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Professor Advocates Christian Social Activism in Keynote Speech
Delivered at Medieval Studies Conference
Review by Kam Williams
What ordinarily comes to mind when one thinks of a lecture about
medieval Europe is a talk a lot less relevant to present-day worldly
concerns than the keynote speech recently delivered by Professor
Celia Chazelle at a conference held at University College Cork
entitled “Envisioning Christ on the Cross.” Chazelle, who chairs the
Department of History at The College of New Jersey, had been invited
to Ireland to speak about “The Mass and the Eucharist, ‘Image’ of
the Crucified Christ, in the Christianization of Early Medieval
Europe.”
While the bulk of her otherwise academic address certainly explored
that topic at considerable depth, she prefaced her remarks by
reading a poem by her Irish-born pastor, Father Michael Doyle,
about the seeming futility of the never-ending fight to eradicate
the suffering evident in his midst. For 35 years now, Doyle has
presided over Sacred Heart Church in Camden, the poorest city in the
US, where over 90% of the population is Black and Hispanic.
With the assistance of volunteers like his dedicated parishioner
Celia Chazelle, Doyle’s been directly ministering to the needs of
the poor via a number of Sacred Heart-based organizations, among
them the church’s St. Vincent de Paul Society and affiliated Heart
of Camden. These sponsor a weekly dinner, a thrift store, building
and home renovations, and a variety of other social programs.
Another affiliated organization, the Center for Transformation,
oversees a greenhouse, community gardens, and neighborhood cleanups,
engages in environmental education and activism in the area, and is
in the final stages of establishing a retreat center. All this is
located right within Camden’s deteriorating exoskelton.
Professor Chazelle made a smooth segue from a discussion of Camden
to the Christianization of Europe during the early Middle Ages by
pointing out the parallels between the frustrations of Father Doyle
as expressed in the poem and the path of Jesus, a path marked by
failure yet leading to resurrection, symbol of faith in the promise
of a better tomorrow. The thrust of her ensuing thesis explored the
rise of Christianity as a grassroots movement emanating from the
bottom up. This incendiary idea cuts a sharp contrast with the
conventional thinking of many historians who tend to focus on the
conversion of kings and the rest of the aristocratic class as the
seminal force.
Nonetheless, in deliberate fashion, Chazelle proceeded to mount a
most persuasive case, convincingly threading the fruits of her
painstakingly- researched, scholarly efforts with additional
anecdotal asides about Father Doyle. Furthermore, the lecture was
augmented with photographs effectively juxtaposing contemporary
Camden with historical artifacts illustrating the religious rite of
the Eucharist, the reenactment of the Last Supper, as routinely
practiced by the salt of the Earth a millennium ago. Ultimately,
Chazelle came full circle, returning to share some final insights
about her beloved Sacred Heart parish before closing with a
rhetorical flourish suggesting that one might partake in the holy
tradition of sharing Christ’s body and blood beyond the sacrosanct
confines of church in such unlikely environs as a soup kitchen
ministering to the homeless or even at the dinner table while simply
breaking bread with family and friends.
The earnest, inspirational sentiments of a foot soldier in the
struggle for social justice.
To make a donation or to do volunteer work at the Camden Center of
Transformation, visit:
http://camdencenterfortransformation.org/you.htm
To order a copy of Professor Chazelle’s book “The Crucified God
in the Carolingian Era,” visit:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521039452?ie=UTF8&tag=thslfofire-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0521039452
To order a copy of Professor Chazelle’s book “Paradigms and
Methods in Early Medieval Studies,” visit:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1403969426?ie=UTF8&tag=thslfofire-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1403969426
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Lloyd
Kam Williams 