Laurie Gagne

Laurie Gagne received her doctorate in Systematic Theology from the University of Notre Dame and taught Religious Studies for many years at Trinity College of Vermont (winning the Katherine O’Donnell Outstanding Faculty award in 1988.) While at Trinity, she wrote, The Uses of Darkness: Women’s Underworld Journeys Ancient and Modern, which was published by University of Notre Dame Press (2000) as well as a number of articles on philosopher/mystic Simone Weil and the spiritual journey. When Trinity closed in 2001, she began a new phase of her career teaching Peace and Justice at St. Michael’s College and was appointed Director of the school’s Edmundite Center for Peace and Justice.  Articles and papers from this phase focused on religion and literature and the pedagogy of Peace and Justice. Outside the classroom, Laurie was an activist, starting a nationwide campaign on behalf of Congolese women (the Dear Hillary Campaign for the Congo) in 2010 and helping to found the Vermont Ibutwa Initiative, a non-profit which provides medical assistance, psycho-social counseling, and a sustainable livelihood to survivors of rape in Bukavu, DRC.  In 2012 she was recognized for her effective integration of service learning into her Peace and Justice courses with the Vermont Campus Compact Award for Excellence in Community-Based Teaching. Having recently retired as Director of the Center, Laurie is now teaching as an adjunct professor at St. Michael’s,  has just completed a book on Simone Weil, is serving as President of the Board of Directors of Ibutwa, and is giving workshops and retreats on nonviolence.