College of the Holy Cross | Holy Cross Magazine

Shea takes over directorship of the Center from David O’Brien, who has rejoined the history department faculty. O’Brien describes Shea as “a first-class intellectual, an experienced academic, a serious Catholic and a leader in religious studies.

“He will provide the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture with wise leadership; he will draw the community further into ecumenical and interfaith dialogue; and he will bring to the College a strong, affirmative voice for its ongoing effort to encourage the engagement of faith and learning,” says O’Brien.

Shea has been a member of the faculty in the department of theological studies at St. Louis University for the past 12 years, chairing the department for half of that time. Prior to teaching at St. Louis University, he held faculty positions at Catholic University and the University of South Florida. He also served as a visiting faculty member at a number of other institutions as well as a resident fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center at the Smithsonian. Additionally, he is the past president of the College Theology Society.

Shea earned his Ph.D. in the philosophy of religion from Columbia University. His areas of specialization include contemporary religious thought, philosophical theology, the history of American religion, American religious thought and American philosophy of religion. An active scholar, he has published numerous articles spanning these areas of specialization, and he has written and edited four books: The Naturalists and the Supernatural: A Study in Horizon and an American Philosophy of Religion; The Struggle Over the Past: Fundamentalism in the Modern World; Knowledge and Belief in America: Enlightenment Traditions and Modern Religious Thought (with Peter Huff); and Trying Times: Essays on Catholic Higher Education in the 20th Century (with Daniel Van Slyke). His newest book, which will be published by Oxford University Press, is titled The Lion and the Lamb: Evangelicals and Catholics in America.

Stephen C. Ainlay, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, says the Holy Cross community is “very fortunate that Bill Shea has agreed to lead the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture.” According to Ainlay, “[Shea] is a well-established scholar who brings a wealth of experience to the position. He has an intellectual curiosity that is contagious, and he understands the Center’s mission. Like his predecessor, David O’Brien, Bill believes the Center can make a real difference. I know that he is committed to facilitating campus, regional and national conversations on topics of great importance. I look forward to working with him.”

Originally from the Bronx, N.Y., Shea has spent the past 25 years living and working in Tampa, Fla., and St. Louis, Mo. Despite the distance, he is no stranger to Holy Cross. Shea’s connection with the College dates back over 40 years, when his younger brother Timothy Shea ’61 was a student here. Co-captain of the basketball team while he was a student, Tim is a Holy Cross Athletic Hall of Famer.

Holy Cross also plays a major role in the life of Shea’s wife, Helene A. Lutz, who is a visiting assistant professor of Christian ethics in the religious studies department, and in the life of his son Nathanael, who is a member of the class of 2004. Shea’s son Christopher is a first-year student at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania.

“We all think Holy Cross is an outstanding educational community, and we are proud, as well as happy to be here,” says Shea.

In regard to his new role at the College, he observes, “The administration has invented (and a lot of generous supporters have underwritten) a unique instrument to further the College’s mission in Catholic and Jesuit ecumenical education. I am thrilled to be part of that mission.

“David O’Brien has directed the Center with both creativity and sensitivity,” Shea continues, “and I am honored to take his place, thereby giving him the chance to devote his time to teaching and writing once again. I am also happy to be joining a team of wonderful colleagues on the Center’s Faculty Advisory Committee and to work every day with people of the caliber of Tom Landy and Beth Johns. A dream that I didn’t even have has come true. Now that’s something ...”

Established in 2001, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. In addition to serving the Holy Cross community, the Center reaches out to the larger Worcester community and aims to work with other liberal arts colleges to examine the role of faith commitment and value inquiry in education and in the larger culture.