Laudato Si' at Ten
Panel Discussion Hosted by the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage
The Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage has supported the annual Climate Change Conference from its inception was proud to host a special panel this year: Laudato si' at 10: Pope Francis and Caring for Our Common Home Today. The session celebrated the ten-year anniversary of Pope Francis's encyclical on climate and the environment.
PANELISTS
Christiana Zenner
Associate Professor of Theology, Science, and Ethics
Fordham University
Christiana Zenner is an associate professor of theology, science, and ethics in the Department of Theology at Fordham University, where she is an affiliated faculty member in Environmental Studies and American Studies. Her research into emerging and established freshwater ethics and Anthropocene conceptualizations intersects with ecological theory, religious ecologies, developments in the earth sciences, and the ecological turn in Catholic social teaching. In her work, she grapples with the deep conceptual and institutional patterns that shape the perception of cultural-religious moralities and frame ecological-ethical perception. She seeks to demonstrate rigorous and responsible multidisciplinary approaches to contemporary eco-social realities, especially those pertaining to freshwater justice and climate change. She also works to articulate constructive, anti-colonial, intersectional feminist ways forward. Professor Zenner is writing two scholarly monographs, "Beyond Laudato Si'" and "Anthropocenes: Sciences, Fictions, and Ethical Futures." Her prior book, Just Water: Theology, Ethics, and Global Fresh Water Crises (Orbis Books, second edition, 2018), is taught in venues ranging from the Transboundary Waters graduate program at Oregon State University to Yale University. In addition, she is co-editor of two volumes on sustainability and bioethics and has published more than 18 peer-reviewed articles.
Thomas Hibbs
J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy and Dean Emeritus
Baylor University
Thomas Hibbs is the J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy and dean emeritus at Baylor University, where he was the inaugural dean of the Honors College (2003-2019) and the founding director of Baylor in Washington (2015-2019). Hibbs has held administrative appointments as department chair (Boston College), dean (Baylor), and president (University of Dallas). His research and teaching focus on moral philosophy and aesthetics. His Philosophy of Art class is part of Baylor's new environmental humanities minor. He has published eight books, the most recent of which is Theology of Creation: Ecology, Art, and Laudato Si' (University of Notre Dame Press, 2023). He has written two books on film and co-authored a book on art with Makoto Fujimura.
Chanelle Robinson
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
College of the Holy Cross
Chanelle Robinson, PhD, is an assistant professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross. Professor Robinson's research focuses on womanist theology, theological anthropology, ecowomanism, and decolonial studies. She holds a PhD in systematic theology from Boston College. Robinson, an educator and scholar, completed master's degrees in teaching and theological studies at the University of Toronto.
Mark Mackey, S.J.
Lecturer, Environmental Sustainability
Loyola University Chicago
Brother Mark Mackey is a Jesuit brother and an ecologist. Entering college, he decided to follow his passion for nature and animals and to major in zoology and environmental science. His love for reptiles and amphibians led him to take a herpetology course as an undergraduate, launching him into the world of research and fieldwork. As an undergraduate, he studied the impacts of pesticides on frog metamorphosis. Then, he furthered these interests in graduate school, where he investigated the impacts of golf courses on headwater stream ecosystems in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Now, as a Jesuit, Br. Mackey is interested in how knowledge of natural history can enhance one's relationship with the natural world. He is also interested in applying an ecological lens to Ignatian spirituality and exploring how practicing Ignatian spirituality can help ground people against increasing experiences of eco-anxiety.
PANELISTS
Christiana Zenner
Associate Professor of Theology, Science, and Ethics
Fordham University
Christiana Zenner is an associate professor of theology, science, and ethics in the Department of Theology at Fordham University, where she is an affiliated faculty member in Environmental Studies and American Studies. Her research into emerging and established freshwater ethics and Anthropocene conceptualizations intersects with ecological theory, religious ecologies, developments in the earth sciences, and the ecological turn in Catholic social teaching. In her work, she grapples with the deep conceptual and institutional patterns that shape the perception of cultural-religious moralities and frame ecological-ethical perception. She seeks to demonstrate rigorous and responsible multidisciplinary approaches to contemporary eco-social realities, especially those pertaining to freshwater justice and climate change. She also works to articulate constructive, anti-colonial, intersectional feminist ways forward. Professor Zenner is writing two scholarly monographs, "Beyond Laudato Si'" and "Anthropocenes: Sciences, Fictions, and Ethical Futures." Her prior book, Just Water: Theology, Ethics, and Global Fresh Water Crises (Orbis Books, second edition, 2018), is taught in venues ranging from the Transboundary Waters graduate program at Oregon State University to Yale University. In addition, she is co-editor of two volumes on sustainability and bioethics and has published more than 18 peer-reviewed articles.
Thomas Hibbs
J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy and Dean Emeritus
Baylor University
Thomas Hibbs is the J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy and dean emeritus at Baylor University, where he was the inaugural dean of the Honors College (2003-2019) and the founding director of Baylor in Washington (2015-2019). Hibbs has held administrative appointments as department chair (Boston College), dean (Baylor), and president (University of Dallas). His research and teaching focus on moral philosophy and aesthetics. His Philosophy of Art class is part of Baylor's new environmental humanities minor. He has published eight books, the most recent of which is Theology of Creation: Ecology, Art, and Laudato Si' (University of Notre Dame Press, 2023). He has written two books on film and co-authored a book on art with Makoto Fujimura.
Chanelle Robinson
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
College of the Holy Cross
Chanelle Robinson, PhD, is an assistant professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross. Professor Robinson's research focuses on womanist theology, theological anthropology, ecowomanism, and decolonial studies. She holds a PhD in systematic theology from Boston College. Robinson, an educator and scholar, completed master's degrees in teaching and theological studies at the University of Toronto.
Mark Mackey, S.J.
Lecturer, Environmental Sustainability
Loyola University Chicago
Brother Mark Mackey is a Jesuit brother and an ecologist. Entering college, he decided to follow his passion for nature and animals and to major in zoology and environmental science. His love for reptiles and amphibians led him to take a herpetology course as an undergraduate, launching him into the world of research and fieldwork. As an undergraduate, he studied the impacts of pesticides on frog metamorphosis. Then, he furthered these interests in graduate school, where he investigated the impacts of golf courses on headwater stream ecosystems in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Now, as a Jesuit, Br. Mackey is interested in how knowledge of natural history can enhance one's relationship with the natural world. He is also interested in applying an ecological lens to Ignatian spirituality and exploring how practicing Ignatian spirituality can help ground people against increasing experiences of eco-anxiety.