The Corbett Memorial Lecture
The Corbett Memorial Lecture is named in honor of Msgr. D. Joseph Corbett, pastor of Blessed Sacrament from 1974-1981. Msgr. Corbett was noted for taking to heart the Second Vatican Council's vision of the Church as "the People of God" as expressed in the document Lumen Gentium. Following this vision Corbett encouraged lay participation in various areas of the parish. He firmly believed that if the laity were to play a greater role in the Church, they had to be well-educated. Thus, he became known for his support of continuing adult formation programs. He was one of the founders of what is now the Education for Parish Service Program (EPS), which began at Trinity College here in Washington and has spread to other dioceses, for example. Msgr. Corbett died prematurely from cancer in 1981. In his honor, Blessed Sacrament parishioners established a series of lectures designed to bring speakers to the parish who will challenge all of us to live our Catholic faith in a more informed manner in the modern world.
Renowned scripture scholar Raymond Brown, S.S., was the first Corbett lecturer in 1982. Others have included Msgr. John Tracy Ellis, known as the dean of American Catholic historians, political analyst Mark Shields, and writer Margaret O'Brien Steinfels, as well as Blessed Sacrament's own Father Joseph Komonchak.
The 2008 lecturer was Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop emeritus of Washington. His talk "Reflections on the Middle East: a Personal Perspective" was based on his experiences of working for peace in the Middle East, bringing together Christians, Muslims, and Jews to discuss similarities and differences. This talk served as the keynote address of Blessed Sacrament's ongoing Abrahamic Faiths Project.
Please watch the web site, parish bulletin and parish newsletter for an announcement of the 2009 Corbett Lecture.
