Kathleen Duffy is a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania. She is professor of physics at Chestnut Hill College, where she directs the Interdisciplinary Honors Program and the Institute for Religion and Science. She is editor of Teilhard Studies and the author of Teilhard’s Mysticism: Seeing the Inner Face of Evolution (Orbis Books, 2014).
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A cosmic project: Chardin
I'm excited about a project that I would like to share with you. I'm working on an honor for a friend of mine — Jesuit Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955). Although I have never met Teilhard in person, his writings have been one of the greatest inspirations in my life. I have come to know him during my own long search for how to be both scientist and believer. Without his help, my faith and spirituality would never be as strong as they are.
Three ways to pray
While on retreat at St. Mary's by the Sea in Cape May Point, New Jersey, I love to visit the nature center near the lighthouse and to engage in one of my favorite forms of prayer — bird watching.
Apostolic visitation: Sisters learn from the starlings
The announcement six years ago of an apostolic visitation of United States congregations of women religious caused a stir among many sisters. This attempt by the Vatican to exert unwanted control posed a threat to the identity and mission of the congregations and initiated a crisis. However, a good number of the congregations faced the challenge head on with a response reminiscent of the swarming behavior of starlings.