Oct 30, 2014
by MOSAIC Editorial Team
Holy Father Appoints Dr. Healy to Pontifical Biblical Commission.
Mosaic readers may already know that four Sacred Heart faculty members are serving or have recently served on a council or commission of the Holy See. They are Dr. Janet Smith, Dr. Edward Peters, and Dr. Ralph Martin (current), and Fr. John McDermott, SJ (past). Now a fifth faculty member has been selected for such an honor.
On October 18, Pope Francis appointed Dr. Mary Healy to the Pontifical Biblical Commission. Dr. Healy, associate professor of Sacred Scripture at Sacred Heart, will serve a five-year term as a member of the commission. The Pontifical Biblical Commission was established in 1902 to advise the Holy Father on issues of biblical interpretation. Since 1971, it has been attached to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to assist the congregation in its teaching function. She is the only American on the twenty-member commission, which is made up of biblical scholars from across the globe.
The appointment is a great honor for Dr. Healy and also for the seminary, Rector Msgr. Todd Lajiness says. It increases our connection to universal conversations within the Church.
Not only is she an accomplished Scripture scholar and a superb teacher, but all of her work originates from a deep faith. We celebrate Dr. Healy's appointment and thank God for all the talented faculty members here at the seminary, the rector says. We are proud she will be making a difference in the universal life of the Church. Monsignor Lajiness ask the supporters of the seminary to pray for Dr. Healy and for the work of the Pontifical Biblical Commission.
Dr. Healy has been a faculty member at the seminary since 2008. She is a co-editor of three books on biblical interpretation and is a general editor of the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, a series of commentaries that interprets Scripture from a perspective of faith. She is author of the commentary's volumes The Gospel of Mark (2008) and The Letter to the Hebrews (coming out in 2015). Dr. Healy also is author of Men and Women Are From Eden, a study of St. John Paul II's teachings on marriage and family, generally called the theology of the body. She speaks at conferences internationally on topics related to Scripture, the theology of the body, and the spiritual life.
Dr. Healy holds two Master of Arts degrees, a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the International Academy of Theology in Gaming, Austria, and a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. She currently serves as chair of the Doctrinal Commission of International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services in Rome. She is a member of the Pentecostal/Catholic International Dialogue, which is co-sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
MOSAIC Editorial Team