University To Inaugurate First Chair In Catholic Studies

FAIRFIELD — Paul F. Lakeland, PhD, professor of religious studies at Fairfield University, will be inaugurated as the first Aloysius P. Kelley, SJ Professor of Catholic Studies in a March 2 ceremony in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on the Fairfield University campus.

Father Kelley, the former president of Fairfield for whom the new chair is named, will be on hand for the 7:30 pm ceremony and reception immediately following. The public is invited.

As part of the ceremony, Dr Lakeland will offer remarks entitled, “In Praise of Folly.” He is the author of several books and a highly respected teacher and scholar whose expertise is frequently sought on subjects such as the laity, the papacy, postmodernism, and the church and politics.

In addition, George Dennis O’Brien, PhD, president emeritus of Rochester University and a prominent leader in higher education and author of The Idea of a Catholic University, will speak on “The Quest for the Apostle Paul.” The university will bestow on Dr O’Brien an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

The establishment of a Chair in Catholic Studies at Fairfield was announced last May during a tribute ceremony for Father Kelley, honoring his 25 years as president of the university.

In determining the first holder of the new position, the university sought a teacher and scholar with a national reputation. Dr Lakeland has been called upon to speak at academic and religious conferences across the country and is quoted in national and international media, including The New York Times, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Economist, Liberation (France), Catholic New Times (Canada) and CNBC, among others. He recently returned from giving the keynote address for a three-day workshop presented by the School of Theology at Seattle University.

The author of several books, Dr Lakeland was awarded the first place 2004 Catholic Press Award in theology, for his groundbreaking book, The Liberation of the Laity: In Search of an Accountable Church. Dr Lakeland has also authored some 35 scholarly articles.

Dr Lakeland played a key role in developing the present Fairfield University honors program and chaired the recent efforts to bring new direction and definition to the university core curriculum. He was Fairfield’s representative on the Rhodes Consultation, funded by the Lilly Endowment, that explored questions of mission and identity with faculty.