The Saint Mary’s Center for Spirituality recently announced that Christine Firer Hinze will speak at the 29th annual Madeleva Lecture, which will occur April 24 in Carroll Auditorium. According to a press release from director of media relations Gwen O’Brien, Hinze is a professor of theology and director of the Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies at Fordham University. This lecture will address gender issues in relation to Catholic social thought. The lecture, titled “Glass Ceilings and Dirt Floors: Women, Work, Catholic Social Teaching and the Global Economy,” is meant to build on statistics regarding women’s market and household work in order to argue that 21st-century economies must pursue sustainable sufficiency for every household and the “world house,” O’Brien said. Hinze’s interests focus on issues in Christian social ethics that emphasize work, justice, women and families, O’Brien said. Hinze earned her master’s degree in theology from the Catholic University of America and a doctorate in Christian social ethics from the University of Chicago. The press release stated that Hinze is the author of the books “Comprehending Power in Christian Social Ethics” and “Radical Sufficiency: The Legacy and Future of the Catholic Living Wage Agenda.” Her numerous scholarly essays have also appeared in books and journals including “Theological Studies,” “The Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics,” “The Journal of Catholic Social Thought” and “Studies in Christian Ethics.” Director of the Center for Spirituality Elizabeth Groppe said she is pleased Hinze accepted the invitation to speak at Saint Mary’s. “Professor Firer Hinze’s work in the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching gives special attention to the experience of women and families,” Groppe said. “Her lecture will bring this experience and the wisdom of the tradition to bear on the challenging economic realities of our time.” Junior Amanda Gilbert said she is looking forward to the lecture, though she has not attended the Madeleva Lecture Series in the past. “I think professor Firer Hinze will be a moving speaker with many interesting points about Catholic social thought, which is a topic that really doesn’t get discussed outside of religious studies courses here,” Gilbert said. “It’s always a great opportunity for students to hear such an accomplished woman speak at Saint Mary’s, and I think there will be a great take-away for our entire community.” The Madeleva Lecture Series is well-known both nationally and internationally. Some of the most influential female scholars of the past 25 years have visited as Madeleva lecturers, O’Brien said. The Madeleva Lecture Series is named after the legendary Sr. Madeleva Wolff, president of Saint Mary’s College from 1934 to 1961, the press release stated. The series wishes to carry forth her inspiration as visionary, educator and woman of deep spiritual conviction.
