Grad-Faculty Seminars

Grad-faculty seminars are monthly gatherings of students and faculty where we dive into an article or chapter on topics connectd to faith, the Catholic intellectual tradition, and academic discourse. Sessions are led by a faculty leader, and participants are often asked to read the article or chapter in advance. These monthly seminars are geared towards graduate and professional students and faculty, but interested undergraduates and staff are very welcome.

Tuesday, March 28 | 12-1:15 PM | 114 Anabel Taylor Hall (Founders Room)
"Green Burial: A Conversation with Prof. Jane-Marie Law and Fr. Daniel McMullin

The season of Lent reminds us to reflect upon our mortality: "You are dust, and to dust you shall return." Have you ever thought about how your body will return to dust? What kinds of burial practices are permitted for Catholics, and why? The intersections between burial practices, ecology, and religious belief have been a matter of public debate recently with the legalization of human compositing in NYS and pushback to this legislation from the NY Conference of Catholic Bishops. While opposing this legislation, the Catholic Church has also been a leading Christian denomination in the adoption of "natural" or "green" burial practices. Why does the manner of burial matter—ecologically, morally, and theologically? What is the landscape of natural burial practices in the US? Come for a conversation on these questions and more with Prof. Jane-Marie Law (Religious Studies, Cornell) and Fr. Daniel McMullin (Director, Catholic Community at Cornell).

Prof. Jane-Marie Law's research explores the interface between living communities and religious ideologies and praxis, with fieldwork as a core methodology. Recently, she has turned her attention to how religious communities participate in debates and actions concerning ecological healing or degradation, and movements toward or away from sustainable living. 

Father Daniel McMullin, a priest of the Diocese of Rochester (NY), has made central New York his home since 1994.  He has served the Cornell Catholic Community twice as its director: 2005-2012 and 2019-present.  Father Dan earned his Master of Divinity degree from St. John's University in Collegeville, MN, where he was also ordained in 1981. His doctorate is from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.

This project is made possible by the grant, "In Lumine: Supporting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on College Campuses Nationwide," (Grant #62372) from the John Templeton Foundation.