Aquinas, Feminism, and the Common Good

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments The existence of this book is due to the support and encouragement of many people. Many thanks are due to Ellen Leonard, C.S.J., who helped it reach fulfillment. Lisa Cahill, Jean Porter, Ronald Mercier, S.J., Steven Dunn, and Roger Hutchinson read this work when it was in the stage of a dissertation, and their comments have strengthened it immeasurably. I am blessed to have good friends who are also wonderful moral theologians in Patricia Lamoureux and Diane Caplan. They read an early draft and encouraged me to believe that the project had merit and should be pursued. Their enthusiasm was a wonderful gift! James Keenan, S.J., editor of the Moral Traditions series, and Richard Brown, director of Georgetown University Press, gave me the opportunity to express myself as a scholar and an ethicist, which was more than I dared hope for when this project began. Students, colleagues , and administrative staff members of Mercy High School, the Ecumenical Institute of Theology, and St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore all contributed interest and encouragement, which helped my work. I am particularly mindful of the support of two special men. I am grateful for the steadfast encouragement of my father, William J. DeCrane . While he himself never graduated from high school and worked all his life as a meat cutter, Dad knew this labor was very important to me, and he was immensely proud of both it and me. Dad died in 1995, but I still clearly hear his voice telling me how proud he is of me, and I cherish this as a priceless legacy. My husband, Brian D. Berry, is also an ethicist. He, more than any other person, has helped this book reach fulfillment through many ix x
Acknowledgments years of stop-and-start work. His love and encouragement of me and my work have been unfailing. He read endless drafts and revisions of this work in all its forms, always offering the gift of cogent critiques, valuable suggestions, and needed criticism. He has endured endless conversations about hermeneutics and Aquinas over breakfast and dinner . His questions and insights have been those of a friend who at times believes in your project more than you do and holds the vision safe until you can pick it up again. To him it is dedicated—Brian, best colleague, best editor, best friend. ...