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Emily Klein, ’09 is a Berry Scholar who has served as President of the UD St. Vincent de Paul club and as an intern at the Fitz Center where she worked on the Rivers Institute initiative.

Tyler Blue, ’08 and Bart Bergfeld, ‘09 combine their work as RS majors with their work as student athletes.

Karen Ross, ’08 received the Msgr. Dean J. McFarland Religious Studies award and the Marianist Heritage Award and Scholarship. She has also undertaken Lay Marianist formation during her time at UD and will join our M.A. program this fall.

Katie May, ’09 completed an honors thesis titled “If You Believe It, It Will Cure You”: Indigenous Traditions of Catholic Immigrants from the Mountains in 21st Century Trujillo, Peru.”

Kenny Mosher (General Studies), ‘08 produced a film called “Paths of Prayer” as part of coursework for his Christian Traditions of Prayer class during the fall semester. His film will be available on the YouTube website soon.

Ashley E. Theuring, ‘08, completed an honors thesis comparing the roles of women in Catholicism and Sufism.

Colleen Fitzsimmons, ’10 applied for and was accepted into the summer Erasmus Institute Program on Catholic Intellectual Traditions.

Christine Terzuoli, ’10 embarks on experiential catechetical training this summer as she teaches religious education in a Dayton parish.

Current MA RS Student

Jackie Anclien, BA ENG/CRSE Minor ’07, is currently finishing her second semester as a graduate student in UD's Theological Studies Program. Having taken only enough classes to achieve a minor during her undergraduate, she has “thoroughly enjoyed studying theology full-time."

Alumni RS Students

Emily Strand, MA ‘04, Adjunct Instructor and full-time Campus Minister for Liturgies has been busy with a few new endeavors, including writing for the Canadian liturgy journal Celebrate! , serving on the Cincinnati Archdiocese's Music Ministry Committee, and volunteering as a music minister and catechist at Lebanon Correctional Institute, where she coordinated the music for Easter Sunday and the baptisms of 10 inmates by Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk. For Strand, the most exciting part of prison ministry is inviting UD's undergraduate music ministers along, introducing them to “the remarkable group of men who participate in the Catholic worship, and helping the students process the experience.”

Lora Robinson BA in CRSE ’05 and MA ’07, has been enjoying her students, the “smart and funny gentlemen who almost always use their powers for good,” as she teaches religion at St. Xavier all boys high school in Cincinnati, OH. She writes: “I am overjoyed to announce my engagement to Mike Pateras (Computer Science '05)! He proposed on the steps of Holy Angels Church Feb. 23, 2008 and we plan to be married there May 2, 2009. I miss everyone at UD and hope you are all doing well too!”

Maria Morrow, MA ‘08 and Ph.D Student, Jeff Morrow, Ph.D ‘07 and Adjunct, and Fr. Satish Joseph, Ph.D Student, serve on the leadership team for a young adult ministry called Ite Missae Est at Immaculate Conception Parish in Dayton. Tim Gabrielli, Ph.D Student, is also involved in the program.

Mick Mominee, MA, is working on a doctorate in Urban Educational Leadership at the University of Cincinnati, which he hopes to complete in 2010. He teaches morality and social justice at Chaminade-Julienne High School.

Allison Leigh, PAM ‘05, returned to the University of Dayton as a full time Campus Minister for Retreats and Faith Communities in August of 2007 after two years as the Director of Campus Ministry at Drake University's Newman Center in Des Moines, IA.

Current MA/ PhD RS Students

Andy Black presented “Habits of the Baptist Heart(s): Pluralism, ‘Peoplehood,’ and the Common Good.” Young Scholars in the Baptist Academy Conference, Regents’ Park College, Oxford University in July. He also presented to the Region-at-Large, National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion at UD on “Orestes Brownson, Baptists, and the ‘Mediatorial Life of Jesus.’” National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion Region-at-Large. Salve Regina University, Newport Rhode Island, May 2008 [forthcoming]. He has contracted to write five entries this summer for the Dictionary of Early American Theologians (Continuum).

Coleman Fannin published "Dorothy Day," and "Social Gospel," in The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization, ed. George T. Kurian, "Religious Liberty and the Common Good: A Baptist Engagement with the Catholic Americanist Tradition," in Faith in Public Life, ed. William J. Collinge, and "Dorothy Day's Radical Hospitality," Christian Reflection 25 (fall 2007): 37-45. He gave presentation s on the following topics: “Religious Liberty and the Dialogue of Cultures: A Call for "'Creative Minorities,'" conference on "The Dialogue of Cultures," Center for Ethics and Culture, University of Notre Dame in December, "Radical, Traditional, Dialogical: The Future of Liberation Theology," conference on "Going Global: Interfaith Journeys on the Road to Liberation in the 21st Century," Center for Jewish Studies, Baylor University in October, "Religious Liberty and the Common Good: An Engagement with the Catholic Americanist Tradition," seminar on "Baptists and the Common Good," Young Scholars in the Baptist Academy, at Oxford in July, and "Religious Liberty and the Common Good: An Engagement with the Catholic Americanist Tradition," National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion Region-at-Large, at UD in June.

Tim Furry presented in Belgium last November at the Leuven Encounters in Systematic Theology Conference on "Breaking the Cedars: Learning Repentance and Figural Exegesis from the Venerable Bede." I also had an essay accepted for publication in the Scottish Journal of Theology , "Analogous Analogies?: Thomas Aquinas and Karl Bath,” due to appear January 2010.

Derek Hatch will present "Nature and Grace: Why Baptists Need de Lubac," at the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion Region-at-Large meeting in Newport, RI, June 2008. He recently published "Autobiography as Theology: Menno Simons's 'Confession of My Enlightenment, Conversion and Calling,'" Mennonite Quarterly Review 81 (October 2007): 515-529. Hatch spoke on "'My Country, 'Tis of Thee': Baptists, Catholics, and the Influence of 'Americanism,' at the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion Region-at-Large meeting in Dayton, OH, June 2007, "Baptists and Rerum Novarum : The Common Good and Complex Space," at the Young Scholars in the Baptist Academy at Regents Park College, Oxford, UK, July 2007 and "Friendship and Difference: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Jean Vanier," at the Baylor University Symposium on Faith and Culture, October 2007.

Maria Morrow presented "Pornography and Penance," at the New Wine, New Wineskins Conference, July 2007. This should turn into a publication in the New Wine, New Wineskins edited volume on sexual ethics. She has a forthcoming article called "The Freedom of a Woman: From Breastfeeding to Pornography," in an edited volume entitled Catholic Feminists. Her new blog can be found at theologianmom.com

Austin M. Schafer published a series of articles including “Being Thankful: Living a Life of Gratitude this Thanksgiving.” Youth Ministry Access (Fall 2007). Database on-line, “Celebrate Seniors: A Prayerful Graduation Celebration.” Youth Ministry Access (Spring 2008). Database on-line, “Make a Difference Day: A National Day to Help Others.” Youth Ministry Access (Fall 2007). Database on-line., and “Pay it Forward: Can our Faith Change the World?” Youth Ministry Access (Winter 2007). Database on-line. All are available from the Center for Ministry Development, http://www.youthministryaccess.com.

Rob Schroeder’s book John Paul II and the Meaning of Suffering: Lessons from a Spiritual Master (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 196 pp.) was released March 14th.

Sharon Perkins presented “Lay Czech Fraternal Organizations in nineteenth century Texas”

Susanna Cantu Gregory presented “Nuestra Lady of America?: A Historiograpy of Guadalupanas in Texas” at the Texas Catholic Historical Society Meeting in March.

Religious Studies Student/Alumni Spotlight