Latin term really mean in Jesuit life?
Reflection by Rev. Keith Maczkiewicz, S.J.
Illustration by Eva Vázquez

We Are Not Alone
William H. “Bill” Diamond Jr. ’78, president and CEO of the SETI Institute, says the truth is out there, but it’s likely not what you think.
Story by Marybeth Reilly-McGreen ’89 …

The Lived Liturgical Experience Of Non-Catholic Participants In The Roman Catholic Mass: Tactical Ecumenism In Overlapping Ritual Systems, Sarah Kathleen Johnson

Journal of Global Catholicism

In religiously diverse social contexts, liturgical practices anchored in one reli-

gious tradition often gather diverse communities. In such contexts, it is wise to

assume that people who are not Catholic may be present at any Roman Cath-

olic Mass. This article explores the lived liturgical experience of non-Catholic

Christians who participate routinely in the Roman Catholic Mass through a

mixed-methods study of a religiously diverse treble vocal ensemble that sings

weekly at Mass on a Catholic university campus. It describes how Catholic and

non-Catholic Christian singers interpret practices surrounding the eucharistic

meal in contrasting ways: non-Catholic Christians experience the …

Negotiating Plurality: Korean Catholic Funerals As Lived Religion, Jieun Han

Journal of Global Catholicism

This article examines Korean Catholic funeral rites through the lenses of ritual

guidebooks and lived religion, arguing that Catholic funerary practice in Korea

has emerged through sustained engagement with Confucian and Buddhist tradi-

tions as well as modern nationalism. Focusing on Catholic manuals such as the

Sangjang yesik [Rites for Mourning and Funerals] and related texts, it traces how

officially sanctioned liturgical forms coexist with, accommodate, and reinterpret

indigenous ritual logics surrounding mourning, burial, ancestor veneration, and

care for the dead. Rather than viewing Korean Catholic funerals as a simple

localization of Roman rites, the article conceptualizes them as a …

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.

Overview And Acknowledgments, Mathew Schmalz

Journal of Global Catholicism

An overview and introduction to the present issue on Inter-Spiritual Dialogue.

Degrees Of Access: The Role Of Family Education In Applying To Graduate School, Emma Tweed

Math and Computer Science Honors Theses

Access to graduate education in the United States remains heavily stratified by structural, financial, and informational barriers. While undergraduate first-generation student outcomes are widely studied, fewer structural analyses examine how graduate-level “educational inheritance” shapes prospective applicants' navigational capital, particularly within competitive STEM fields like mathematics. Drawing upon theories of social capital and the “hidden curriculum,” this study investigates the relationship between an individual's knowledge of the graduate school application process and the highest level of education attained by an immediate family member.

Using the Knowledge-GAP survey instrument funded by the National Science Foundation, data were collected from a diverse sample …

Educational Formation In A Fragmented Modern Age, Ana Lucía Fernández Del Castillo

College Honors Program

Mental health issues such as depression and anxiety are on the rise. No wonder considering all the issues that world faces today, from rising authoritarianism to a loneliness epidemic. 

This thesis studies how Catholic higher education, specifically the Jesuit theory of education, St. John Henry Newman's theory of education, and St. Edith Stein's theory of education, can prepare students for such a world. It looks at educational as formational and with a purpose beyond simply acquiring the necessary skills for a job.

Ancestral Rites And Tablets As A Site Of Contestation Between Confucian Filial Piety And Catholicism: The Cases Of Chinese Confucian Yan Mo And Korean Catholic Yun Ji-Chung, Mideum Hong

Journal of Global Catholicism

This essay examines how the Confucian practice of filial piety, particularly as expressed through ancestral rites and tablets, became a focal point of contention in the encounters between Confucianism and Catholicism. Focusing on the cases of the Chinese Catholic Yan Mo and the Korean Catholic martyr Yun Ji-chung, I argue that the different historical and cultural contexts in China and Korea significantly shaped how each figure understood and responded to the practice of ancestral rites. While Catholicism spread globally, local converts developed distinct theological interpretations rooted in their respective cultural traditions. Although Yan Mo and Yun Ji-chung reached divergent conclusions …

Overview & Acknowledgments, Mathew Schmalz

Journal of Global Catholicism

This Introduction overviews the work of contributors from the Graduate Symposium sponsored by the Journal of Global Catholicism and the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture.  The Introduction also highlights the independent peer reviewed submission from Dr. Agnieszka Laddach of the University of Warsaw.

