Department of Religion Adds Chair in Catholic Studies

Hofstra University's Department of Religion, which has yet to celebrate its first anniversary, continues to grow with the recent naming of Dr. Julie Byrne as the Monsignor Thomas J. Hartman Chair in Catholic Studies.

The endowed chair, the second in the Department of Religion, was supported through funds raised at a 2004 testimonial gala in honor of Msgr. Hartman, better known to Long Islanders as "Father Tom" or one-half of "The God Squad."

"In Father Tom's honor, I hope to make the study of Catholicism interesting and accessible to a wide range of students and community members who, by looking at one faith, can learn much about religion, gender, race, ethnicity, history, politics and globalization in general," said Dr. Byrne.

Dr. Byrne, whose interests range from immigration to issues of gender and race, had been an assistant professor of religion at Duke University since 2004. She earned a B.A. in religion and Medieval and Renaissance studies (1990), an M.A (1996) and a Ph.D. (2001) from Duke University. She was an instructor in the Department of Religion at Duke from 1996 to 1997 and an assistant professor at Texas Christian University from 2000 to 2004, after which she rejoined the Duke faculty.

The Department of Religion, created in the fall of 2005 and chaired by Dr. Warren Frisina, offers students the opportunity to explore the central role religion plays in social, political and economic events, as well as in the lives of individuals and communities. Courses examine the history of religions, the rituals that mark important life events, the human beliefs that underlie those rituals, and the sacred texts and stories that shape the way so many people experience each other and the world. The department is also home to the Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra Endowed Chair in Sikh Studies, currently held by Arvind-Pal Mandair, Ph.D.

Her published works include O God of Players: The Story of the Immaculata Mighty Macs (Columbia University Press, 2003); "Roman Catholics and Immigration in Nineteenth-Century America" and "Roman Catholics and the American 'Mainstream' in the Twentieth Century," articles for the National Humanities Center's online TeacherServe installment on the American religious history Divining America: Religion and the National Culture, October 1, 1997.