Dominican University established the St. Catherine of Siena Center to examine critical issues of
church and society in the light of faith and scholarship. The center calls together members of the
university community, professional ministers and the wider community of faith who are committed to
deepening their insight into the role of the Christian in today's world.
Like St. Catherine of Siena, the center is concerned with the Church's mission of justice in
the world and its own continuous and faithful reform. As St. Catherine responded to the
intellectual and ministerial needs of the Church in her day, so the Center is dedicated to the
pursuit of truth and creation of a more just and humane world now.
The center addresses these issues in a variety of ways, including lectures, symposia,
conferences, workshops, retreats, research and discussion groups.
MAJOR PROGRAMS
Each academic year, the Siena Center explores a
new theme
tied to a pressing contemporary social, cultural or ecclesial issue. Past series, for
example, have examined environmental sustainability, interreligious dialogue, the common good,
immigration, and the role of the arts in worship. We seek to involve members of the wider community
as well as the Dominican University community in an on-going conversation with some of the sharpest
minds and finest exemplars of the Christian tradition.
The
Mazzuchelli Lecture
, a long-standing tradition at Dominican University, focuses on topics of cultural
significance. It honors Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, the founder of the Sinsinawa Dominicans, sponsors
of Dominican University. The Siena Center is pleased to co-sponsor the Mazzuchelli Lecture with
Dominican University’s Promoter of Mission Integration.
In November, the
Albertus Magnus Lecture
honors the Dominican saint who is patron of scientists, as we explore the relationship
between science and religion. It takes place on or near November 15, the feast day of St. Albert
the Great. The
Albertus Magnus Society
, a gathering of persons who share an academic, professional or general interest in
exploring issues related to the intersection of religious belief or experience and scientific
insight, meets regularly throughout the academic year in the pursuit of new information and insight
in a setting that is both scholarly and congenial.
Each
Advent
, when the church looks forward in hope, we ponder signs of the fulfillment of God's
reign in the church or the larger world. During
Lent
, a time of reconciliation, we consider the many places where reconciliation is needed
and where healing is taking place.
The
Caritas et Veritas Lecture
supports the mission of Dominican University by exploring a dimension of the Dominican
tradition. It is hosted by the Siena Center with the Office of Mission and Ministry each year
around January 29, the Feast Day of the great Dominican theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas.
Finally, toward the end of each academic year, the
St. Catherine Lecture
honors the center's namesake as one committed to the call of the baptized to transform
the world. This lecture reflects St. Catherine's commitment to the continuing reform of the church;
it takes place each year near the time of her feast, April 29.
In these events we seek to explore a diversity of contemporary social and church issues,
including business ethics, health care, liturgical reform, war and peace, church authority and
governance, social justice and the role of the arts in worship. We seek to involve members of the
wider community as well as the Dominican University community in an on-going conversation on these
issues.
Back to top
LOCATION
The St. Catherine of Siena Center is located at the Priory Campus of Dominican University, at the northwest corner of the intersection of Harlem and Division Streets in River Forest, Illinois. The original site of Aquinas Institute, the Dominican school of theology now located in St. Louis, Missouri, the Priory Campus is now part of Dominican University. This facility contains a chapel, classrooms, auditorium, and other gathering areas, providing a contemplative atmosphere where faith, scholarship and pastoral experience can be shared and deepened.SIENA CENTER STAFF
Claire Noonan, MDiv,
Director, is a practical theologian who brings more than a decade of experience in university ministry, young adult faith formation, and social justice education to the work of the Siena Center. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from The Catholic University of America with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Religion. She earned a Master of Divinity degree at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. She is presently a candidate for the Ecumenical Doctor of Ministry degree at Catholic Theological Union. In addition to directing the Siena Center, Claire serves on the Board of Directors of Dominican Volunteers USA, and Jesuit Volunteer Corps: Midwest. She is a former Board member of the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service, and Su Casa Catholic Worker. She is the wife of Anthony Schmitz, and proud mother of Mary Siena Schmitz. She can be reached at cnoonan@dom.edu.Elizabeth McMahon Jeep, Ph.D.
