Vanderhaar Memorial Symposium

April 10, 2008 • 7:00pm
Canale Arena, Christian Brothers University, Memphis
 Featured Speaker • Rev. Bryan Massingale, S.T.D
"Martin Luther King and the Practice of a Peace Making Faith."

 Rev. Bryan Massingale is a Catholic Moral Theologian with a focus on liberation theologies, African American religious ethics and racial justice. Recent work applies Catholic social thought to the issues of affirmative action, racial reconciliation, terrorism and the challenge of peacemaking.

 

Rev. Massingale Keynote Speaker for Vanderhaar Symposium on April 10 at CBU

 The Third Annual Vanderhaar Symposium will focus on the relevance of Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy in the twenty-first century. Rev. Bryan Massingale, S.T.D. will speak at the Dr. Gerard A. Vanderhaar Symposium,  Thursday, April 10, from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. in the Canale Arena on the Christian Brothers University (CBU) campus. A Catholic moral theologian who focuses on liberation theologies, Massingale will present  "Dr. Martin Luther King’s Vision and Practice: His Legacy, Present Struggles and Future Hopes."

"It is all too easy to keep Dr. King safely memorialized and merely recall his accomplishments," Rev. Massingale recently explained. "I want to retrieve the faith that inspired his passion for justice and nonviolence, and then show how that passion can shed new light on the contemporary justice challenges we face. I want to end on a note of hope, as that is something sorely needed to sustain our struggle for justice in the face of formidable obstacles."

In his talk, Massingale said, he will go beyond King’s focus on peacemaking and include his advocacy concerning racism and poverty, issues that also undermine social peace.

Also that evening, a Mid-South university student will be recognized with the Dr. Gerard A. Vanderhaar Student Peace Award. This annual award is given to a student who best exemplifies the spirit and practice of nonviolence consistent with Dr. Vanderhaar’s life and work. The recipient will make a presentation of his/her work prior to the lecture.

An Associate Professor at Marquette University, Rev. Massingale is a prolific writer who has authored over thirty articles, book chapters, and book reviews.  These have been published in journals such as Theological Studies, New Theology Review, Philosophy and Theology, Origins, U.S. Catholic, and Catholic Peace Voice. Recent work applies Catholic social thought to the issues of affirmative action, racial reconciliation, terrorism and the challenge of peacemaking.  He has also authored an award-winning column for the Catholic Press examining contemporary social issues from a faith perspective. 

The Vanderhaar Symposium was founded in honor of Dr. Gerard A. Vanderhaar, a professor of religion for 28 years at CBU, who spent his lifetime promoting peace and active nonviolence. Each year, the Symposium invites a noted scholar and/or activist to the CBU campus to address a social and moral issue related to peace and justice and/or Catholic social teaching.

The Symposium is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a reception. Parking is available in the CBU Central Avenue lot at no cost. For more information, contact Elisa Marus at 901-321-4417, or visit www.gvanderhaar.org.

about Vanderhaar Symposium
     The Vanderhaar Symposium was established in March 2006 in memory of Dr. Gerry Vanderhaar, who taught religion at CBU for 28 years.  He died June 2005. Symposium organizers seek to continue Vanderhaar’s legacy by bringing a noted scholar and/or activist to the campus to address social and moral issues related to peace and justice and/or Catholic social teaching.
       Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of Detroit, a long-time peace and social justice activist, launched the annual series as its first speaker. Also, during the symposium, a university student from the Mid-South area will be chosen as the first recipient of the Dr. Gerard A. Vanderhaar Award. This award is presented to a student who best exemplifies the spirit and practice of active nonviolence, consistent with Vanderhaar’s life and work.
    For twenty-eight years, Gerard A. Vanderhaar was a professor of religion at Christian Brothers University.   During his tenure, Vanderhaar was instrumental in starting the Peace Studies Minor program; was involved in bringing the Gandhi Institute to CBU; and brought speakers and peace and justice events to the campus.  A prolific writer, Vanderhaar authored six books and numerous articles including "Beyond Violence: In the Spirit of the Nonviolent Christ", the 1998 winner of the Pope Paul VI Book Award. Published posthumously,

 his book, Personal Nonviolence: A Practical Spirituality for Peacemakers is available through Pax Christi USA.

     In recognition of his and his wife’s work in promoting active nonviolence, Dr. and Mrs. Vanderhaar were co-recipients of the Dozier Award for Peace and Justices at CBU in 2003. Locally, Vanderhaar was a founder of and served on the Board of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center.  At the national and international level, he played a key role in the founding of Pax Christi, USA, which emerged as part of an international Catholic Peace Movement following World War II.  He twice chaired the National Council of Pax Christi USA and served as the first editor of the Pax Christi newsletter.