Theology students returning to Boston College were surprised to learn that the Theology Department elected a new Chairwoman over the winter break. Although no formal announcement was made during the winter break, Professor Catherine Cornille has succeeded Father Kenneth Himes, OFM, as the department head. Cornille, a native of Belgium, is a professor of Comparative Theology at BC. She will be taking charge of a department with 38 full-time faculty, making itone of the largest departments at Boston College.

Professor Catherine Cornille has succeeded Father Kenneth Himes, OFM, as the Theology department head.

Cornille received her Licentiate in Theology from the Catholic University in Leuven, Belgium and her MA in Asian Religions from the University of Hawaii.She went back to Leuven to finish her education, receiving a PhD in Religious Studies. She has authored four books and edited another four. In addition to chairing the department, she is also continuing to teach a graduate course on History and Methods in the Comparative Study of Religions and the core Religious Quest II:Catholicism and Hinduism.

Cornille is unsure how long she will remain chair of the department. As of now, she is only committed to one term.  Cornille has four specific goals for the department.She hopes to further enhance collegiality and theological exchange among members of the department, promote international relationships, maintain a strong faculty and an interesting list of course offerings, and optimize BC’s relationship with the School of Theology and Ministry.

Cornille will be the first incoming chair that will have to navigate a relationship with Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry (STM). When speaking about the challenges of avoiding redundancy in the two institutions, Cornille commented that, “We are cultivating a strong relationship with STM in which we each further develop as independent institutions with our specific missions and strengths, but also with strong ties of collaboration. Together,we are indeed becoming one of the most important centers for Catholic Theology in the world.”

As the new chair, Cornille will be expected to navigate the sometimes controversial relationship between the academic theology department and the Catholic heritage of the university.She has not elaborated specifically how she plans to accomplish this, but acknowledges the Catholic influence on the university. “As a department of theology, we not only teach Catholic thought and values, but also reflect on them in light of the social, cultural, economical and religious context.”

The university has yet to release some of the details surrounding Cornille’s election,such as whether or not there were other candidates for the position. The Observer hopes to have a guest submission from Professor Cornille before the end of the semester.

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