Associate Director, is a theologian who specializes in religious education and the intersection of psychology with theology. She is an author, lecturer and adjunct professor at the Institute for Pastoral Studies of Loyola University. She is active in several interfaith projects in the Chicago area. She can be reached at emjeep@dom.eduPatricia A. Kelly,
Communication and Events Manager, brings a rich background in events management in both the corporate and non-profit arenas to the Siena Center. She joined the Center after serving as Director of Operations for the National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy. She can be reached at pakelly@dom.edu.ADVISORY COUNCIL
Loreto Peter Alonzi, II,
is Professor of Economics and Finance at Dominican University. He brings senior corporate experience to classroom Economics and Finance. He ran the Chicago Board of Trade's Educational Programs Group throughout the 1990s after leading the successful turn around of a privately held financial firm in Chicago where he served first as a director and then its president. His effectiveness in the classroom has been recognized by teaching awards at the University of Iowa, Bowling Green State University (Ohio), and Dominican University. At Dominican he teaches the full range of economics and finance courses to both undergraduate and MBA students. He created and teaches the Derivatives course in the MBA program and teaches in Dominican's Executive MBA programs in Poland and the Czech Republic. Professionally he served on the boards of the Independent Finance Association of Illinois and the Midwest Finance Association. Currently he serves on the National Futures Association Educational/Testing Advisor Committee, is a member of the board of the journal Financial Decisions, and is President-Elect of the Illinois Economic Association. Peter the author of the book, History of World Trade Since 1450 and is President of the Illinois Economic Association. Peter is the author of the article "Chicago Board of Trade" found in the book, History of World Trade Since 1450, and numerous papers. Alonzi holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Iowa. He can be reached at lpalonzi@dom.eduBack to top
Elizabeth Droel
is pursuing an Interdepartmental major, to be titled "Social Justice and Peace Studies" and has completed a Theology minor. She is president of Students for Peace and Justice, an active member of OPYA (Dominican Young Adults) and has attended the School of the Americas protest for two consecutive years. Elizabeth may be reached at droeeliz@dom.eduBack to top
Joseph Heininger
is an Assistant Professor of English at Dominican University, and is now in his second year of teaching in River Forest. He was educated at the University of Toronto, Fordham University, and the University of Rochester, and holds a doctorate in English from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. He has previously taught at the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, St. Olaf College, and Hamilton College. He has interests in modern and contemporary Irish and British literature, especially in contemporary Irish poetry and visual culture. He has published several articles on Joyce, Yeats, Heaney, and Dante, and regularly reviews new fiction and non-fiction for the Michigan Alumnus. He is a member of the American Conference for Irish Studies and the Academy of American Poets. For recreation, he enjoys reading, traveling, exploring new places, and watching his teenage son play high school baseball and football. Joe may be reached at jheininger@dom.eduBack to top
Katherine Heskin, D.Min.
is Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Theology at Dominican University. She has served as adjunct faculty for the doctor of ministry program at St. Mary of the Lake and formator at that institution's Mundelein Seminary. She is the founder and director of Dominican University's bachelor level Pastoral Ministry Program. In that capacity she serves on many activities and commissions throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago, including Advisory Boards for Lay Ecclesial Ministry and for the Office for Catechesis which together certify lay ecclesial ministers in the Archdiocese of Chicago. She is also the founder and director of the Master’s in Leadership for Family Ministry and Faith Development at Dominican, a unique three-year program that combines on campus and online education. Author of Marriage: A Spiritual Journey (Twenty-Third Publications, 2002), she is a frequent speaker at church-related events around the country, particularly within her scholarly specialties of marriage, ministry, and spirituality, including Native American spirituality. In July 2003 she keynoted the Worldwide Marriage Encounter Convention. She has been married for forty-two years, has three married sons, and four grandchildren. Her undergraduate degree was completed at Rosary College in Political Science and her Master of Divinity degree is from Loyola University Chicago's Institute for Pastoral Studies. Kathy holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from the University of St. Mary of the Lake. She may be reached at kheskin@dom.eduBack to top
Therese Hogan
is the Director of Graduate Programs in Special Education at Dominican University. In addition to her work at a teacher educator, Therese has done a number of national and local presentations for professional organizations as well as numerous in-services across the state on various topics including: modifications for academic instruction and assignments for students with disabilities, collaboration and co-teaching, and using diagnostic data for planning student instruction and interventions. Her article, “Planning Instructional Modifications for Students with Learning Disabilities in Inclusive Settings,” appeared in Kappa Delta Pi Record in 2005. She has two videotapes on classroom modifications and one on teaching writing to students with disabilities published through United Cerebral Palsy. Prior to her work as a teacher educator and presenter, Therese taught students with learning disabilities, behavior disorders and mild mental retardation in both self-contained and resource classroom settings. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Rosary College and her Master of Science in Special Education and Doctorate in Educational Psychology from Northern Illinois University. She may be reached at tfhogan@dom.eduBack to top
Diane Kennedy, OP, D.Min.
