S.J.

The last speaker for the Scripture Seminar was William Kurz, a Jesuit from Marquette. He was what Karen Hall would call a "St. Ignatius Jesuit." The real deal. A Wisconsin native (funny, it never occurred to me that Jesuits would be from Wisconsin, just "in" Wisconsin), he has 3 or 4 Master's Degrees, 2 STL's and a Ph.D. And at the same time, he is the most ordinary, unassuming, genuine sort of a person. His faithfulness to just down-home orthodoxy and Catholicism was utterly refreshing. In fact, he is just finishing up a paper for a symposium honoring Cardinal Avery Dulles (S.J.!), and the topic of his paper is Theology of the Body from a Scripture scholar's point of view. I can't wait to get a hold of it. But it may not be published for a while. I'll keep looking!
I was able to chat with him for a few minutes as I showed him the way to that lovely lake (see photo posted a few days ago), and as we walked he testified to his own vocation as a Jesuit, saying that he felt a real kinship with St. Ignatius--and that from his youth, but especially from his early formation in the Society. He also had pointed out in his talk that Ignatius' "first principle and foundation" really represents a "biblical worldview." That gave me an extra tidbit to add to my talk for the sisters in Boston next week (on our Founder, who was greatly influenced by Ignatius). Just say it was very inspiring to meet and hear this good soul. Pray for him and for his work, which is now moving toward a rediscovery of the Church Fathers' forms of biblical interpretation.