Holy Cross Magazine, Vol. 59, No. 3, Fall 2025, College Of The Holy Cross

Holy Cross Magazine

Frank Kartheiser ’72 is Comfortable With Your Discomfort
The community organizer and co-founder of the Mustard Seed soup kitchen and food pantry has been feeding the poor and clothing the hungry of Worcester for more than 50 years. His greatest dream is that it closes, yet the need continues to grow.
Story by Marybeth Reilly-McGreen ’89
Photography by Caroline Axvig

The Catholic Church’s Best Kept Secret
Rooted in Scripture and the Church's understanding of human dignity, Catholic Social Teaching helps people live out their faith in the world.
Story by Marybeth Reilly-McGreen ’89
Photography by Michael Ivins

Working to Get …

Rituals In The Rubble: Early Christian Meeting Spaces And Worship Practices, Katie Harkness

Religious Studies Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Recovering The Lost Art Of Medicine: A Role For Ignatian Spirituality, Cecilia Motherway

College Honors Program

Throughout history, medicine or healing has been deeply associated with religion and spirituality, from the ancient Greek healing god Asclepius to the medieval monastic medical tradition and beyond. This lies in their common cause: addressing the vulnerability of our human existence. Humanity has long recognized that our suffering and death raise existential questions concerning our mortality that may require perspectives greater than biology and rationality can provide. However, at the turn of the 20th century, as medical technology rapidly advanced, raising the average global life expectancy by decades, the medical field removed all non-scientific, non-secular influences to position itself as …

2025 Academic Conference Program

Holy Cross Undergraduate Academic Conference

No abstract provided.

Editor's Introduction, Mathew Schmalz

Journal of Global Catholicism

No abstract provided.

Holy Cross Magazine, Vol. 58, No. 3, Fall 2024, College Of The Holy Cross

Holy Cross Magazine

How Holy Cross Is Creating a Community That’s Not Afraid To Speak Up
It’s a hard time to talk about tough topics, yet that’s exactly what the College wants its students to do.
Story by Marybeth Reilly-McGreen ’89

How Maia Lee-Chin Went From Fenwick Scholar to Bestselling Author
The classic major’s new book, “Et Cetera: An Illustrated Guide to Latin Phrases,” highlights shared human experience — even over several millennia.
Story by Marybeth Reilly-McGreen ’89

Rust Spots, Broken Radio and a Door That Doesn’t Open: Inside the True Value of a Family Van
Reflection by Ronan Flanagan ’28

Amplifying the …

2024 Proceedings Of The 30th Annual Summer Research Symposium, College Of The Holy Cross

Summer Research Program

Welcome to the 2024 Dr. Charles S. Weiss Summer Research Symposium. This esteemed event, now in its 30th year, serves as a platform for faculty and students from various disciplines at Holy Cross to showcase their accomplishments from the summer of 2024. It is also an opportunity for students to gain insight into the wide range of research possibilities both on and off campus and engage in discussions with faculty about conducting research in the upcoming academic year and summer.

The symposium and program are named after Charles "Chick" Weiss, a venerated professor and scholar who joined the psychology faculty …

2024-2025 Catalog, College Of The Holy Cross

Course Catalogs

This catalog lists available courses for the 2024-2025 academic year. The College Catalog is a document of record issued in September 2022. The Catalog contains current information regarding the College calendar, admissions, degree requirements, fees, regulations and course offerings. It is not intended to be, and should not be relied upon, as a statement of the College’s contractual undertakings.

Trends And Shifts: Migration, Reverse Missions, And African Catholic Priests In Iowa City, Usa, Kefas Lamak

Journal of Global Catholicism

This study uses ethnographic research to examine the work and self-conception of African-trained priests in a city in the American state of Iowa. This phenomenon is part of a broader trend and shift as African-trained priests take up positions as pastors and missionaries throughout Europe and America. The article argues that the movement of African priests to the West in recent years should be understood as “reverse mission” because of its similarities to Western missionary activity in third world countries in earlier historical periods. This study mainly focuses on Iowa City, where the researcher interviewed five African priests serving in …

Demystifying Mysticism, Matthew Alexander Rae

Religious Studies Student Scholarship

The title of my 2024 Academic Conference student presentation is “Demystifying Mysticism.” My work is based on my “Christian Mysticism” tutorial with Fr. John Gavin, S.J., in the Religious Studies Department. I studied Carmelite Mysticism in the Roman Catholic Christian tradition, and how it can be applied to the prayer life of every Catholic. The Carmelites are a Contemplative order of religious sisters and brothers who live lives devoted to active prayer to God, following the Blessed Virgin as the model of faith. My thesis is that the Carmelite tradition provides vocabulary and images in order to share the inexpressible, …

Editor's Introduction, Marc R. Loustau Ph.D.

