Ethics Expert Margaret Farley Speaks At Maryknoll

From public figures, to family, to friends, and even when looking deeply within ourselves, people often arrive at decisions and conclusions based on their personal understandings or interpretations of the concepts of right and wrong conduct. The study of ethics seeks to resolve questions about human morality by defining the concepts of good versus evil.

Sister Margaret A. Farley, ethicist and professor emerita at Yale Divinity School, will explore key questions within Christian ethics on Sunday, May 17, at 2:30 p.m. as part of the spring Maryknoll Speakers Series. A member of the Sisters of Mercy, Sister Farley’s presentation will be held at the Maryknoll Mission Center at 55 Ryder Road in Ossining. Presented by the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, the series is free and open to the public

Reservations are requested and can be made by email (MaryknollSpeakersSeries@maryknoll.org), or by calling 914-941-7636 extension 2445. Additional information and directions can be found here.

Sister Farley’s presentation, “Forgiveness in the Service of Justice and Love,” is based on an essay from her recent collection, Changing The Questions: Explorations in Christian Ethics, published by Orbis Books, the publishing division of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. Follow Orbis Books on Facebook.

Sister Farley is Gilbert L. Stark Professor Emerita of Christian Ethics at Yale University Divinity School. She is the author or co-editor of seven books, including “Personal Commitments: Beginning, Keeping, Changing” and “Compassionate Respect.” Sister Farley’s “Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics” received criticism from the Vatican for its moral views that contradicted teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Sister Farley also has published more than 100 articles and chapters of books about topics of ethical methodology, medical ethics, sexual ethics, social ethics, historical theological ethics, ethics and spirituality, justice and HIV/AIDS.

Love and forgiveness are intertwined, according to Sister Farley, and she will discuss the ways divine and human forgiveness are forms of love. Forgiveness, for Sister Farley, offers a way to a form of human “de-centering” known in Christian circles as other-centered love that is necessary in a conflict-driven world.

Upcoming Speakers

Upcoming presentations in the 2015 Maryknoll Speakers Series are:

• Sunday, October 4, Sister Elizabeth A. Johnson, distinguished professor of theology, Fordham University, New York. Topic: “Abounding in Kindness.”

• Sunday, October 25, Michael Higgins, vice president, Catholic Mission and Identity, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut. Topic: “Thomas Merton” in celebration of the Merton Centenary.

On the same day that Maryknoll welcomes Ms. Farley, the Maryknoll Museum of Living Mission and the Maryknoll Gift Shop will be open to the public 1-5 p.m. A temporary exhibit in the museum features the path to canonization for four Maryknoll priests. Two of the priests are the Maryknoll co-founders, Bishop James A. Walsh and Father Thomas F. Price. The other two priests are New Yorkers, Bishop Francis X. Ford from Brooklyn and Maryknoll’s first seminarian, and Staten Island’s Father Vincent R. Capodanno, a recipient of the Medal of Honor who was killed while serving as a military chaplain in Vietnam.

The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers follow Jesus in serving the poor and others in need in 26 countries that include the U.S. All Catholics are called to mission through baptism and confirmation, and Maryknoll’s mission education outreach in parishes and schools throughout the country engages U.S. Catholics in mission through vocations, prayer, donations and as volunteers. Maryknoll missioners share God’s love and the Gospel in combating poverty, providing healthcare, building communities and promoting human rights. For more information, visit the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers.

Follow the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers on Twitter and on Facebook.