A new book co-edited by Charles Camosy, Ph.D., aims to start the conversation.

Camosy, associate professor of theology, edited and contributed to a collection of essays entitled Polarization in the U.S. Catholic Church: Naming the Wounds, Beginning to Heal (Liturgical Press, 2016) alongside Mary Ellen Konieczny, Ph.D., of University of Notre Dame, and Tricia C. Bruce, Ph.D., of Maryville College.

It confronts topics U.S. Catholics find themselves avoiding in debate and attempts to set the atmosphere for a peaceful discussion.

“Part of the reason for the book is to give people different tools for talking—categories and tools that are more complex and nimble than a shallow liberal-against-conservative binary,” said Camosy.

The book was born out of a conference of the same name that began on April 27, 2015. Theologians gathered at the University of Notre Dame to discuss the lack of solidarity in the U.S. Catholic Church and how to bring people back together.

“Polarization, most foundationally, artificially pits ‘one side’ against ‘the other side.’ This sets up an antagonistic way of being in the world—one that has all kinds of harmful effects. It doesn’t do justice the complexity of the debate. It refuses to see common ground.”

A variety of essayists contributed to this anthology, including theologians, sociologists, bishops, university presidents and members of the media. Most notably, John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame, and Most Rev. Daniel Flores, bishop of Brownsville, Texas, contributed thought provoking essays on the state of current American Catholicism and its future.

“The book focuses a lot on what’s next,” said Camosy. “Millenials and the next generation, the demographic shift towards Latino Catholics—the book talks about a lot of interesting and necessary things.”

In Camosy’s written contribution to the book, “Resisting Polarization: Naming a Moment of Hope,” he further explores Catholics’ tendencies to develop an “us-against-them” mentality when it comes to prioritizing certain issues over others, especially concerning conflicts between pro-life and social justice activists.

“Catholics often forget our basic duties to be faithful to the commands of Christ and His Gospel,” he said. “It is good to be active in politics, but only if we are able to keep in mind that our ultimate loyalty as Christians is to a kingdom that is ‘not of this world.’”

“Look for the places you agree first instead of leading with what you disagree with. Christ commands us to love and He even gives us a specific command to love those we imagine to be our enemies.”

–Mary Awad

It was a big moment for the graduates—whose parents, spouses, and children cheered them on loudly in the McGinley Center. A college degree is an accomplishment anyone should be proud of, but for the adult and nontraditional students at PCS, the road to graduation is often more complex.

“For most of us,” said Leeolou, 24, “making it to this day may well have demanded a bit more creativity or resourcefulness than it did for those who had a more traditional student experience.” She liked the sound of the word “nontraditional,” she said from the podium, joking that it has a nice “Steve Jobs” ring to it.

But all “nontraditional” really means, she said, “is that we found ways to make success possible regardless of our circumstances.”

That was certainly the case for Leeolou. A ballerina from Long Island, she began dancing in Manhattan when she was 10. She trained and performed in some of the best institutes and companies in the world, from Moscow to New York City. In 2009, she enrolled part time at PCS while she continued to dance.

Changing Course

But soon after, injury struck. Leeolou had been dancing on a bad stress fracture when she broke an ankle, tore a tendon, and dislocated bones. After several surgeries and painful rehabilitation, she decided to focus completely on her education and started a full-time schedule at Fordham. She calls her diverse group of classmates a “highlight” of her education.

“Being in school with other adults and people from all walks of life really helped me transition during a very difficult time,” said Leeolou, who graduated summa cum laude. She completed a double major in psychology and theology and a minor in bioethics, all while continuing to make public appearances as an advocate for those suffering from severe psoriasis, a painful autoimmune disease she’s had since birth.

“The flexibility of my schedule through PCS permitted me to attend conferences and work,” she said.

Leeolou had to manage the disease—which attacks the skin and joints—throughout her dancing career. There were times when psoriasis covered 80 percent of her body. Sometimes she’d have to apply hot compresses and ointments each morning, just so her skin would be supple enough to move. Patients living with the condition often have trouble getting insurance companies to pay for their medication, so Leeolou advocates for better patient access to the drugs they need. She’s spoken at national and international conferences, and appeared on The Dr. Oz Show and other TV programs.

Discovering a Passion for Medicine

“For me [the bioethics minor] was the intersection of patient advocacy work that I’ve been doing and medicine. It was fabulous,” she said. The program introduces students to critical moral questions related to individual, public, and global health, and focuses on healthcare decision-making and health policy.

Leeolou said she’s passionate about pursuing a career in the field because it will allow her “to recognize the sick and disabled as individuals, representative of courage and deserving of dignity,” and to “harness the memory of my painful symptoms and use them as tools of empathy.” She’s been accepted to two graduate programs in medical ethics for the fall—at Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania. She hopes to eventually go to medical school.

Charles Camosy, PhD, associate professor of theology, taught Leeolou in two bioethics courses. He praised her determination.

“I’m not sure I’ve encountered a student with her combination of raw brain power, other-centered heart, and fierce will,” he said. “Melissa simply won’t let anything stand in the way of her helping the vulnerable and the sick.”

Leeolou also made a splash in the psychology department, where she received the inaugural Anne Leicht Service Award, named for a former administrator in the department who died in 2011.

Harold Takooshian, PhD, professor of psychology at Fordham, nominated Leeolou for the award. He said she stood out as a star in his classes, writing a paper on homicide survivors that he called “by far the best undergraduate report I have seen in 40 years.”

A career in medicine seems like a perfect fit for her, Takooshian said. “There’s some passion in her that I can see is going to make her an excellent physician.”

Talent and Dreams Intersect

Reflecting on her college career in her graduation speech, Leeolou said she was grateful that Fordham allowed her to excel at the things she was most passionate about.

