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God and the Rain

Twice at least I was in Madras (Chennai), south India, in the spring and summer, before the rains came. As was too often the case, the rains were delayed, and water supplies were dwindling. Water was being rationed; people who could afford it purchased smaller and larger quantities from private companies that brought in water from afar. The poor and even many in the middle class lined up with buckets, waiting for a city water truck to come by, to dole out a day’s supply. I lived both times in a Jesuit house, and we had our own water tank on the roof. But we were urged to save water –...

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Sacred: in the World, in the Heart

More than 50 years ago, very early in my years as a Jesuit, I attended a conference on the international mission of the Society of Jesus. The keynote speaker, Fr Horatio de la Costa, SJ echoed a sentiment attributed to Jerónimo Nadal early in the Society’s history when he told the gathered Jesuits, “We must have hearts as large as the world.” The words ignited a new fire in me. Unexpectedly, they prompted me on a course that just two years later would find me in Kathmandu, Nepal, embarking on my first...

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HDS Interview: as I became president of the Catholic Theological Society of America

I was elected Vice President of the Catholic Theological Society of America in 2019, and then, after being VP and then President-Elect, on June 12 I became President, an office I will hold until June 2023.

Mike Naughton, Senior Media Relations Coordinator at Harvard Divinity School, recently interviewed me about the position, its opportunities and challenges - you can read the interview here:...

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