Kevin Ahern, a public theologian and professor at Manhattan University, will present “Dorothy Day and the Quest for Holiness and Justice” at Mount Saint Mary College on Wednesday, November 13 at 3:30 p.m.
The free, public event will take place in the Mount’s Kaplan Family Library and Learning Center, room 218.
The talk is the inaugural event in a new series, the Saint Martin De Porres Lecture on Social Justice. It’s being sponsored by the Catholic and Dominican Institute (CDI) and the Division of Humanities.
Journalist and pacifist Dorothy Day (1897 – 1980) was not afraid to put her words into action, even if that meant arrest for nonviolent civil disobedience. Day is currently being considered for sainthood in the Catholic Church. As Pope Francis noted in his 2015 address to Congress, Day offers a unique role model for Americans seeking to work for a more just and peaceful world. This talk will explore her quest for justice and what it might mean for us today.
Ahern is a public theologian and professor at Manhattan University, where he directs the Dorothy Day Center for the Study and Promotion of Social Catholicism. He is the author and editor of several books and served as president of the International Movement of Catholic Students and MIIC-Pax Romana, a global network of Catholic professionals (2016-2021). Ahern works on the boards of several organizations, including the Conference of Mercy Higher Education and the Mariandale Retreat Center. He presently chairs the Guild for the Canonization of Dorothy Day. He lives with his wife Beth and three small children in Ossining, N.Y.
The Mount’s CDI promotes the Mount’s heritage of St. Dominic, advances the Dominican charism of study and service, provides a forum for discussion of contemporary ethical issues, and enhances Catholic and Jewish dialogue.