STM NEWS

December 2007

Dr. Mark L. Taylor to Direct 2008
Summer Institute for Liturgy and Worship

Dean Mark Markuly recently announced that Dr. Mark L. Taylor, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at the School of Theology and Ministry, has agreed to direct the 2008 Summer Institute for Liturgy and Worship.

Dr. Taylor has consistently demonstrated a strong interest in the liturgical and worship life of the School, and has served as an advocate for strengthening this dimension of the School's curriculum. He brings energy and keen insight to this new assignment. He will build upon the good work of Dr. GláuciaVasconcelos Wilkey, his predecessor. He looks forward to the continuing support of a talented advisory board and the host of volunteers that together have made the Summer Institute such a tremendous gift to STM.

STM’s Summer Institute is “the most prestigious event on liturgy not only in the nation but in the world,” asserts Rev. Gordon Lathrop, ThD, Professor Emeritus of Liturgy at the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia and Summer Institute faculty. Next year’s Institute will be held July 6-11, 2008

November 2007

STM Faculty Committed to Academic Excellence

Flora Wilson Bridges participated in the SU Wismer conference, "Intersections of Race and Gender: (Re) Imagining the Family." In May, she was honored at the Women of Color Empowered luncheon, “Today’s Leaders, Tomorrow’s Opportunities,” recognizing women who have made significant strides in business and the community. In August, she was selected by the Association of Theological Schools as a Woman in Leadership in Theological Education.

Sharon Callahan, associate dean for academic programs and student life, was invited to work with the Seattle Presbytery in their mission to Vietnam and traveled to HUFLIT University in Ho Chi Minh City, teaching faculty and college administrators how to move from their French based curriculum to an American/USA friendly curriculum. She also launched SALT in Vietnam, securing the printing of a complete English to Vietnamese translation, met with the Cardinal Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City to launch his efforts to prepare lay people in Scripture, and held a three-day workshop preparing Sisters of Mary Immaculate in Hue to teach the SALT program.

James Eblen is beginning a three-year retirement phase-out process. James will continue to teach part-time at the School of Theology and Ministry. Eblen co-authored an article with Sharon Callahan entitled “Roman Catholic Polity and Leadership” in the Journal of Religious Leadership. In fall 2006, he taught Hebrew Scriptures in Anchorage for STM’s Alaska campus.

Marianne LaBarre was one of eight selected for the SU Inaugural Writing Retreat for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. In August, LaBarre was selected to lead a focus group for Sustaining Pastoral Excellence, the national gathering of Lilly grant recipients in Indianapolis. LaBarre will be part of a national ecumenical research team to assist in the planning and evaluation of a sustaining pastoral excellence peer group study.

Valerie Lesniak was the sole presenter for “Dancing on the Edges: Rediscovering our Spiritual Roots”, a three-day conference for the Catholic Network for Retreats and Spirituality in the United Kingdom.

Jack Olive celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination in the United Methodist Church in January 2007. His appointment as Interim Associate Dean for Ecumenical Relations for STM was extended to June 30, 2009 and made full time

In Memory

Sr. Mary Rose Bumpus’s father, Francis Bumpus, died on April 22, 2007.  He was 84.

Fran Ferder’s mother died on November 25, 2006 and her father died on March 1, 2007 at the age of 93.

Anita de Luna, assistant professor at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, died on October 27, 2006 after a four-year battle with ovarian cancer. She was 59. Sister de Luna was the first Hispanic to lead the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. She taught Ministry in a Multicultural Context on the Seattle University main campus and at STM’s Tacoma site.

September 2007

STM hosts AAPC fall conference, "Contemplative Psychotherapy: A Buddhist Approach."

The conference was co-sponsored by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, NW Region and the STM Pastoral Counseling Program.  Participants included both professionals and students, sharing stories and experiences in the field.  Especially stimulating were the sessions led by Dr. Karen Kissel Wegela, professor at Naropa University.  She has taught numerous workshops and presented at conferences on Buddhism and Psycotherapy nationally and internationally.  Her book is How to Be a Help Instead of a Nuisance: Practical Approaches to Giving Support, Service and Encouragement to Others.  She is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Boulder, Colorado.

AAPC Conference Report
By Deborah Nicholas (MAPC Student)

Seattle University had the opportunity to host this year’s regional conference of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC) on September 28-29. It was an excellent chance for SU students to attend the conference and meet other counselors. The theme for the conference was Contemplative Psychotherapy: a Buddhist Approach.

Keynote speaker Karen Kissel Wegela, PhD is a professor at Naropa University’s Master of Arts in Psychology: Contemplative Psychotherapy program. She is a member of the department’s leadership team and served as the director of the program for many years. She is the author of How to Be a Help Instead of a Nuisance: Practical Approaches to Giving Support, Service and Encouragement to Others as well as many articles and chapters about Contemplative Psychotherapy. Dr.Kissel Wegela is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Boulder, Colorado.

The Friday night kickoff featured a dinner and case presentation. Karen Smith, an STM student completing her practicum for the Pastoral Counseling program, presented a current client’s story. Dr. Kissel Wegela and Mark Lobitz, MDiv responded from their distinct Buddhist and Christian perspectives. It was a unique and riveting opportunity to hear one client’s story from three different viewpoints.

