<p> Recent accounts of the history of Christian theology tend to neglect material concerning widows in antiquity and their contribution to Christian discipleship. In this dissertation I would like to offer a corrective along the lines of studying the contribution of widows in Jewish and Christian antiquity to the Catholic tradition. In particular, I contend that the Jewish roots of the widows&rsquo; contribution to Christian theology is also overlooked. The idea of the widow as an &ldquo;altar of God,&rdquo; which emerges in early Church literature, requires an understanding of the history of widows and the altar in Jewish and Christian antiquity. </p><p> What can be gleaned from mentions of widows, especially the enrolled widows, in the early Church? Firstly, enrolled widows in the early Church had historical precedents in the Old Testament that are sometimes overlooked by scholars, particularly in the omission of the Old Testament widow Judith. Secondly, the altar in Jewish and early Christian antiquity is significant; the altar has many functions and nuances of meaning, which are essential to understand the motif of the widow as the altar of God. Thirdly, these widows in the early Church offer a challenging Christian <i>ethos</i>, which derives from their good works and from a rootedness in ascetic practices that comprise a whole way of life for Christian discipleship. </p><p> By and large, extant material on the order of widows dwindles after the fourth century A.D. The history of widows in Jewish and Christian antiquity can inform recent endeavors in the Church to revitalize the ancient vocation of widowhood, and that of belonging to an order of widows. This dissertation proposes to trace the trajectory of the contribution of widows in antiquity to Catholic theology. Moreover, by exploring what the early Church meant when it referred to the widow as the &ldquo;altar of God,&rdquo; especially in light of the altar&rsquo;s many functions, I hope to shed light on an ancient and little studied practice in the Church. I will then show how this study of ancient Christian widows can inform two recent endeavors in the United States to renew the order of widows.</p><p>

St. Hugh the Great,1024-1109, was sixth in a distinguished line of abbots who had made Cluny, founded in 909, famous. During his abbacy, Ulrich and Bernard definitively recorded oral and written custom. The horarium, mainly liturgical, was already established, but growth in the order and considerable rise in numbers (causing notable building developments) had profound effects on the life of the abbey, whose privileges, especially as regards episcopal immunity, multiplied. The monastery was governed by an expanding body of administrative and disciplinary officials. Greater use of money, the increase of scattered resources, and heavier expenditure, characterised the economy of the period. The greatest expansion of the order occurred under Hugh, though he tended to discourage it. A coincidence of factors caused monasteries to be founded or annexed in hitherto unpenetrated parts of France and Switzerland, and in Spain and Italy where the adoption of customs in independent monasteries had already prepared the way. Cluniacs also went for the first time to England, what is now Belgium, Germany and even the Levant. The beginnings of a system establishing a juridical link between Cluny and these monasteries appeared. Abbeys were reduced in rank to priories, except for some less fully incorporated. Dependent monasteries had, in turn, priories dependent on them. All monks made profession at Cluny and recognised Hugh as abbot; he controlled the appointment of abbots and priors. Annual payment of cens was not yet general. Once the spirit and basic pattern of life had been implanted, however, Cluny allowed dependent priories to develop with a reasonable measure of independence. The foundation of Marcigny in 1054 marked the introduction of Cluniac nuns who were strictly enclosed and governed by Cluniac monks. Hugh's abbacy was decisive, contributory and outstanding in many ways, though symptoms of later disasters were already apparent.

In 1940 the French Catholic Church was quick to blame military defeat on the laicism of the Third Republic. However, the Church was confident that it could rectify the errors of the past. The new authoritarian regime at Vichy offered the possibility of overturning the past sixty years of secularism and of rebuilding France along Christian lines. This thesis examines how the Church attempted to win France back to the faith through the vehicle of education. It shows how it hoped to strengthen the position of its own educational system and how it tried to re-assert its influence over children in the State school. The study is divided into four parts. The first looks at the role education played in Church/State relations and puts into context events treated in more detail later. The second part examines the curriculum of confessional schools and the ways by which the Church attempted to influence the lessons of the State school. Part three looks at teachers and pays particular attention to the teaching orders. Although they recovered much of their former legal status under Vichy, they never became fully-fledged supporters of the regime. In addition, the thesis looks at how the Church tried to break the traditional secularism of the State 'instituteurs'. Part four investigates the funding of Catholic education. It examines the measures that Vichy took to alleviate the material plight of Catholic schools and illustrates how State subsidies contributed to the growth of Catholic education. Analysis of Vichy's educational policy reveals that the regime was less clerical than has previously been recognised. This study alsoconcludes that the Church was not an unqualified supporter of the regime and that Catholics began to have their doubts about Vichy far earlier than has sometimes been suggested.

