Boston College theologian to speak about compassion

Author and theologian M. Shawn Copeland will deliver the Koch Chair in Catholic Thought and Culture lecture at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, in room 204, Gorecki Center, College of Saint Benedict.

Her lecture, entitled "Compassion Matters," is free and open to the public. It will explore compassion as a disposition, a virtue, a way of being and a way of acting, and will consider the contribution compassion makes to creating the common good.

Copeland is the author of "Enfleshing Freedom: Body, Race and Being," which was published by Fortress Press in 2010.

"Being human is neither abstract nor hypothetical. It is concrete, visceral and embodied in the everyday experience and relationships that determine who we are," Fortress Press wrote in describing the book. "In that case, argues distinguished theologian Shawn Copeland, we have much to learn from the embodied experience of black women who, for centuries, have borne in their bodies the identities and pathologies of those in power."

A professor in the theology department at Boston College, she has previously taught at Marquette University (1994-2003) and Yale University Divinity School (1989-94). She also taught systematic theology in the degree program at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies, Xavier University, from 1994-2005.

Her research interests converge around issues of theological and philosophical anthropology and political theology, as well as African and African-derived religious and cultural experience and African-American intellectual history.

The first 25 students who respond to an invitation will be invited to discuss her presentation from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27, at Teresa Reception Center, Main Building, CSB.

In addition to the keynote address, Copeland will be in residence from Sept. 25-27 at CSB.

As part of her residency, Copeland will hold a book discussion luncheon with faculty and staff from CSB and Saint John's University from noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 26 at Teresa Reception Center, Main Building, CSB. Faculty and staff who attend the discussion will receive a copy of "Enfleshing Freedom."

To attend the luncheon, please RSVP to Judy Shank.

The Koch Chair in Catholic Thought and Culture at the College of Saint Benedict was established in 2002 with a gift from former CSB Board of Trustees member Barbara "Babs" Gray Koch and her husband, David Koch of Wayzata, Minnesota.

The intention of the Koch Chair is to provide opportunities for faculty, staff and students at CSB and SJU, and the general public, to gain an enriched understanding of the heritage of Catholic thought that has shaped not only the faith tradition of CSB and SJU but also the pursuit of knowledge across disciplines.

Copeland's appearance is co-sponsored by the departments of theology, gender studies, peace studies, sociology and philosophy at CSB/SJU; the Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary; the Black Student Association; the Men's Development Institute; the Intercultural Directions Council; and the Sister Nancy Hynes Institute for Women's Leadership.