From the Director...

A Different Kind of "Woodstock" (and "Berkley")

The names "Berkley" and "Woodstock" might conjure up images of the counter culture of the 1960s. But at Georgetown University this past semester, Berkley-Woodstock was shorthand for a fresh collaboration between the Woodstock Theological Center and Georgetown's newly established Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. That's Berkley with one less "e" than the city made famous by student demonstrations almost four decades ago.

This association of "Berkley" and "Woodstock" produced a series of nine public lectures by three visiting Jesuits, one from India and two from Africa, addressing questions of war, peace, and religious faith. One could ask without too much impertinence: Do we really need more university lectures at a time of bloodletting on many fronts in Africa and the return of religious hatred in India, to cite just two examples?

Is this something like fiddling as Rome burns?

I say "no." As you will see in the articles in this edition of the Woodstock Report, these three "S.J.'s" - Vincent Sekhar, Eugene Goussikindey, and Ferdinand Muhigirwa - are working far beyond the realm of pure theory in responding to the pain and struggles of their homelands. For example, this issue features a piece about the compelling thoughts and creative actions of Father Sekhar, a leader in efforts to build a culture of dialogue and cooperation among India's religious communities, which are clashing increasingly in what is officially a secular, democratic nation. Just in the three months that Father Sekhar was with us this past semester, there were several major religious incidents in India, the latest of which reportedly took the lives of 35 people.

Collaboration with those who are seeking to build links between faith and the pursuit of peace, justice, and forgiveness, is a distinct part of Woodstock's outreach. And it is the motivation behind this Jesuit fellowship project and other joint efforts underway with the Berkley Center, which is exploring the intersection of religion and contemporary global challenges under the direction of Dr. Thomas Banchoff, a professor in both Georgetown's Government Department and the prestigious Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.

In the case of the Berkley-Woodstock lectureships (funded by the Georgetown Jesuit Community), we at Woodstock were able to lend support and solidarity to Jesuits who are on the front lines of struggles for peace and reconciliation, providing them with a public forum in Washington and facilitating their contacts with scholars, policymakers, and others in this nation's capital. The visiting Jesuits even took the time to meet with students in several classes, including a graduate course in public policy taken by Woodstock's own Matt Hummer, who coordinated this fellowship program. Matt told me his fellow students found it refreshing to hear from scholars who are going beyond the theories to explain complex cultural realities like the patterns of work, community, and family life in their regions.

Perhaps the counter-cultural images conjured up by the names "Woodstock" and "Berkley" are not so inappropriate in this context. Woodstock collaborators like Fathers Sekhar, Goussikindey, and Muhigirwa are countering cultures of violence and resentment, but in a spirit of truth and dialogue, drawing on the deepest values of our faith as Catholic Christians and our living intellectual tradition.

As summer approaches and another fiscal year closes at the end of June, I ask again for your support, especially if you have not yet had a chance to send your annual gift. With your help, the Woodstock Theological Center has been flourishing as we engage in theological and ethical reflection on topics of social, economic, and political importance. Our research and our seminars have yielded much fruit. We are holding thought-provoking Woodstock conversations, like the ones you can read about in this Report, and we are producing books and articles in support of our mission.

We do not ask for a subscription fee, and want to continue to keep the issues of the Woodstock Report coming to you. Please consider a gift to defray the costs of this publication and to help us continue to carry out our work. Thanking you in advance, I wish you a pleasant summer!

Gasper F. Lo Biondo, S.J.
Director