Welcome from the Director
The Walter and Mary Tuohy Chair of Interreligious Studies was established in 1966 as a direct response to the Second Vatican Council’s call for Catholics to engage other believers in a spirit of appreciation and reconciliation. Over the years, the Tuohy Chair carried forward the spirit of the council by hosting visiting scholars, lectures, and courses aimed at fostering greater understanding of the diverse religious traditions that shape our world.
In 2023, John Carroll University began the next chapter in this story with the launch of the Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding. Through new academic programs and initiatives, we hope to “acknowledge, preserve, and encourage the spiritual and moral truths” (Nostra Aetate 2) found in all religious traditions by bringing a diversity of religious voices into mutually illuminating conversations.
Welcome to the conversation!
Edward Hahnenberg, Ph.D.,
Director, Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding
Our Vision, Mission, and Core Values
The Tuohy Center's vision, mission, and core values express who we are and why interreligious understanding matters at John Carroll University.
Vision
The Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding at John Carroll University embraces the Second Vatican Council's call to “acknowledge, preserve, and encourage the spiritual and moral truths” (Nostra Aetate, 2) found in all religious traditions by bringing a diversity of religious voices into mutually illuminating conversation.
Mission
By supporting academic programs and initiatives in interreligious understanding at John Carroll University and beyond, the Tuohy Center seeks to promote appreciation for and understanding of the diverse religious traditions that shape our world.
Core Values
The Tuohy Center strives for academic excellence, engaging the whole person, so as to stand for and with others.
Academic Excellence
Understanding overcomes prejudice, builds relationships, and contributes to the greater good (magis) that is the hallmark of Jesuit education. We believe that understanding religious diversity demands the highest level of scholarly inquiry that attends to both commonalities and distinctive particularities among religious traditions.
The Whole Person
Religious commitment engages not only the mind, but also body and spirit through various forms of ritual, service, prayer, meditation, and other practices. We welcome opportunities to collaborate with partners across campus who serve the diverse religious lives of our students, faculty, and staff.
For and With Others
We value opportunities to engage the diverse religious communities both in our region and beyond. We cultivate the kind of encounters that help all participants to “respect their own culture and that of others; appreciate the interdependence of all humanity; and become citizens who build a more just and humane society” (JCU Mission Statement).
