William Cavanaugh entered college intending to major in chemical engineering. A theology class changed that plan, launching a 30-plus year career of service to universities, organizations and projects. Now, thanks to a transformative gift from Gerald and Jennifer Beeson, Cavanaugh will serve as the inaugural Beeson Family Professor of Catholic Studies. The endowed position will expand funding for a variety of Catholic Studies initiatives.

“I’m so happy the university and DePaul supporters like the Beesons are investing in the Catholic mission. It affirms that they want to see it endure and flourish,” Cavanaugh says.

In this Q&A, Cavanaugh discusses the gift, how a two-year stint in Chile formed his research, and his case for students to take Catholic Studies courses.

How will this gift be used to support the mission of the Catholic Studies department and the whole university?
The Catholic Studies department offers something important to DePaul. It offers a place to think through what it means to be a Catholic university. It also offers a space to plug into this global network that is the Catholic Church, a place for faith and reason to talk to one another, and an opportunity to discuss how to approach the great issues of the day from a moral point of view.

To dive a bit deeper into a couple of those areas, as director of the CWCIT, I’m especially proud of the work we’ve done over the years. We research and reflect on the Catholic Church in the “Global South,” meaning Africa, Asia and Latin America, and seek to be at the forefront of the discussion about the relationship between globalization and the Catholic Church's future as a truly worldwide church.

Meanwhile, the Berrigan-McAlister Award annually honors an individual or group whose Christian acts of nonviolence — like those practiced by Father Daniel Berrigan, Philip Berrigan and Elizabeth McAlister — resist conflict, foster reconciliation and seek justice and peace for all.

What are some of your areas of research?
I’m interested in how Christianity intersects with politics, economics and everyday life, so I do a lot of writing on Christianity’s relationship with and nationalism, consumerism and violence.

For example, early in my career, I went to Chile for a little over two years and worked in a poor area of Santiago during the military dictatorship the Chilean people were under from 1973-1990. That was a really formative experience for me and led to me writing my dissertation and first book, “Torture and Eucharist,” on the Catholic Church’s response to human rights abuses such as torture under the military regime.

What would be your pitch to students considering Catholic Studies courses as part of their religious course requirement to complete their undergraduate degree?
Catholicism is probably the only truly global grassroots organization. That can mean a lot of things, but in one way, it means that the Catholic Church is active all around the world and involved in a lot of the issues of the day. It has a distinctive voice that calls for a different kind of world in which justice and peace are based on something more than just what you can get for your own advantage. I think Catholic Studies offers a lot of really compelling topics to explore, even if you enter DePaul with no background or understanding of Catholicism.

Learn more about Catholic Studies on the department’s website.