Dr. Kissel Wegela led Saturday’s workshops with a mixture of lecture, large- and small-group discussion, and “practice” activities (including an illustration that had all 75 participants milling around the Campion Ballroom). Contemplative psychotherapy has a strong experiential component and attends closely to group process. As a result, participants were not passive listeners but active players. They were encouraged to ask questions and to participate in meditation exercises, and were given the opportunity, in small groups, to “try out” the skills demonstrated in the large group. Dr. Kissel Wegela taught participants their first lesson in the Buddhist concept of impermanence (nothing is permanent or stable, and life must be lived as it occurs) when she requested that all the tables set up in the room be removed. Participants, mystified, nevertheless got right to work hauling tables against the far wall and rearranging chairs!

Contemplative Psychotherapy is rooted in Buddhist teachings and meditation practices. Participants in the AAPC Regional Conference explored some of these basic Buddhist teachings, particularly those which are important for counselors and therapists.
One of the core Buddhist teachings discussed was Buddha Nature (or “Brilliant Sanity” as it is known in Contemplative Psychotherapy). This perspective looks beyond impersonal concepts and diagnoses for the wisdom, intelligence, and sanity behind our clients’ actions (and our own). Other concepts included “exchange”: an experience beyond empathy that describes one’s direct experience of someone else, which can happen because human beings are not truly separate. The practice of mindfulness was an important feature as well, and explored through participating in a meditation that enhances mindfulness and by discussing the “practices of mindlessness” that are the antithesis to mindfulness.

The concepts that Dr. Kissel Wegela presented were rich with meaning for counselors working with the suffering of others, as well as for application to everyday life. The interactive atmosphere and vibrant topic created a memorable and meaningful experience. “I feel very refreshed by this—unlike many workshops where I feel like I have to go take a nap,” commented participant Jerry Smith, STD of Pastoral Therapy Associates in Tacoma.
One of the most rewarding parts of the conference was the chance to meet and share ideas with other pastoral counselors and counseling students. “I am reminded of how much healing happens in the village, in the community—how important it is to be having this conversation,” observed participant Joseph Roy, PhD of East Wenatchee. Margaret Pierce, a student in STM’s Pastoral Counseling program, summed it up while hurrying to discard her dishes after dinner: “There’s this great conversation going on over there that I don’t want to miss.”

 

Jack Olive’s Appointment as Interim Associate Dean for Ecumenical relations
Extended.

Edward W. Paup, resident bishop of the Seattle Area United
Methodist Church and Mark L. Taylor, Dean of the School of Theology and Ministry are pleased to announce that Rev. Jack D. Olive’s appointment as Interim Associate Dean for Ecumenical Relations at the School has been extended and made full-time.. (July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2009)

STM has benefited greatly the past seven months from Rev. Olive’s deep knowledge of the School’s mission, vision, and values, his many contacts with church leaders in the region, and his gifts as an administrator, theologian, and ecumenist. This new appointment provides the School with valuable continuity in leadership. It will also allow Rev. Olive to continue his strategic agenda of strengthening and expanding STM’s ecumenical partnerships and multicultural commitments.

August 2007

Pastoral Leadership Program Receives Grant From Lilly Endowment, Inc.

STM was awarded a grant of $950,000 from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. to continue the Pastoral Leadership Program (PLP) for an additional three years and to make its important work permanently sustainable beyond the life of the grant.

The news of this additional funding testifies to the quality of the program so ably directed by Dr. Marianne LaBarre these past four years. Her vision and commitment to sustaining pastoral excellence, and the curriculum and faculty she built have clearly inspired not only PLP participants, but the Lilly Endowment itself. Lilly’s strong ongoing support affirms the leadership and advocacy of our faculty, staff and ecclesial partners. STM also gratefully acknowledges the consistent support for STM demonstrated by Seattle University President, Fr. Stephen Sundborg, S.J.; Provost, John Eshelman; Vice President, Mary Kay McFadden in University Advancement; Associate Vice President for Planning, Bob Dullea, and Jane Spalding and Barbara Dolby, Corporate and Foundation Relations.

 

New Dean of the School of Theology and Ministry

Dear Colleagues:

It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of Mark S. Markuly, Ph.D., as the new Dean of the School of Theology and Ministry.  Mark will be joining us in August after wrapping up his current responsibilities at Loyola University New Orleans. 

For the past four years, Mark has directed the largest Catholic lay ministry program in the country – the Loyola Institute for Ministry (“LIM”).  LIM has over 3,400 graduates, with many going on to provide leadership at the parish, school and diocesan levels.  He has also worked as the director of a Catholic Campus Ministry, encompassing five Christian denominations, to 14,000 students at a state university.  As the ministry director, he engaged the university community in service learning and social justice activities. 

Mark has experience as a diocesan director and led the development of programs on racism and multiculturalism as well as creating one of the early dialogues on sports and faith.  As the diocesan director, he initiated a large sociological research project on youth ministry with the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University.  This research was part of the development of educational programming for parishes and schools.

Mark received his Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri; a Master of Arts degree in Systematic Theology from the Aquinas Institute of Theology; and, a Doctorate in Education, specializing in Curriculum and Instruction in Religious Education, from Saint Louis University. 

These are just a sample of his experiences and accomplishments and I am sure we will learn more as he settles into his role as dean at STM.  I look forward to working with him at SU in the coming year.

I want to thank the members of the search committee for their time and contribution.  I also want to express my deep gratitude to Mark Taylor who has, and will continue to serve as STM's acting dean during this transition.

John D. Eshelman
Provost