theology professor dr. michael duggan invited to speak at austrian university
Dr. Michael Duggan at a St. Mary's Speakers Series event in 2010. His lectures on Vatican II packed classrooms and parish halls in 2011.
(January 3, 2012) -- St. Mary’s University College Theology Professor Dr. Michael Duggan will speak at a conference on religion and society at Austria’s University of Linz in March.
His paper, Public Speech about God in America, explores how discourse about God influences national identity and government policy in the United States.
“God-talk in the American public square continues to exhibit Christian perspectives, but it is broadening to reflect the interests of Judaism, Islam, and the religious traditions of the East,” Dr. Duggan said.
This topic marks a turn in the road for Dr. Duggan, whose academic focus until now has been biblical scholarship and theology.
“I am entering a new field of research about how theology and religious traditions influence politics. Of course, in the world of the Bible and the ancient Near East, religion is politics.”
The topic is relevant to Dr. Duggan’s appointment as the inaugural CWL Chair for Catholic Studies in 2010. The endowed Chair was established at St. Mary’s by the Catholic Women’s League to stimulate research and teaching in contemporary Catholic theology.
With his academic roots in biblical scholarship, Dr. Duggan is committed to the research and practice of Catholic theology with a strong focus on social justice in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. His lectures on Vatican II packed classrooms at St. Mary’s University College in 2011 and continue to draw a large contingent at a local parish in 2012.
With the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council coming up in October, he is planning even more opportunities for academics and students to explore the future of the Church in the tradition of this historic council.
Interreligious conversation is another dimension of the Council that is central to Dr. Duggan’s work.
“St. Mary’s is ideally suited to be a meeting place where practitioners of the great religious traditions can gather to learn from each other’s practices,” he said.
“Together we can enhance cross-cultural understanding and community building in Calgary. People of all traditions—and no particular tradition—can collaborate to weave a social fabric informed by wisdom that is both ancient and contemporary.”
Dr. Duggan is working with his colleagues to submit a proposal to the Government of Alberta for a new four-year Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Catholic Studies at St. Mary’s.
“Students may choose to focus on one of three streams in the program: Catholicism and culture, the intellectual tradition of Catholicism, or Catholic social teaching,” Dr. Duggan said.
“This is not a degree in theology since St. Mary’s is not a seminary or a theological institute. This will be a degree in the humanities—students will be immersed in the study of history, literature, philosophy and the arts, with grounding in the social sciences and the natural sciences.”
Dr. Duggan said the new degree, one of only four programs in Canada, may eventually attract students from across the country.
“Our students flourish in small classes, where there is an opportunity to talk to the professors and benefit from personal coaching,” he said. “They acquire the art of scholarly conversation and debate while learning to write papers even in introductory classes.
“St. Mary’s is a wonderful place where we all learn together.”
After studying at Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute and Pontifical Gregorian University, Dr. Duggan earned his PhD in Biblical Studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He began teaching at St. Mary’s University College in 1998. His most recent book is The Consuming Fire: A Christian Guide to the Old Testament (Huntington Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor Publications, 2010). Read more about Dr. Duggan's credentials.