Bryan Hehir Views

Books

J. Bryan Hehir is the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Religion and Public Life. He is also the Secretary for Social Services and the President of Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Boston. His research and writing focus on ethics and foreign policy and the role of religion in world politics and in American society. He served on the faculty of Georgetown University (1984 to 1992) and the Harvard Divinity School (1993 to 2001). His writings include: The Moral Measurement of War: A Tradition of Continuity and Change; Military Intervention and National Sovereignty; Catholicism and Democracy; and Social Values and Public Policy: A Contribution from a Religious Tradition.

During this Centennial Celebration and Convening, international and national Catholic leaders, like Josef Paul Cardinal Cordes of Cor Unum, and national policy makers, like Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin, affirmed and continued to challenge Catholic Charities to be the attorney for the poor in our work of providing help and creating hope. Catholic Charities USA also published several resources celebrating this anniversary. Fr. Larry Snyder published a book, Think and Act Anew reflecting on 21st century solutions for 21st century poverty; Fr. J. Bryan Hehir edited a book 100 Years at the Intersection of Charity and Justice engaging practitioners, historians and theologians in a reflection on how Catholic Charities impacted the practice of social work and welfare policy. A commemorative book, Catholic Charities USA: A Century of Service, Advocacy, and Convening highlights national and local service. Visit www.catholiccharitiesusa.org for more details.

With all that we see on the nightly news and now the internet, there could be a temptation to throw our hands up in the air and give up. CRS and social action leaders are there leading the way, ensuring that we move forward with hope. In the words of Fr. Bryan Hehir, “Solidarity is the conviction that we are born into a fabric of relationships, that our humanity ties us to others, that the gospel consecrates those ties and that the prophets tell us that those ties are the test by which our very holiness will be judged.” I believe this is the challenge to all believers.

J. Bryan Hehir, a Catholic priest and leading thinker on ethics and foreign policy, will deliver the annual Drell Lecture on Tuesday, Dec. 6, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Oak Lounge at Tresidder Union. Sponsored by the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), the talk is titled The Politics and Ethics of Nonproliferation. The event is free and open to the public.