Woodstock Report | Enriching Exchanges:Woodstock’s International

Joanna Wnuczynska presenting her research at a brown bag lunch

As international visiting fellow Joanna Wnuczynska reflects on the past four months she has spent at Woodstock, she finds that individually meeting the fellows and staff and getting to know each of them personally has been the key to learning and growing. Coming from Poland, she found the American culture to be a bit of a challenge at first, but felt that she learned something from its activity and dynamism.

Woodstock’s International Visiting Fellows program, now in its tenth year of existence, has welcomed thirty-seven scholars from over 20 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The scholars pursue their own research on a topic related to the mission of the Center. Some of this research has been within the disciplines of theology and philosophy, but much of it has been interdisciplinary in nature or in complementary fields, such as history, literature, economics, anthropology, education, sociology, or psychology. And while some visiting fellows have already achieved prominence in their fields, many others are younger, emerging scholars who find the experience professionally formative.

The International Visiting Fellows program was begun to share the wealth of opportunities at the Woodstock Theological Center and Georgetown University with scholars from other countries. But Woodstock has also found itself enriched by this intellectual and cultural exchange, as the visiting fellows bring the wealth of their cultures and academic traditions to Woodstock. The visiting fellows participate in the intellectual life of the Center, especially through their participation in biweekly fellows seminars that proceed in the tradition of St. Ignatius and Bernard Lonergan, S.J.

Wnuczynska said that the most meaningful aspect of these seminars was the way in which they “connected the intellect with personal experiences.” This is something that she strives to do in her research on Polish Romanticism in literature and the arts, specifically by examining literary influences on the concept of martyrdom in the writings of Pope John Paul II.

Her scholarship is deeply influenced by her hometown of Torun, which was the site of a dialogue between Protestants and Catholics during the 17th century and has a long history of peaceful coexistence of faiths.

Wnuczynska has herself been involved with several ecumenical communities in Europe, including the Taizé Community, based in France, the Monastic Ecumenical Community of Mose, Italy, and the Chemine Neuf Community in France. She found that these experiences have helped her to root religion deeply in her life, both professionally and socially.

This year Woodstock also welcomed international visiting fellow Susan Rakoczy, IHM, a Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and professor of religion and theology at the University of Kwa-zulu-natal in Hilton, South Africa. Her research at Woodstock focused on theology and the praxis of discernment and addressed the interface where discernment meets psychology and social development. An excerpt of the writings she worked on while at Woodstock, which she is preparing for publication as a book, can be found in the article, "Developing Ecological Consciousness for a Planet in Peril."

This issue also presents an article by Bishop Francisco Claver, S.J., an International Visiting Fellow during 2004 and 2005. His time as a fellow gave him the opportunity to reflect on and write about his experiences as a bishop in Bontoc- Lagawe, a remote area of the Philippines.

In 2006, Bishop Claver returned to the Woodstock Jesuit Community for a few months to work on another book, the seeds of which had been planted during his earlier fellowship. Through a collaboration between Woodstock and Georgetown University’s Office of Public Affairs, Bishop Claver held biweekly conversations with Georgetown students interested in social justice issues. The discussions focused on the political situation in the Philippines in the 1970s and 80s and the response of the bishops.

Over these decades of repression, the bishops moved from a divided stance to speaking out in a united voice against the human rights abuses. Although situated in the specific context of the Marcos regime, the process of communal discernment that the bishops undertook together offers lessons that transcend time and place. Bishop Claver discusses this process and the forthcoming book in the article, "The Phillipine Church and Human Rights."

From Philippine bishops to Polish literary scholars, Woodstock has been blessed by the presence of these visiting fellows and is deeply grateful for the exchange of cultures and traditions.