The McFarland Center is committed to furthering the study of the diversity and context-specificity of Catholic practice today, in a Church whose greatest vitality is increasingly found in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The Center promotes Global Catholicism scholarship both on campus, through faculty research and events, and in the public eye, through open-access resources like the Journal of Global Catholicism and Catholics and Cultures.
The 2025–2026 academic year was one of growth, collaboration, and intellectual engagement for the McFarland Center. Through public programming, faculty initiatives, digital scholarship, classroom partnerships, and research support, the Center strengthened its role as a catalyst for interdisciplinary scholarship and ethical inquiry while extending its impact across campus and beyond.
The Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at Holy Cross derives its mission from the College’s conviction that "the search for meaning and value is at the heart of the intellectual life." The McFarland Center ensures that exploration of the complex interrelationships among religion, ethics and culture plays a vital role in the life of the Holy Cross community. It provides a forum for intellectual exchange and multidisciplinary inquiry that respects people of all faiths, cultures and nationalities while working to enhance awareness of injustice and the conditions that foster human wellbeing.
The McFarland Center's primary public space is the Rehm Library, an elegant and modern venue for lectures, forums and information sessions with state-of-the-art audio-visual capabilities. Located in Smith Hall, it also provides quiet space for study and reflection, enhanced library resources on religion and spirituality and primary texts on an array of religious traditions.
