Theologian and author Dr. Gary Macy to speak on 'The Hidden History of Women and the 21st Century"

Release Date: 04/02/09

Theologian and author Dr. Gary Macy will speak on "The Hidden History of Women and the 21st Century" at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 23, in Somers Lounge on The College of St. Scholastica campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.

"In the first half of Christian history women played a much more important role in the governance and liturgical life of the Church," says Macy. "My talk will present the surprising results of recent research on early women in the Church and what this might mean for women in the Church today."

Macy is the John Nobili, S.J., Professor of Theology at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA.

He has published numerous books and articles on the theology and history of the Eucharist and on women's ordination. His most recent book, "The Ordination of Women in Early Medieval Europe" appeared from Oxford University Press in 2007.

From 2005-2006, Macy was awarded the Senior Luce Fellowship at the National Humanities Center in North Carolina. From 1991-1992, he was Heroditus Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ.

He earned his doctoral degree in Divinity from Cambridge University. He received both his bachelor's and his master's degrees from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, where he specialized in historical and sacramental theology.

His talk is part of the "Here Comes Everybody" lecture series sponsored by the Braegelman Catholic Studies Program at St. Scholastica.

Final lecture in this series:

"Feminine Genius and the Paradox of Feminism"
7 p.m., Tuesday, April 28
Burns Wellness Commons auditorium, St. Scholastica

Sister Edith Bogue is an associate professor of sociology and associate director of the Honors Program at St. Scholastica. She writes and speaks on issues such as the death penalty, the consistent ethic of life, the environment, and the bonds of family life.

The Braegelman Catholic Studies Program at St. Scholastica explores the Catholic intellectual tradition with students and the larger community. "Here Comes Everybody" takes its name from author James Joyce, who offered the phrase in his definition of Catholicism.

For more information contact The Rev. William Graham at (218) 723-6699.