is associate provost of Dominican University. She was the founding Director of the Parable Conference for Dominican Life and Mission and a former Vicaress General of the Sinsinawa Dominicans. In addition to her doctoral degree in ministry from the Pacific School of Religion, she holds a master's degree in theology from the Aquinas Institute of Theology and a master's degree in English from the University of Notre Dame. Sister Diane is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Fund for Theological Education and the Board of Trustees of Trinity High School, River Forest, Illinois. She is a former academic dean of Aquinas Institute of Theology and past present of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS). Her scholarly focus has centered on biblical and theological principles for equality and mutuality, the psychological and social factors influencing gender roles, and transformative models of leadership and ministry. She may be reached at dkennedy@dom.eduBack to top
Jessica Mackinnon
has been director of public relations at Dominican University since 2003. Prior to 2003, she served as executive director of the Oak Park Art League and program director for the Oak Park Area Arts Council. She served in a number of capacities, including public relations, publications and membership services at The Adler Planetarium for 10 years. With a degree in journalism form the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, Jessica began her career as an editor of a community weekly newspaper before becoming director of community relations at a downstate community college. She has lived in Oak Park for 13 years and has two young sons. She has been involved in the Unitarian Universalist Church at Oak Park's Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Unity Temple for 12 years. Jessica may be reached at jmack@dom.eduBack to top
Sheila McLaughlin
is Director of the Bernardin Center for Theology and Ministry at Catholic Theological Union, established in 1997 to continue the work of the late Cardinal. From 1994-2001, she served as director of the Office for Divine Worship of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, working closely with Cardinals Bernardin and George, serving as one of their principal advisors. She was the first lay person and first woman to head Chicago's liturgy office, the largest liturgy office in the United States. With a master's degree in Pastoral Studies-Liturgy from Catholic Theological Union, McLaughlin served as director of parish liturgy at St. Cletus Church, LaGrange, Illinois before joining the Office for Divine Worship in 1988. A respected educator and gifted speaker, she serves on the board of directors of the Georgetown Center for Liturgy and the planning board of Form-Reform National Conference for the Building and Renovation of Churches. She is also a liturgical consultant for the Catholic Health Association. Sheila was part of the original conversations in 1999 that ultimately led to the creation of the Siena Center. She may be reached at smclaughlin@ctu.eduBack to top
Mary Ann Mueninghoff, OP
is a member of Dominican University's Office of Mission Integration. She can be reached at mmueninghoff@dom.eduBack to top
Charlie Stoops, Ph.D., LCSW
is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Social Work at Dominican University, where he chairs the Social Welfare Policy Curriculum and has developed a course on violence across the lifespan in the Human Behavior and Social Environment sequence. Charlie received his doctorate from Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2003. Charlie’s research focuses in the area of domestic violence and work with men who batter. He and his colleagues have published or are completing studies on program completion among court-ordered men who batter, types of men who batter, and class as predictor of program completion.Charlie is a founding member of the Center for Domestic Peace, Inc. (formerly, West Side Domestic Abuse Project, Inc.) Organized as community-based, non-profit social service agency in 2004, the Center for Domestic Peace (CDP) has been providing intervention services for men and women who have used violence in an intimate relationship since 1996. Currently, CDP, Inc. provides services to over 400 participants per year at three locations in West, Southeast and Southwest Chicago. Charlie currently coordinates CDP’s evaluation and research projects that include program outcomes and long-term follow-up of men and women who complete services. Charlie is also a member the Partner Abuse Services Committee of Illinois Department of Human Services and was one of the initial members of the Men Endorsing Nonviolence Subcommittee. He may be reached at cstoops@dom.edu.
Back to top
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Siena Center
Priory Campus
Dominican University
7200 West Division Street
River Forest, IL 60305
(708) 714-9105
siena@dom.edu