Steve Vineberg Receives Monsignor Murray Professorship Recognizing Outstanding Achievements

WORCESTER, Mass. – Steve Vineberg, of Worcester, has received the inaugural Monsignor Edward G. Murray Professorship in the Arts and Humanities at the College of the Holy Cross.

The Monsignor Murray Professorship recognizes the outstanding achievements and contributions of a current member of the Holy Cross faculty. Holders of the Monsignor Murray Professorship will be appointed for a term of three years (with the possibility of a one-year extension should circumstances warrant it). It is awarded to a member of the Holy Cross faculty who teaches in the arts or humanities.

A professor of theatre at Holy Cross and author of the recently published High Comedy in American Movies (Rowman and Littlefield Publishers), Vineberg reviews films and theatre regularly for The Boston Phoenix, The Threepenny Review and The Christian Century. He has also been published in The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Oxford American, Film Quarterly, American Film, and Modern Review, among others. He has served as the on-air movie critic for National Public Radio’s "Fresh Air" series. His earlier books, No Surprises Please: Movies in the Reagan Decade (Schirmer Books, 1993) and Method Actors: Three Generations of an American Acting Style (Schirmer Books, 1991) established him as a keen commentator and recognized authority. A member of the Holy Cross faculty since 1985, Vineberg teaches classes in theatre history, film, American drama and political theatre.

Vineberg has directed a number of productions at Holy Cross, including Chekhov’s The Three Sisters and The Sea Gull; Tennessee Williams’ The Eccentricities of a Nightingale and The Night of the Iguana; John Guare’s Marco Polo Sings a Solo, The House of Blue Leaves, and Lydie Breeze; Christopher Durang’s The Marriage of Bette and Boo; and Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera.

"From the time of his arrival, Vineberg has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching and a remarkable dedication as a citizen of the College," said Stephen C. Ainlay, vice president of academic affairs and dean of the College. "While known for their rigor, his courses continue to draw large numbers of students. He has served on the College’s most demanding committees, including three terms on the Committee on Tenure and Promotion. He has also contributed generously to the surrounding community, including regular participation in the Humanities Scholars Collaborative sponsored by the Worcester Public Schools."

The professorship was established in memory of Rev. Monsignor Edward G. Murray. Monsignor Murray graduated magna cum laude from Holy Cross in 1925. Twenty-five years after his graduation, he was also awarded an honorary degree by the College. Monsignor Murray entered St. John’s Seminary to study for the priesthood and, in 1927, was assigned to study at the North American College in Rome. Four years later he received a doctorate in Sacred Theology. He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome’s Basilica of St. John Lateran in 1930. Monsignor Murray built bridges between Boston’s religious communities. He was credited with playing a key behind-the-scenes role at the Second Vatican Council, reaching out to Protestants, Jews, and other religious traditions in hopes of achieving greater interfaith understanding. He was Visitor General to religious communities of the Archdiocese of Boston, a longtime Diocesan Consultor, and Parish Priest of Sacred Heart in Roslindale. He was named Parish Priest of St. Paul’s, Cambridge (1971-74), serving simultaneously as Catholic Chaplain at the Harvard-Radcliffe Student Center. For many years he was the Vicar for Ecumenical Affairs in the Archdiocese. Monsignor Murray was a true friend of the arts. He served the Boston community as president of the board of trustees of the Boston Public Library and a trustee of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.