Director of the McFarland Center
Thomas M. Landy, a sociologist with a specialization in the sociology of religion and Catholicism, is director of the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø. His primary research is in global Catholicism, and he founded and leads research for , a web-based initiative to explore the religious lives and practices of lay Catholics in their particular cultural contexts around the world. He has conducted research in 30 countries and authored more than 250 articles for the site.
For thirty years, Landy served as executive director of , a colloquy on faith and intellectual life, which he founded in 1992. A consortium of 57 Catholic colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada, Collegium sponsors highly regarded summer faculty development programs around the country. Since 2001, Collegium has been sponsored by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.
In 2017, he received the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU)Â Â for personal service of exceptional quality to Catholic higher education. He was awarded the , the University of Portland's highest honor, at their 2022 commencement and the John Henry Newman Medal from Loyola University Maryland at their 2009 commencement. In 2024, he will receive the Marianist Award at the University of Dayton.Ìý Â
He has lectured at more than 50 campuses and at association meetings in the United States, Canada, Hungary, India, Kenya, Poland, and the Philippines. He has been interviewed for the New York Times, Boston Globe, Chronicle of Higher Education, and America.
In addition to leading Catholics & Cultures, his role at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø entails arranging and moderating a wide range of lectures, conferences, and campus discussions on a broad array of topics in ethics and religion.Ìý Since 2003, he has organized an annual Ignatian pilgrimage to Spain and Rome for faculty from 17³Ô¹ÏÍø and other Jesuit colleges and universities. From 2003-08, Landy was director of the Lilly Vocation Discernment Initiative at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø. This initiative launched two dozen programs including convocations, summer internships, parish ministry internships, and other means to encourage students to reflect on faith and commitment as they consider their career paths. A lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø, he also has taught in various capacities at Harvard University, Boston University, Fairfield University, Loyola University Chicago, and Saint John’s University, MN.
Landy is editor of "As Leaven for the World: Catholic Reflections on Faith, Vocation, and the Intellectual Life" (Franklin, WI: Sheed and Ward, 2001), and, with Karen Eifler, "Becoming Beholders: Cultivating a Sacramental Imagination in the Classroom" (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2014).
He holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Boston University, an M.Div. from Weston School of Theology, an M.A. in international relations from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. in history from Fairfield University.
Global Catholicism Predoctoral FellowÂ
Brent Howitt Otto, S.J. is a historian of modern South Asia and an eager researcher, writer, and teacher. He specializes in colonial and post-colonial South Asia, with research interests in the social histories of race and caste difference, Indian Christianity, missionaries, and education. With a commitment to interdisciplinary work between social scientists and historians, Brent has engaged in several collaborative research projects that engage the lived religious lives of communities in India, and he co-edits the interdisciplinary mixed-race studies journal, the International Journal of Anglo-Indian Studies. He is a PhD Candidate in the History of South Asia at UC Berkeley, in the final stages of his dissertation. Having graduated from the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø in 2001 with a degree in history, Brent pursued a career in secondary school teaching before joining the Jesuits. As a Jesuit, Brent has studied in New York City, London, and Berkeley, CA, researched in India, and ministered in Mexico, Jamaica, Atlanta, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Besides the academic work of research and teaching, Brent finds the ministries of spiritual direction and preaching to be particularly life-giving. Â
Brent acts as the managing editor for the , as well as planning, organizing, and hosting McFarland Center events.Ìý
Assistant Director for Communications
Sarah Potter manages all digital, email, and print communications for the Center and its initiatives. In addition to promoting all McFarland Center events and managing the , she serves as the designer for the .Ìý
Sarah graduated Summa Cum Laude from Connecticut College in 2019. She started at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø in June 2023.Ìý
Program Coordinator
Ruby Francis handles budget and logistics for all McFarland Center programs, including events, conferences, and online resources.Ìý
Ruby graduated from Fairfield University in 2022 with a B.A. in Communication and Politics. She started at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø in September 2022.