Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922)

About Horizons of Hope:

In 1995, Pope John Paul II released the Vatican Film List- a list of forty-five films significant to the Catholic faith.  Among them were the German Expressionist SciFi film, Metropolis (1927); the 1933 classic film adaption of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, an early talkie whose cast includes a young Katharine Hepburn; and the 1922 adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, Nosferatu.  What do these films have to do with our Faith? Join us and moderator Dr. Matthew Clemente, Director of Research and Curriculum at the Center for Psychological Humanities and Ethics at Boston College,  for a film festival celebrating art and spirituality with three classic films, three compelling post-show conversations, and of course, a lot of popcorn. 

Dr. Matthew Clemente is the Director of Research & Curriculum at Center for Psychological Humanities & Ethics and an Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Department of Formative Education at Boston College. He is the Coeditor in Chief of the Journal for Continental Philosophy of Religion and the Codirector of The Guestbook Project, a 501c3 non-profit. He is the Series Editor of two book series with Routledge/Taylor & Francis and has authored or edited over a dozen books.

Thomas Massaro, S.J., is the Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society at Fordham University. A Jesuit priest of the USA East Province, he joined Fordham in 2018 as professor of moral theology and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on many aspects of Catholic social teaching, peacemaking, the sociology of religion, and the constructive role of religion in public life. 

Currently he is associate director of the Center for Ethics Education and continues to teach select classes such as Theologies of Peace and Professional Ethics for Pastoral Ministry. In fall 2024 he was named to the McGinley Chair of Religion and Society.

Prior to Fordham, Father Massaro was professor of moral theology at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts; at its successor, the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry; and at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, where he also served as dean for four years. He earned his doctorate in Christian social ethics from Emory University in 1997, holds three master's degrees in philosophy and theology, and received his bachelor's degree from Amherst College.

A prolific writer and former columnist for America magazine, Father Massaro’s 11 books and over 150 published articles address topics in Christian social ethics that draw upon wide-ranging studies in political science, economics, philosophy, and theology. His most recent books are Pope Francis as Moral Leader (Paulist Press, 2023) and Living Justice: Catholic Social Teaching in Action (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023). 

Father Massaro remains committed to hands-on social activism. He served a six-year term on the Peace Commission of the City of Cambridge and is a co-founder and national steering committee member of Catholic Scholars for Worker Justice. 

A sought-after speaker, Father Massaro enjoys engaging audiences on topics of social justice and the exercise of faith-based civic responsibility. He is eager to uphold the tradition of delivering public McGinley Chair lectures and plans to use the semiannual talks to discuss his research on Catholic social teaching and its contributions to responsible public policies.