Inaugural des Places-Liebermann Award to be Presented

The Rev. Dr. Robert Hughes III will receive the inaugural des Places-Libermann Award in Pneumatology at the sixth annual Holy Spirit Lecture and Colloquium.

The award was established to honor an individual who has made the most significant contribution to the area of pneumatology—the study of the spirit—during the last five years.

“The award is named in honor of the two founders of the Spiritan order, Father Claude Poullart des Places and Venerable Francis Libermann,” said Dr. Radu Bordeianu, assistant professor of theology and director of the Holy Spirit Lecture and Colloquium. “The theology of the Holy Spirit is still being rediscovered by contemporary theologians. Thus, we hope to both reward those who advance the field and encourage others to publish in this area.”

Hughes is being recognized for his book, Beloved Dust: Tides of the Spirit in Christian Life, which, as described by publisher Continuum, “takes a realistic and contemporary view of human being as entirely physical (dust) and then shows it immersed in three great tides of the Holy Spirit, the traditional threefold rhythm of conversion, transfiguration and glory.”

In addition to receiving the award, Hughes will deliver the keynote at the event, which will be held on Friday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. in the Power Center Ballroom. His presentation, Dust and DNA: The Intertwining of Word and Spirit in History and the Trinitarian Life, will branch out from his book.

“Dr. Hughes will discuss the role of the Spirit not only in the person, but also in human history and in creation in general,” said Bordeianu. “He will identify the ways in which the three persons of the Trinity work together in relationship with the entire creation. From these works ‘outside’ the Trinity, he will attempt to draw some conclusions about the ‘inner’ Trinity, or how God is in God-self.”

Prior to his lecture, Hughes will join four other international scholars from 1 to 4:30 p.m. for the colloquium segment of the event, during which the group will explore the same theme as Hughes’ evening presentation.

The Holy Spirit Lecture and Colloquium was established in 2005 by President Charles J. Dougherty as an expression of Duquesne’s mission and charism as a university founded by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit and dedicated to the Holy Spirit. Designed to develop the intellectual spirit, the ongoing series of lectures and colloquia is designed to encourage the exploration of ideas pertaining to the theology of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit Lecture and Colloquium is free and open to the public. For more information, call 412.396.6526.