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Arrupe Program in Social Ethics
for Business has been endowed and charged with developing
an ethics for business based on the actual experience of business executives
in light of the decision-making process of St. Ignatius Loyola and the social
methodology of Bernard Lonergan, S.J., and others. This empirically-based
ethics is targeted to an audience of corporate executives and consultants as
well as business school professors and students.
Catholic
Higher Education: The goals of this project are
extending the mission of Catholicism to include
catholicity, making the Catholic university a home for all
faiths, and encouraging the efforts of the faculty to move in
the direction of a greater whole than their specialized
academic departments. Directed by John Haughey, S.J.
Catholicism and Civic Renewal:
What role can Catholicism play in the process of American
civic renewal? This is the topic of a new extended study that seeks
to combine historical, constitutional, and political analysis with
systematic theological reflection. Through a series of seminars,
conferences, discussion groups, and books, the process of how faith
shapes efforts to renew society will be studied. Funded by a grant
from the Henry Luce Foundation. Directed by John
Farina.
Global Economy and Cultures: The objective of this
project is to develop tools to empower the poor to exercise
control on how globalization affects their lives within the
context of their own culture. Inspired by documents of the
34th Jesuit General Congregation, its methodology is based on
the Ignatian method of discernment. The raw materials are
narratives contributed by sixty participating Jesuit social
centers. These narratives document the lives of specific
individuals and their communities as they were touched by
economic globalization of the 1990's. The project stresses the
ethical responsibility of all development actors and envisions
communities and social centers entering into partnerships with
other development agents such as government, business, and
NGOs. Directed by Gasper F.
Lo Biondo, S.J., and Rita
M. Rodriguez.
International Visiting Fellows:
This program brings scholars from outside
the United States, preferably from the Third World, to Woodstock
for fellowships of up to nine months to do postdoctoral research
in a field consistent with Woodstock's mission. Visiting fellows
for 2004-2005 are from India, Italy, U.K., and the Philippines.
Interreligious
Dialogue on Education:
In 2004, a core group of eight people, representing five religions
and eight educational institutions, began a dialogue. Its
endeavor is to study and compare the educational programs,
practices, motives, and methods of the world's major religions
over the centuries, in order to develop recommendations for
the improvement of education today, both public and private.
Directed by John Borelli
and P. Michael Timpane.
Preaching
the Just Word: These retreat/workshops help priests and other ministers
refresh their knowledge of Scripture and Catholic social teaching,
enabling them to preach the "Just Word of God" more effectively.
To date, over 5,000 preachers have participated in 105 retreat/workshops
across the United States, Australia, Canada, and Jamaica. Preaching
the Just Word is preparing materials for use in personal study,
and is working to initiate a Spanish-speaking program. Directed
by Rev.
Raymond B. Kemp.
Public Education: Woodstock presents public events on
topics of social and political importance. Recent events
include forums on "The Challenge of Peace" Twenty
Years Later and International Faith-Based Initiatives. Other
events include a symposium on "Catholic Positions on War
and Peace," a December concert and conference celebrating
the confluence of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim cultures,
"Music and Mysticism in Renaissance Spain," evenings
of conversation with leading thinkers, and public lectures.
The Woodstock
Report, with a circulation of about 10,000, highlights
events and Center news. With thousands of "hits" a
month, the Woodstock website carries the center's message
worldwide.
Religion and Public Policy explores
the values that guide policymakers, lobbyists, and government officials in
their daily decision-making. In recent years, the project has interviewed
lobbyists, brought them together, and guided them through a reflective process
to develop ethical guidelines for the practice of their profession that are
grounded in their own lived experiences. The resulting book on
The Ethics of Lobbying:
Organized Interests, Political Power, and the Common Good is now being
implemented through outreach to Congressional staff and students interning in
the lobbying industry. Click here
to read a transcript of the Woodstock Forum following the book's publication.
Theology in the City: A core group of theologians and urban practitioners
from government, education, and ministry has been reflecting together on how best to
discern and express the presence of the living God in urban environments. Inspired
by the spirit of St. Ignatius "to find God in all things," the group is engaged
in an ecumenical theological phenomenology of the city. Pilot interviews with selected
urban stakeholders are planned and those narratives will form the basis for the first book
in a series that eventually will include articles, videos, educational forms, and additional
books, all designed to offer hope and imagination to urban leaders and ministers.
Coordinated by Woodstock fellows Rev. Raymond Kemp and Dolores Leckey.
Woodstock Business Conference
Woodstock Theological Center Library:
This 130-year old library has a premier
Catholic theological collection of over 170,000 volumes and subscribes
to 750 periodicals. Its collection of 17,500 rare theological titles
is one of the most outstanding in the United States. A major effort
to convert the card catalog to electronic format in order to share
this information with scholars online is well underway. J.
Leon Hooper, S.J., Director.
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