February 24, 2021
Deaf people have created vibrant communities around the world, including active faith communities that contribute to a globally diverse Church. How do Deaf Catholics use language, community and culture to experience the faith?
Lana Portolano, author of the newly published "Be Opened: The Catholic Church and Deaf Culture" (CUA Press, 2020) and Professor of English at Towson University, Maryland, joins College of the Holy Cross Deaf Studies Professor Stephanie Clark, an expert on Deaf culture, and Rev. Joseph Bruce, S.J., Archivist with the Deaf Catholic Archives at Holy Cross and the first Deaf Jesuit priest, for a discussion at the intersection of Catholic life and Deaf culture. Thomas M. Landy, Director of the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at Holy Cross, moderates.
ASL and voice interpretation will be provided. The event is part of the McFarland Center's initiative on Catholics & Cultures, understanding the religious lives and practices of contemporary Catholics around the world.