Catholic Historian to Lecture on "The Jesuits and Modernity" at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – Catholic theologian Rev. Joseph Komonchak, S.J., a professor in the department of religion and religious education at The Catholic University of America, will deliver a lecture, titled "The Jesuits and Modernity: The Case of John Courtney Murray," on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 4 p.m. in the Rehm Library at Holy Cross. The lecture, which is part of the Deitchman Family Lectures on Religion and Modernity series, is free and open to the public.

The editor of The New Dictionary of Theology and a projected five-volume history of Vatican II (the first two volumes of which have already been published), Fr. Komonchak has earned the distinction of being the foremost interpreter of the Second Vatican Council in the English-speaking world. Currently, he is working on a book manuscript that explores John Courtney Murray's theory on church and state.

Born in New York City, Fr. Komonchak earned his Ph.D. in theology from Gregorian University in Rome. He has served as the religion editor of the Jesuit magazine America, and as editor of the journal Theological Studies. He is a well-known advocate for ecumenism and freedom of religion, and was influential in the stand on religious liberty adopted at the Second Vatican Council.

Deitchman Family Lectures on Religion and Modernity are sponsored by the College's Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture.