Mary Milligan, R.S.H.M. Lecture to Feature Renowned Speaker on Indigenous Life and Spirituality

The LMU Department of Theological Studies will welcome Cheryl Bear, Ph.D. (Nadleh Whut'en First Nation) as the featured speaker for the annual Mary Milligan, R.S.H.M. Lecture in Spirituality on March 19. Bear will offer a theological overview of Native American spirituality, drawing from her work as a scholar, musician, and advocate for Indigenous communities.

Bear is widely recognized as a respected voice on behalf of Canada's Indigenous peoples. A speaker and teacher, she has traveled to more than 600 Indigenous communities across Canada and the United States, sharing stories and songs that reflect Indigenous life and experience.

She served two terms as a band councillor for the Nadleh Whut'en First Nation and continues to engage with non-Native communities, including schools, government agencies, churches, and businesses, through workshops that foster greater awareness and understanding of Indigenous issues.

In addition to her teaching and advocacy, Bear is a multi-award-winning singer-songwriter whose music weaves together storytelling and reflections on Indigenous identity and culture. She is a founding board member of NAIITS, an Indigenous learning community, and serves on the faculty of Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The endowed lecture series is named in honor of Sister Mary Milligan, a distinguished figure in LMU history. A former provost and dean of the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, Milligan also served as general superior of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary and as the order's western provincial. She was among the first women to earn a doctoral degree from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

Established in 2013, the lecture series provides a forum for critical reflection on spirituality in service to the Church, the academy, and the wider world. It reflects the charism of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary community: "that all may have life and have it to the full."

Event Details
Thursday, March 19, 2026 | 7 p.m.
Ahmanson Auditorium, UH 1000

A reception will follow in the Marymount Institute, UH 3002.

All are welcome. An RSVP is requested.