"Shaping American Catholicism"
an exploration of major themes
in the life and work of
David J. O'Brien
Loyola Professor of Roman Catholic Studies
College of the Holy Cross
April 13-14, 2007

David O'Brien is Professor of History and Loyola Professor of Roman Catholic Studies at the College of the Holy Cross.
He received his undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame and with the help of a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship he earned a Ph.D. in American history from the University of Rochester. After five years at Loyola College in Montreal he came to Holy Cross in 1969.
He has written extensively on U.S. Catholic history, on Catholic social and political thought and on Catholic higher education. His major publications include: American Catholics and Social Reform: The New Deal Years (Oxford, 1968); The Renewal of American Catholicism (Oxford, 1972); Renewing the Earth: Catholic Documents on Peace, Justice and Liberation (co-editor, Doubleday, 1977); Faith and Friendship: Catholicism in the Diocese of Syracuse, 1886-1986 (Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, 1987); From the Heart of the American Catholic Church (Orbis, 1994), Public Catholicism (Macmillan, 1988); Isaac Hecker (Paulist,1992).
O'Brien has served as President of the American Catholic Historical Association and has been awarded six honorary degrees. In 1992 he received the Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Distinguished Service to Catholic Higher Education from the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. In 1976 he served on the staff of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops preparing for the landmark Call to Action Conference. Over the years he has served on many boards of Catholic organizations and publications, while his commentaries on politics, war and church affairs have appeared in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, the Boston Globe, Newsday and the National Catholic Reporter. He and his wife Joanne have four children and four grandchildren and live in Jefferson, Massachusetts. 

Friday April 13

3:00 PM - Gathering and Refreshments
Moran Lounge (Fourth floor of Smith Hall)

3:30 PM - "David O’Brien and the Grand Narratives of American and Catholic History"
Rehm Library

• John McGreevy, Professor of History, University of Notre Dame; William Portier, Mary Ann Spearin Chair in Catholic Theology, University of Dayton; Leslie Woodcock Tentler, Professor and Chair of History, Catholic University of America;
• Chair: Jay Dolan, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Notre Dame

5:45 PM - Reception Hogan Suite A
6:30 PM - Dinner Hogan Suites B & C
7:45 PM - Presentation and Address

• Presentation by Christopher Kauffman, Catholic Daughters of the Americas Professor of American Catholic History, Catholic University of America, and editor, U.S. Catholic Historian.
• Address by John Carr, Secretary, Department of Social Development and World Peace, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Saturday April 14

9:00 AM - Directions for a Next Generation in American Catholic History
Rehm Library

• "'The Wageless Work of Paradise': Integrating Women into Historical Narratives" - Kathleen Sprows Cummings, Associate Director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, University of Notre Dame."
• Engaging Difference" - James T. Fisher, Professor and Co-Director, The Curran Center for American Catholic Studies, Fordham University.
• Paula Kane, Associate Professor and Marous Chair of Catholic Studies, University of Pittsburgh.
• "Quo Vadis?: Some Ideas for a Post-Conciliar Generation of Scholars" - James McCartin, Assistant Professor of History and Associate Director, Center for Catholic Studies, Seton Hall University.

11:15 AM - Dave O’Brien’s Contributions to the Holy Cross Community
Rehm Library
Members of the History Department discuss Dave's emphasis on the study of history, on intellectual engagement, and on social activism at Holy Cross.

12:30 PM - Lunch Hogan 401

2:00 PM - Panel: Public Catholicism: Peace, Politics, and Social Ministry

• Margaret O'Brien Steinfels, founding co-director of the Fordham University Center on Religion and Culture.
• Gerald Powers, Director of Policy Studies, The Joan B. Kroc Center for International Peace Studies.
• Claire Schaeffer-Duffy, Saints Francis & Therese Catholic Worker House, and freelance reporter for the National Catholic Reporter.
• Chair: Susan Crawford Sullivan, Assistant Professor of Sociology and an Edward Bennett Williams Fellow, College of the Holy Cross.

4:30 PM Eucharist in Saint Joseph Memorial Chapel

Registration

The conference itself is free of charge to all who wish to attend. The cost for Friday evening's reception and dinner, and Saturday's lunch is $45.

To register for the meals, please send a check for $45 and indicate your name and institutional affiliation as you would like to appear on your name tag. Mail this information to:
Pat Hinchliffe
Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture
College of the Holy Cross
One College St
Worcester, MA 01610

Housing for participants is available at a reduced rate of $94 (plus tax) per night for king or double rooms at the Crowne Plaza Worcester. Rooms may be reserved by calling 800-628-4240. You must indicate that you are booking for the "Shaping American Catholicism" conference. This special rate is available only for room reservations made before March 23. Bus transportation will be provided between the College and the Crown Plaza.

Co-sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture of the College of the Holy Cross, and by the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, University of Notre Dame.