Spring 2026 Shannon Lecture Series features the theme of courage
Nazareth University’s spring 2026 Shannon Lecture Series features two inspiring presentations focused on courage in today’s world. On March 1, Sr. Eilis McCulloh explores how courage grows stronger when it is shared and supported within a community. On April, 28, Carol Zinn, SSJ, reflects on the inner strength that helps us face uncertainty and challenges. Together, these talks encourage us to see courage as both a personal strength and something that flourishes through connection with others. Both lectures are free and open to the public.
Rooted in Community: Cultivating Courage as a Shared Practice
Lecture by Sr. Eilis McCulloh
Sunday, March 1 | 3 p.m. | Otto Shults Center Forum
Free and open to the public
Sr. Eilis McCulloh is a sister of the Humility of Mary and serves as the grassroots education and organizing coordinator with NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Westminster College, Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree from John Carroll University, Ohio. She earned her J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law, bringing legal expertise to her advocacy and education work.
Her ministry is deeply rooted in building relationships with those on the margins, nurturing community, and translating faith-based values into action for the common good. Before joining NETWORK in 2020, McCulloh spent more than a decade ministering in refugee resettlement and immigration services in Minnesota and Ohio. She studied Spanish in Guatemala and ministered in Haiti, experiences that shaped her lifelong commitment to accompaniment and justice.
Beyond her work at NETWORK, McCulloh serves on her religious community’s Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) and racial justice committees and accompanies/advocates for refugees and immigrants. She co-hosts “Just Politics”, a podcast produced in collaboration with Network and U.S. Catholic magazine, exploring the intersections of faith, policy, and justice.
Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My: Heartbeats of Courage
Lecture by Carol Zinn, SSJ
Tuesday, April 28 | 7 p.m. | Otto Shults Center Forum
Free and open to the public
Carol Zinn, E.D.d., a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph, earned a bachelor’s in education from Chestnut Hill College, Pennsylvania, a master’s in theology from St. Bonaventure University, and a doctorate in curriculum development and education foundations from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She was a research fellow at Episcopal Divinity School and Harvard University.
Zinn's work has a local, national, and international scope, involving grassroots-based movements, such as the United Religions Initiative and the Earth Charter, and non-governmental organizations, such as Global Education Associates, working to further global systemic change. She also served as the main representative for the Congregations of St. Joseph, an NGO in general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. In this capacity, Zinn participated in United Nations meetings on human rights, eradication of poverty, environment, peace and disarmament, education, sustainable development, women, children, and healthcare.
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Sr. Eilis McCulloh (left) speaks March 1, and Carol Zinn, SSJ, speaks on April 28.