<p> Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century saint, penetrated the Italian political scene ranging from local politics to the papal seat of Pope Gregory XI. Scholars have depicted her success as a living saint on her relationship with her confessor, Raymond of Capua. However, through analysis of her letters and background texts, it is clear that Catherine created a network of families and individuals even before she met Raymond in 1374. To what extent did this network that she actively created contribute to her success as a public figure in medieval Italy? What impact did this group of people have on Catherine and what impact did Catherine have on the network of followers? What information can be extrapolated from studying Catherine&rsquo;s letters, hagiography, and testimonial works post-mortem? And, how does Raymond&rsquo;s miniscule presence in the network change our interpretation of the basis of Catherine&rsquo;s success?</p><p>

The number of Catholic women's colleges has decreased dramatically since 1970. This has caused a void in the Roman Catholic Church's educational system. This research investigated life-cycle theory and its application to organizations. A college as an organization can be analyzed within the framework of organizational life-cycle theory. The phases identified in life-cycle theory are birth, growth, maintenance, decline, and death. The birth phase includes all the events which make the organization a reality; ideas, funding, location, and personnel. The growth phase is of indeterminate length. It details the movement of the organization from the end of the birth phase until the organization has earned a place for itself in the organizational world. The maintenance phase is a period in the organization's history when it stops to take stock of its accomplishments and sets a direction for its future. The decline phase of life-cycle theory is characterized by a drop in production or in delivery of service with subsequent loss of income. The final phase, death, occurs when the organization no longer functions as intended--going out of business, experiencing a take-over, submitting to a merger. The case study of the two Catholic women's colleges presented in this research were developed around these life-cycle phases. In the account of one college, the case study chronicles the college's movement from birth to its untimely death. The other case study follows the college from birth through decline. It then describes the college's activities during decline which turned the college from death to new growth. The comparison of the events in the decline phase may lead administrators of other Catholic women's colleges to examine comparable factors in their settings and make adjustments to insure continued existence.

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This dissertation examines the interrelationships between the foreign Missions and the Korean Church in colonial Korea. In contrast to previous scholarship that assumes a necessary link between the Korean Church and Korean nationalism, this study focuses on the foreign Mission's predominance over the Korean Church as a major obstacle in the Korean Church's adoption of nationalism as part of its Christian vision. / East Asian Languages and Civilizations

<p> This dissertation investigates the role of <i>El Censor,</i> the essay periodical published in Spain from 1781 to 1787, in challenging government policies and church traditions during the Enlightenment. It argues that the editors and authors of the 167 discursos (essays) criticized social customs and institutions during the last two decades of the antiguo r&eacute;gimen while remaining firmly in their religious faith. The political and historical context of <i>El Censor</i> is presented against the backdrop of the absolutist policies of King Carlos III and the vigilance of the Spanish Inquisition. <i>El Censor</i>&rsquo;s editors and publishers were Luis Garc&iacute;a Ca&ntilde;uelo and Luis Marcelino Pereira, who at first seemed enigmatic because of their political and religious views. Nevertheless, they and their contributors soon identified themselves as veritable enlightened men, who sought to modernize Spain and the Spanish Roman Catholic Church. In the weekly essays, they published their observations of everyday life and the iniquities that existed in the society of their time. Government authorities banned <i>El Censor</i> twice before shutting it down permanently. Afterwards, the Spanish Inquisition placed twenty-three of the discursos on the syllabus of forbidden books. This dissertation presents eight of the banned discursos with English translations and commentaries. More than two-hundred years after <i>El Censor</i>&rsquo;s prohibition, the discursos continue to speak to twenty-first century readers about the absurdities and injustices of society and power. This dissertation gives credence to the study of the religious Enlightenment; it demonstrates that it was possible to be enlightened and a true Christian. It reveals that <i>El Censor </i> held onto idealist views and moral integrity while facing obstacles from government, church, and angry apologists. In the pages of the discursos, there are recognizable characters like Eusebio the pious hypocrite; Calixto the proud, lazy noble; Candido Zorrilla, the baroque fanatic; and Pedro Camueso y Machuca and el equ&iacute;voco. This dissertation reveals several unexpected discoveries that challenge long-held notions about the Enlightenment, the Roman Catholic Church, and Spain.</p>

<p> This research is a comparison of religious beliefs of three cultures of M&eacute;xico. My first goal is a critical analysis of the similarities and differences between religious practices and how they relate presently. I argue that the religious ideology imposed on the indigenous of M&eacute;xico was similar to their original beliefs that in their organic form produced a lifestyle superior to that of Spanish ideologies. Furthermore, I hypothesize that returning to the religious aspects of introspection, community and truth through <i>xochitl in cuicatl,</i> would result in that superior lifestyle.</p><p> This subject is approached using cultural analysis, textual exegesis, historical and phenomenological methodologies. Relying on close readings of codices, the elements of the sociological theory of Peter Berger and employing the work of Juana Gutierrez de Mendoza as a lens into Caxc&aacute;n ideology. My hope is to further the scholarly research of this understudied peoples and the region they inhabit.</p>