September 25, 2021
On September 25th, the Abbey, in conjunction with the Columbus School of Law at CUA, hosted the 47th annual Thomas Verner Moore Lecture. Given by Robert Kugelmann of the University of Dallas, this was the first TVM lecture which actually was about Thomas Verner Moore himself. Dr. Kugelmann's lecture was titled “Sanctity and the Myth of the Hero, in the Psychology of Thomas Verner Moore” and delved into the views of Fr. Thomas on what it meant to be holy and how individuals would exemplify it in their lives. Dr. Kugelmann also talked about the sources of Fr. Thomas's view, particularly his experiences as a chaplain with American forces during World War I. For those of you who were unable to attend the lecture, you can view a recording of it (including the Q&A at the end) below.
Click here to read Professor Kugelmann's talk.
Robert W. Kugelmann, professor emeritus at the University of Dallas, has produced important
studies on the conflicts and convergences between modern psychology and Catholicism, as well
as on the way in which the concept of pain has been understood historically and psychologically.
As a young assistant professor he taught for four years in the Psychology Department at Seattle
University before transferring in 1982 to the University of Dallas, where he has been ever since.
In addition to about sixty book chapters and articles appearing in such journals as History of
Psychology and Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, Professor Kugelmann’s
published books include Windows of the Soul (1983), Stress: The Nature and History of
Engineered Grief (1992), Psychology and Catholicism: Contested Boundaries (2011), and
Constructing Pain: Historical, Psychological and Critical Perspectives (2017). He is currently
working on a book with the tentative title Psychology after “Psychology without a Soul”.
At the University of Dallas, Professor Kugelmann served for four years as chair of the
Psychology Department and was a member of the Faculty Senate for eight years. He is a
member of numerous professional organizations, including the International Society for Clinical
Health Psychology (of which he is a charter member) and the Catholic Psychotherapy
Association.
At the invitation of St. Anselm’s Abbey, he kindly agreed to focus this year’s lecture on one
significant aspect of the work of the de facto founder of our monastic community, Thomas
Verner Moore, a man who was himself very prominent in the fields of psychology and
psychiatry in the twentieth century.