Holy Innocents Speaker Series Addresses Timely Discussion Topics
Father Hugh Burns wanted to find a way to engage the community with timely and relevant topics and have people talk to one another even if they don’t agree politically or ideologically.
What had been an idea of his since arriving at Holy Innocents Catholic Church in Pleasantville 13 months ago, came to fruition in October. That’s when Burns, the church’s pastor, launched a new monthly speaker series, where distinguished members of their fields address issues that also have a religious component.
“I believe in outreach toward the community and I believe in education, and I wanted to do something to look at a lot of contemporary issues and things that are on a lot of people’s minds through the prism of faith,” Burns said.
For the initial program in October, Burns invited members of the Upper Westchester Muslim Society and the American Muslim Women’s Association to deliver a presentation on Jesus and Mary in the Quran, who are mentioned repeatedly in that scripture. The evening also included a discussion on the role that religion can play in achieving peaceful co-existence.
That was followed in November by a presentation from Fr. Al Barrera, a professor of economics and theology at Providence College, about the ethical dilemmas that people face in the marketplace.
This Monday evening, Jan. 16, one of Holy Innocents’ own parishioners, Pleasantville resident Dennis Corcoran, author of “Induction Day: A History of the Baseball Hall of Fame Ceremony,” will speak about race and America’s pastime. The program is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
So far, the series has been well-attended and well-received, Burns said. Given the passion that any one of these issues and perhaps future discussion items could generate, the audience has been inquisitive and receptive.
“I think so far it’s been going well and piqued people’s interest,” Burns said. “It’s been well-received. I haven’t received any negative feedback. On the Islam program, someone said should we have a police officer in case we have some kind of disturbance.”
Burns said he declined that choice. A few people had questions about Islam but they were curious and respectful, he said.
While each of the first three speaker series were scheduled for a different night of the week (there was no program scheduled for December), Burns is hopeful they can settle on a consistent night of the week, such as Sunday night, when the facility is more likely to be available. Holy Innocents is a busy parish that hosts many different activities and community groups, so finding the same night open each time can prove challenging, he said.
Corcoran’s program was intentionally scheduled for the evening of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Burns said.
Burns said he wants to continue to branch out on various topics and plans to have a church committee help decide future programs. Among other topics he may confront are art and theology and climate change.
“We should be bringing people together,” Burns said. “We are living in divided times. You often see it on the news and in people’s attitudes.”
The entire community is welcome to attend any program. There is a freewill offering. Light refreshments are served.
For future months’ programs, visit the Holy Innocents website at www.hi.org. Holy Innocents Catholic Church is located at 431 Bedford Rd.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