Journal of Global Catholicism

Introduction by Managing Editor Marc Roscoe Loustau to Towards an Economic Anthropology of Catholicism in the Age of Pope Francis

Interviews In Global Catholic Studies: Matthew Eggemeier And Peter Fritz, Mathew N. Schmalz, Matthew Eggemeier, Peter Joseph Fritz

Journal of Global Catholicism

No abstract provided.

Interviews In Global Catholic Studies: Mary Dunn, Mathew N. Schmalz, Mary Dunn

Journal of Global Catholicism

No abstract provided.

The Double Bond Of Catholic Abolition: Christianity, Chattel Slavery, And Racial Capitalism, Elayne Oliphant

Journal of Global Catholicism

The reign of the first Pope to originate in the former colonies of the modern Euro-Christian empires calls us into awareness of the layers of interconnection between the Roman Catholic Church and the long “wake” (Sharpe 2016) of 1492. As anthropologists, I argue, our studies of Catholic practices must be informed by a detailed awareness of this history. I offer a broad historical view of how the Roman Catholic Church participated and, at times, led the way in initiating the trans-Atlantic system of Black chattel slavery and colonial expropriation in Euro-Christian Empires. As a scholar of Catholicism in France, I …

Holy Cross Magazine, Vol. 58, No. 1, Winter 2024, College Of The Holy Cross

Holy Cross Magazine

It Scares Us To Death — And We Love It

Why are we fascinated with things we should fear, and why at Holy Cross is a dusty storage space home to the campus’ most persistent (and unsubstantiated) legend?
Feature by Marybeth Reilly-McGreen ’89

I’ve Jumped in a Lake More Than 1,200 Days in a Row. Here’s What I’ve Learned.
Essay by Dan O’Conor ’90

Suppose We All Presupposed?
How St. Ignatius’ instruction issued 500 years ago could improve your daily life.
Essay by Michele Murray

Tell Us a Story, Jonathan Kruk
For 35 years, storyteller Jonathan Kruk ’77 has been …

Interviews In Global Catholicism: Dr. Petra Kuivala, Petra Kuivala

Journal of Global Catholicism

Interview with Dr. Petra Kuivala, University of Eastern Finland

Interviews In Global Catholic Studies: Dr. Judith Hahn, Mathew Schmalz

Journal of Global Catholicism

Interview with Judith Chair of Canon Law at the University of Bonn.

The Theology Of The Liturgical Seasons In The Syro-Malabar Church, Ann Mary Madavanakadu Cmc

Journal of Global Catholicism

This paper focuses on the theology of the liturgical seasons in the Syro-Malabar Church. The liturgical year with its liturgical cycles and seasons, is more than just a mere structural framework for the prayer life of the Church. It is a true locus of rich theology. The liturgical year is defined as the yearly plan of spiritual life by the Church, for her children, arranged in different seasons or periods to celebrate the mysteries of Christ in life together with feasts, fasts, and abstinence in order to make Christian life a successful pilgrimage to heaven for attaining salvation. This article …

Palliyogam: A Vibrant Legacy Of The Syro-Malabar Archiepiscopal Church, Dery Davis

Journal of Global Catholicism

This article explores the historic inheritance of the Palliyogam of the sui iuris Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Church, focusing on its role in maintaining synodality in ecclesial life. Palliyogam, a parish assembly, has been the cornerstone of ecclesial communion among Malabar Christians for centuries. As Pope Francis inaugurates the three-year synod on synodality, this study examines how Palliyogam aligns with this synodal vision. The article delves into both the ancient form of Palliyogam and its present-day manifestation, shedding light on their theology and role in governance and decision-making within the Syro-Malabar tradition. The article emphasizes that synodality is already inherent …

Editor's Introduction, Mathew Schmalz

Journal of Global Catholicism

Introduction by Founding Editor, Mathew N. Schmalz to Graduate Symposium II.

2023 Proceedings Of The 29th Annual Summer Research Symposium, College Of The Holy Cross

Summer Research Program

The 2023 Dr. Charles S. Weiss Summer Research Symposium, now in its 29th year, the symposium is a college-wide event that brings together faculty and students from all disciplines at Holy Cross and provides an opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments over the summer of 2023. It also affords an occasion for students to witness the breadth of research possibilities both on and off campus, and to open a dialogue with members of the faculty about conducting research during the upcoming academic year and summer. This program lists participating students, the faculty with whom they worked, abstracts and funding sources of …