Lectures at Holy Cross to Focus on Crisis in the Catholic Church

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at the College of the Holy Cross is sponsoring two lectures concerning the crisis in the Catholic Church. The talks, part of the series "Beyond Brokenness: Healing, Renewal and the Church," are free and open to the public.

The first of the talks is the annual Bishop Bernard J. Flanagan Lecture on Religion and Public Affairs, taking place Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library. Judge Anne Burke, of the Illinois Appellate Court, First District and former Interim Chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People, will speak on "Lay Catholics and the Future of the American Church."

Throughout her career in public service as a children’s advocate and legal professional, Burke has endeavored to provide a voice to society’s most fragile citizens. For more than two years serving as Interim Chair, she directed the efforts of the National Review Board of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops investigating the causes and effects of the clergy abuse scandal and helped establish guidelines and policies for effectively responding to this issue.

The Bishop Flanagan Lecture series was started in 1991 in an effort to build a relationship between the Diocese of Worcester and Holy Cross on social justice and peace issues. It is named in honor of the late Bishop of Worcester, a member of the Holy Cross Class of 1928, who was known for his lifelong dedication to peace, social justice and ecumenism. Each year the Bishop Flanagan Lecture brings scholars, pastoral leaders or leaders of important apostolic movements to Holy Cross. Their presence stimulates discussion of important problems facing the American Church and provides an opportunity for dialogue and collaboration between the local churches and the College.

Janine Geske, Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of the Marquette University Law School and former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice, will give a talk titled "Restorative Justice: A Model for Response to Clergy Abuse" on Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library.

At Marquette Law, Geske spearheads the Restorative Justice Initiative which "serves as a resource for victims, communities, and restorative justice organizations, as a restorative justice clinical experience for law students, and as a program promoting scholarship, research and dialogue on restorative justice," according to the Marquette Law School Web site.

Requiring offenders to take responsibility for their actions, Restorative Justice is a worldwide movement committed to supporting communities and victims in the healing process. Geske will discuss the aims and values of Restorative Justice, and will specifically talk about how this could serve as a model for healing in many instances of clergy abuse.