Bishop Flanagan Lecture at Holy Cross to Focus on Role of Catholic Colleges in a Civil Society

WORCESTER, Mass. – The annual Bishop Bernard J. Flanagan Lecture on Religion and Public Affairs will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Mary Brabeck, professor and dean of the Lynch School of Education at Boston College will deliver this year's lecture, titled "Radical Hope for Hard Times: The Role of the Catholic University in a Civil Society."

A professor of counseling and developmental psychology and a licensed psychologist, Brabeck has published more than 70 book chapters, essays, books and journal articles and has received numerous grants, awards and honors. She edited Practicing Feminist Ethics, published in 2000 by the American Psychological Association. Brabeck's research interests include ethical sensitivity and the moral self, professional ethics, and intellectual and ethical development.

A member of the Boston College faculty since 1980, she has also taught at Salve Regina College and Brown University. Earlier in her career she was a member of the Teacher Corps and taught at the high school level in an urban school.

The Bishop Flanagan Lecture series was started in 1991 in an effort to build a relationship between the Diocese of Worcester and Holy Cross on social justice and peace issues. It is named in honor of the late Bishop of Worcester, a member of the Holy Cross Class of 1928, who was known for his lifelong dedication to peace, social justice and ecumenism. Each year the Bishop Flanagan Lecture brings scholars, pastoral leaders or leaders of important apostolic movements to Holy Cross. Their presence stimulates discussion of important problems facing the American Church and provides an opportunity for dialogue and collaboration between the local churches and the College.