NEWS FEATURE: New Harvard divinity leader, its first Catholic, wears many hats

c. 1999 Religion News Service CAMBRIDGE, Mass. _ The Rev. J. Bryan Hehir is the new head of Harvard Divinity School. And a professor. And a parish priest. And a counselor for Catholic Relief Services. In other words, he’s a busy man. Hehir, the first Roman Catholic to assume the permanent deanship at the prestigious […]

c. 1999 Religion News Service

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. _ The Rev. J. Bryan Hehir is the new head of Harvard Divinity School. And a professor. And a parish priest. And a counselor for Catholic Relief Services.

In other words, he’s a busy man.


Hehir, the first Roman Catholic to assume the permanent deanship at the prestigious divinity school, took over leadership of the school this fall as it recovers from scandal and faces new questions about the role of theological education in today’s society.

But unlike previous deans for whom the post and teaching were their sole responsibilities, Hehir’s leadership is a balance among the commitments that he maintains to the Catholic Church.

The school had to contend with Hehir’s competing commitments when offering him the appointment. As a diocesean priest, Hehir could not accept any post without the permission of the church, nor could he curb or give up his parish responsibilities and his work at Catholic Relief Services without the church’s consent.

“I do want to emphasize that in agreeing to undertake this role at the divinity school, Father Hehir is committing himself to an extraordinary schedule and rhythm of work that will essentially occupy him _ with little relief _ seven days a week,” said Harvard president Neil L. Rudenstine in a written announcement of Hehir’s appointment.

As a result, the school uses the term “chair of the executive committee”

in lieu of dean, because Hehir will be aided by a group of associate deans.

Hehir says theological education is at a key point where the public is looking to religious traditions to address social policy, welfare, human rights and the poor. He says his background _ and his continuing commitments _ prepare him to train students to fill this role.

“I’ve spent my life sort of at the edge of where the church meets the public arena, or, some would phrase it, where religion meets politics,” he said.

Hehir, who earned his doctorate in ethics and international politics in 1977 at Harvard Divinity, was a professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., during the 1980s. He was also an adviser and secretary of the department of social development and world peace for the U.S. Catholic Conference, the social policy arm of the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops.


Hehir is credited with playing a major role in drafting the two landmark pastoral letters of the U.S. bishops in that period _ “The Challenge of Peace,” the 1983 letter that criticized American nuclear policy, and “Economic Justice for All,” the 1986 statement on the U.S. economy. Both have become landmarks and models of religious reflection on secular public policy issues.

Hehir sees such previous work, combined with the current world situation, as offering Harvard a new opportunity.

“In multiple ways, this is an open moment in our society and in the world for religious traditions and institutions to serve the human person and the human family,” said Hehir in accepting his appointment. “Harvard Divinity School can and should contribute to this historic opportunity,” he added.

Hehir’s appointment marks a fresh start for the school, which was marred by scandal when the previous dean, Ronald F. Thiemann, was asked to resign his 13-year deanship after pornographic materials were discovered on his university-owned computer.

After Thiemann’s resignation, Hehir was appointed interim dean until his permanent appointment this August.

“It was a tumultuous time, without doubt,” said Hehir of the months following Thiemann’s resignation last November. Students were not told of the reason for Thiemann’s departure until May, when a Boston Globe article revealed the existence of the pornography.

But Hehir, who held several meetings with students so they could air their concerns following the scandal, said he feels the matter is for the most part resolved.


In the school’s 183-year history, only one other Roman Catholic, George MacRae _ who died in 1985, just two months after assuming his post _ ever held the position of acting dean. Hehir is the first Catholic to be permanently appointed.

In MacRae’s time, the school was just beginning to diversify its Protestant-dominated student body. But today, the nation’s oldest nonsectarian theological school is renowned for its diverse religious representation. Last year it boasted a Catholic population of 60 students out of a student body of 550.

Students and faculty feel Hehir’s leadership marks a significant step for the school.

“Having someone like Bryan Hehir at the leadership sends a message that there is a place for a Catholic presence at Harvard Divinity School,” said Carole Rossi, O.P., the denominational counselor for Catholic students at the school.

DEA END LEBOWITZ

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