Dear Alumni and Friends,

As I finish my first year as chair, I am reminded of what a wonderful community the Religious Studies Department at SCU is. I have known that throughout my 21 years here, but as chair, I find that I rely on that community and collegiality more than ever—from the over 30 faculty teaching in the department to our students (with a special shout-out for majors and minors), to the support of Vicky, our department manager, and her team of student workers.

Looking forward, this is an exciting time of growth for our department. We have three transfer students arriving as RS majors in the fall, as well as incoming first-year RS majors. Within the faculty, Dr. Karen Peterson-Iyer received tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor. Next year we will be welcoming Dr. Chris Tirres, of DePaul University, as a Visiting Professor of LatinX theology. I am also happy to report that the Provost has approved two tenure-track searches for the upcoming year, one in South Asian Religions and the other in Theological Ethics. We will be keeping busy in the best possible way.

With the end of the academic year we also say some farewells. In late May we held our Religious Studies Department Reception in the Adobe Lodge. It was the first gathering there in four years because of the pandemic. It was good to revive that tradition. We congratulated our graduating majors and minors and presented the departmental awards. See below for more details on the reception and award winners.

At the end of this year we also bid farewell to Senior Lecturer Dr. Margaret McLean, who has taught at SCU for 34 years. We wish her the best in retirement and are grateful that she has agreed to return and teach a class for us on occasion.

Finally, this spring has been marked by significant losses to our department. In the course of two weeks in March, we lost two beloved faculty members: Professor Emeritus Dr. Denise Carmody and Dr. Teresia Hinga, Associate Professor of African Religions. We feel their loss acutely around Kenna Hall. We offered remembrances of them at the RS Reception, along with Professors Fran Smith, S.J. and Paul Crowley, S.J., who passed away during the pandemic. We are grateful for their immense contributions to our department and we celebrate them as they join the great cloud of witnesses.

And so I close as I began—I am grateful for the wonderful community of the Religious Studies Department at SCU as we navigate the joys and sorrows that are rhythms of our life and work together. Wherever this finds you, I hope that is true for you as extended members of this community.

Jim Bennett
Chair, Religious Studies Department

Annual Religious Studies Reception

For the first time since 2019, Religious Studies majors, minors, faculty and staff gathered together at the Adobe Lodge for the RS Reception, our big event of the year. Everybody enjoyed having the opportunity to see each other and celebrate the achievements of RS graduating students and honor society inductees.

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In Memoriam:  Denise Carmody

Prof. Pearl Barros offered words of remembrance at the Religious Studies Department reception.

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In Memoriam: Teresia Hinga

Remembering her life as a pioneering African Christianity feminist.

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A Career Well Spent

On the brink of retirement, Margaret R. McLean reflects on her 34 years at SCU.

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Freeing Jesus: What is Religious about the Abolition of Prisons?

Prof. Bryson White presented this RS Conversation in February 2023.

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Reproductive Justice and Labor Migrants: The Case of Farmworkers

Om May 3, Karen Peterson-Iyer spoke about the Catholic Church redirecting itself from a narrow focus on abortion per se to the more holistic lens provided by reproductive justice, in order to promote flourishing and liberation for these migrant women farmworkers.

Nuclear Weapons and Prophetic Protest

On May 23, the Religious Studies Department co-sponsored, with the Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries, a viewing and discussion of the documentary, "The Nuns, the Priests, and the Bombs."

Blair Imani

The RS Department was a co-sponsor of the SCU Queer and Qualified (QQ) event featuring author, historian, and activist Blair Imani on April 12.

Jaime Wright

Received a new grant and is conducting research with undergraduate Hydeia Wysinger '25.

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Haruka Umetsu Cho

Panelist at Yale Divinity School and coordinating an event for the SCU Center for the Arts and Humanities.

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Gene Schlesinger

Published two new articles, one on the Eucharist and the second on Bernard Lonergan.

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Karen Peterson-Iyer has been granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor!

Emily Pachoud '23

Religious Studies Minor was featured in The Santa Clara student newspaper, 5/5/23 edition, in an article discussing the Climate Crisis. As a tUrn intern, she shared her sense of passion and urgency for climate activism.

Liam McBride '24

Religious Studies Minor participated in this year’s Ethics Bowl team which placed 4th in the country at the national finals held in March 2023. That in itself is a major accomplishment, made more so by the fact that the team only had three weeks to prepare.

We would love to hear from you! If you have any news or memories to share (tell us your best RS story!), would like to update us about your current life and work, or have any ideas for RS programs and initiatives, please email religionteam@gmail.com.

You might include a story or photo of a recent event, or just let us know about your current location, career, or thoughts. Thank you!