“Fordham understands that talents come in many forms, and that the most valuable education is one that connects with individual interests of the students, where each student discovers not only a wealth of knowledge but also where their talents and dreams intersect.”

To her fellow graduates, she said, “I hope that that life surprises us. I hope it transforms us.”

Oil Prices & Airline Profits

Oil Prices & Airline Profits: A big story in 2015 will be the continued fall in the price of oil.  Brent crude, $115/barrel in June 2014, is now down to $60 and will likely fall to around $50 next year.  The impact is perhaps most visible at the pump where gasoline is now below $2/gallon in some parts of the country.  The effect on the U.S. economy has been a stimulus far more effective than any that government could provide: reduced production costs for businesses and significantly greater disposable income for consumers.  One major beneficiary will be the airline industry.  Fuel accounts for 25-30 percent of airline costs, the industry’s single biggest expense.  Lower oil prices will add over $6 billion to airline profits worldwide in 2015.  However, fares are unlikely to decline on most routes since the airlines are already filling their planes and have little incentive to discount prices to sell the remaining seats.

-Frank Werner, associate professor of finance and business economics

Net Neutrality No, Faster Streaming Yes

Net Neutrality No: The big social media development in 2015 will be the increase in original television watched by streaming, adding to the success of House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Marco Polo, and The Peaky Blinders on Netflix and Alpha House on Amazon.  Viewing unique to smart phones, tablets, laptops, and smart television will continue to compete with and supplant traditional cable and network offerings.  Net neutrality won’t be enacted, insuring even faster streaming and better viewing for millions of consumers.

-Paul Levinson, professor of communication and media studies

A New Human Rights Movement

Human Rights: What we have witnessed during the latter half of this year is a revolutionary transformation in the way we think and act in regard to race-based injustice. I hesitate to call the protests, actions, and community mobilizations that have occurred in response to Mike Brown’s murder in Ferguson and Eric Garner’s death in Staten Island “trends”. As a young woman activist recently told me, “Mike Brown is the catalyst and Ferguson the site” that highlights the pervasive nature in the United States of state violence against people of color (who are usually black and poor), and an enduring anti-black ideology. People of all class and race backgrounds have come together to call out these inhumane practices. This is a new movement. This is a human rights issue, not a matter of partisan politics. We will see this movement for justice continue into 2015 and beyond. And, it will be largely led by the courageous and smart organizing of black youth who refuse to be silenced or see anyone refused his or her full rights of citizenship.

-Aimee Meredith Cox, assistant professor of African and African-American Studies

Pope Francis in the Land of the Free

A Papal Appeal: This coming Earth Day (April 22nd) Pope Francis will release a much-anticipated encyclical on ecology. I suspect his visit to the United States, which comes only five months later, will focus on ideas from that document. My sense is that he will call Americans–especially given our status as trend setters when it comes to the world’s economy–to radically rethink our consumerist lifestyles and addiction to technology. These twin forces are destroying both the world’s ecology and what the Pope will refer to as “human ecology.” For decades, Catholic social teaching has connected the health of the human heart or spirit with the health of the earth. I anticipate that the Pope will call on Americans to resist the disconnected lifestyle that consumerism and technology produce, and instead live a life concerned with and connected to the health and flourishing of those in need and, indeed, of the whole planet.”

-Charles Camosy, associate professor of theology

Apple Watch Drives Wearable Tech

Design and Tech: Fashion and fashion law are all about trends, and 2015 will be no exception.  The wearable tech sector will continue to grow, generating a steady stream of patent applications and licensing deals between designers and tech companies, and the expected release of the Apple watch is likely to boost interest still further.  Data privacy problems will remain critical for online retailers and are on the horizon for wearable tech companies as well.  And social issues, from environmental sustainability and working conditions to gender-specific workplace dress codes to ruffled feathers over Native American headdresses and other forms of cultural appropriation, will continue to be topics of conversation.  In other news, following a recent legal settlement, New York Fashion Week will leave Lincoln Center after February.  Enjoy the spectacle now!

-Susan Scafidi, academic director for the Fashion Law Institute

The Supreme Court has a Big Decision to Make

A Presidential Legacy: In the spring of 2015 the Supreme Court will hear another challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The judicial question revolves around the extension of federal subsidies to individuals in the 36 states that have not established health care exchanges. Plaintiffs argue that the government avoided establishing federal exchanges in the ACA, encouraging individual states to establish them instead. Contrarily, the government argues it intended to establish federal exchanges, but still encouraged states to join them in doing so. As a result, the Court has a serious decision to make. It could deconstruct the signature piece of legislation passed by the executive and legislative branches in the last six years, which would likely cement itself to critics as a politicized institution and not an objective appellate judiciary. It could also refrain from any decision with major impact. As the Obama Presidency draws to a close, a decision on this case could significantly affect his legacy.

– Bobby James DeNault, FCRH 2016, political science major

Restorative Justice and Transformative Power

Fixing What’s Broken: Next year we’re going to see much needed attention on restorative justice that focuses less on punishment and more on repairing harm for all involved because of crime. Fordham collaborated on an exceptional restorative justice consultation in November 2013 that brought leadership in the faith community and justice officials together with leaders from around the world who have experienced restorative justice’s transformative power. Everyone there agreed that the U.S. justice system is broken, particularly for people of color. We are inhumane with the way we handle justice. Right now the Beck Institute is working with judges, lawyers, social services and congregations in Westchester who have committed themselves to doing something about this. Currently there isn’t a program of restorative justice in the county; a tragic omission, particularly for youth. Judge George McKinnis has provided the leadership, establishing a 501c3 for Community Restorative Justice.”

-Anita Lightburn, professor of social work and director, Beck Institute on Religion and Poverty

— Janet Sassi