Conference Presentations by Karen O'Donnell
For those who are grappling with online sacraments, here is a bibliography of academic sources th... more For those who are grappling with online sacraments, here is a bibliography of academic sources that you may find helpful.
The incidence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is on a steady rise in combative countries... more The incidence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is on a steady rise in combative countries around the world and civilian churches are increasingly like to encounter persons suffering from PTSD. In ancient Rome, the vestal virgins performed a purification ritual for soldiers returning to the cities after battle. Similarly, African tribes, such as the Masai warriors, recognised that the reintegration of warriors into society post-battle required ritual expression of the move from one sphere of life to another. Both these rituals were designed to give recognition to the importance of the battle conducted on behalf of society but also the horror of the experience of battle. This paper will take into consideration these ancient rituals for the purification of warriors after battle, including the biblical instruction of Numbers 31: 19-21 to purify soldiers after warfare, to demonstrate the responsibility of the Church towards returning warriors and explore the ways in which the liturgy can function as a place for recovery from PTSD and ‘moral injury’. I will demonstrate how the sacraments of Reconciliation, the Eucharist and the Anointing of the Sick function as sites of re-integration into the world the warriors have fought for, recovery from trauma and purification after battle. Exploring these sacraments and their attendant liturgies through the psychoanalytical framework of trauma theory will reveal the dynamic and intricate interplay of trauma and theology. This paper will draw on the principles of trauma theology developed by theologians such as Shelly Rambo and Serene Jones. It is my contention that the Church has the potential to offer healing and reconciliation to wounded warriors with the powerful sacramental tools at its disposal. The results of this paper will have wider implications for the handling of non-combative PTSD suffers in the Church. It will, for example, reveal principles for the recovery from the trauma of reproductive loss, rape, and abuse. In this paper I will show how a sacramental understanding of the body combined with the elements of trauma recovery that are, I believe, at the very heart of liturgy, can offer healing for returning warriors in both community and communion.
In this paper I explore the implications of understanding the Annunciation-Incarnation event as a... more In this paper I explore the implications of understanding the Annunciation-Incarnation event as a traumatic occurrence, and the significance of such understanding for the contemporary Church. Using psychoanalytical interpretations of trauma, I explore the impact and effect of this event on the person of Mary with regards to notions of rupture in terms of body and time as well as cognition. I then explore the implications of such an understanding of the Annunciation-Incarnation event with regards to the Eucharist and the repetition of this trauma in the celebration of the Mass. Focusing on the Magnificat in Luke’s Gospel, I examine Mary’s recovery from trauma as a model for the sacramental celebration of the Eucharist, before reflecting on the significance of understanding the Annunciation-Incarnation event, as well as the Eucharist, through the lens of trauma theory. The paper concludes by considering the subsequent role of gender in the priesthood in the light of such considerations, suggesting that the most appropriate model of priesthood is one in which men and women share equally and evaluating the effects of a re-focused understanding of the Eucharist for the contemporary Church with particular regard to social justice and modern liturgy.
Papers by Karen O'Donnell
Surviving Trauma at the Foot of the Cross, 2021
As published in O’Donnell, Karen. “Surviving Trauma at the Foot of the Cross.” In When Did We See... more As published in O’Donnell, Karen. “Surviving Trauma at the Foot of the Cross.” In When Did We See You Naked? Jesus as a Victim of Sexual Abuse, edited by Jayme R. Reaves, David Tombs, and Rocío Figueroa, 260–77. London: SCM Press, 2021.
Existing GCSE and A Level syllabuses include modules on religion and the media, but these have no... more Existing GCSE and A Level syllabuses include modules on religion and the media, but these have not been widely or well studied for a variety of reasons. The modules may be considered difficult to teach well and teachers have few good resources to use in comparison with more popular topics such as medical or environmental ethics. The newly launched specifications for RS GCSE and A-Level examinations have eliminated, almost entirely, any study of religion and the media. The absence of this theme is troubling. There is a strong case to be made that critical appreciation of the ways media depicts religion is especially important for forming responsible, educated citizens in modern Britain, many of whom will not participate directly in religious communities but will see much depiction of such communities and their ideologies in the media. We propose key principles and questions that might help equip teachers to tackle critically and intelligently issues about religion in the media as they arise. We illustrate this approach by considering media responses to the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.
Book Reviews by Karen O'Donnell
Examination and analysis of two recent publications on theological anthropology, one a monograph ... more Examination and analysis of two recent publications on theological anthropology, one a monograph and the other an anthology of key texts co-edited by the author of the monograph , raises questions of who is included and excluded in theological writing which considers what it means to be human. I argue that when the white male voice is privileged in these kinds of volumes, to the marginalization of the voices of women, of people of color, of LGBTQI people, of differently abled people, then the answer to this question—what does it mean to be human?—is skewed and incomplete. As theologians and teachers, we have a responsibility in our citation and text-selection practices to be critically reflective about who we include: such selections are politically, pedagogically, and theologically significant.
Drafts by Karen O'Donnell
When people, Christians in particular, object to things (especially incarnational or sacramental ... more When people, Christians in particular, object to things (especially incarnational or sacramental things) happening in digital spaces it is often based on a fundamental misconception of what those spaces actually are. In this paper, I argue that we are corporeal creatures who can never be disembodied. When online things are dismissed as inferior or unreal, it is because we have failed to recognise the corporeal nature of the digital space.
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Conference Presentations by Karen O'Donnell
Papers by Karen O'Donnell
Book Reviews by Karen O'Donnell
Drafts by Karen O'Donnell