About the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture

The Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture sponsors and supports programming that explores basic human questions of meaning, morality and mutual obligation. Following the principle that faith and learning are partners in liberal education, the McFarland Center's programs foster dialogue that respects differences and provide a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious as well as interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope. Most events are free and open to the public.

Lectures and Programs

Each semester, the McFarland Center plans and co-sponsors lectures and conferences that address current issues and meet the timely needs of faculty and students. In addition, events are planned to fulfill ongoing funded programs. Click on the Calendar to view upcoming and past programs. Many lectures are recorded for podcast and available here.

Alumni/ae Colloquia
These events invite alumni/ae back to College Hill for a daylong exploration of Holy Cross' Jesuit mission and role in the Church.

Deitchman Family Lectures on Religion and Modernity
This series explores the place of religious and spiritual life in a world that is sometimes at odds with faith, other times in search of it, and always at work reshaping it.

International Visiting Jesuit Fellowship
This program is designed to give Jesuits from many different countries the time and resources to pursue scholarship, to collaborate with American scholars, and to build a better sense of the Jesuit global community. International Visiting Jesuit Scholars will offer one course per semester and may present a public lecture and/or faculty seminar in their disciplinary area.

Kraft-Hiatt Program for Jewish-Christian Understanding
The Kraft-Hiatt Program for Jewish-Christian Understanding supports campus and community-wide educational initiatives that foster understanding of Judaism and Jewish culture, and dialogue between Jews and Christians. The McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture administers the program, including scholarships for students and faculty to study in Israel as well as regularly scheduled on-campus lectures.

"Last" Lecture Series
This series, formerly funded by the Lilly Vocation Discernment Initiative, offers students and faculty an opportunity to learn more about why some of their favorite professors find the work they do meaningful and worthwhile. The pretext of the lecture is that the speaker is about to retire and has been asked to sum up in a final lecture to students what has made his or her work worthwhile.

Presidential Colloquia on Jesuits and the Liberal Arts
This series, presented by the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture and the Office of the President, focuses on important historical moments in Jesuit history and pedagogy. Faculty and staff may join in discussion following the lecture on the impact these events have for Jesuit education today.

Thomas More Lectures on Faith, Work and Civic Life
Thomas More Lectures honor graduates of Holy Cross by them to speak about their own profession, vocation, and the ethical opportunities and challenges faced there.

Co-Sponsored Programs
The McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture also partners with faculty and academic departments to support programming that enhances classroom learning and faculty professional development.