无码专区

Joseph Evans '25 PhD

Joe is the Research Fellow at the Mother Teresa Institute in Washington, DC, and maintains a part-time role with the Center for Peace & Justice Education to coordinate the Graduate Student Peace & Justice Symposium. His research focuses on interreligious peacebuilding, Mariology and Catholic Social Teaching. He is a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. His military experience as a U.S. Army Ranger, infantry officer and South Asian Foreign Area Officer include multiple combat and peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo, as well as policymaking, diplomatic assignments, and disaster response operations in Pakistan and Nepal.

Education:
PhD, Theology and Religious Studies, 无码专区
MTS, 无码专区
MA, World Politics, Catholic University of America
MSc, Conflict Studies, University of Balochistan, Quetta, Pakistan
MS, Aerospace Engineering, University of Alabama
BS, Mechanical Engineering, Lehigh University

Sharon Marie Gutkowski '25 PhD

Sharon鈥檚 dissertation, 鈥淎 Generous Agenda: The Ethics of Pauline Hospitality with a Closer Look at Dining and Table Fellowship in 1 Corinthians,鈥� utilizes the undisputed Pauline letters to analyze the six ways that Paul practiced hospitality amid the influences of Jewish and Greco-Roman hospitality practices of the first century CE. She was named a Catholic Biblical Association鈥檚 Verbum Emerging Scholars Fellow in 2023. Sharon is currently a theology teacher at a Catholic high school in New Jersey.

Education
BS, Physics and Philosophy, Seton Hall University
MA, Theology, Seton Hall University
MA, Theology, 无码专区
PhD, Theology, 无码专区

Robert Nicastro '25 PhD

Robert鈥檚 research explores the convergence of theology, science and artificial intelligence, with a focus on how emerging technologies shape human identity, planetary consciousness and the future of religious thought. His dissertation,听鈥淭he Future as Sole Support: Metaphysics, Hyperphysics, and the Theology of Teilhard de Chardin,鈥� reinterprets Teilhard鈥檚 cosmic vision as a compelling metaphysical response to the challenges of the 21st century. Robert is the executive director of the Center for Christogenesis, a leading institute that seeks to cultivate a coherent integration of theology and the frontiers of scientific and technological innovation.

Education:
BA, Philosophy, Gannon University
MA, Theology, Saint Mary鈥檚 Seminary and University
PhD, Theology and Religious Studies, 无码专区

Ailie Posillico '25 PhD

Ailie's main areas of research are medieval European Christian history, studies of gender and sexuality, and German vernacular devotional literature. Her dissertation "Mystical Epistolography: Henry of N枚rdlingen (b. 1310) and the Art of the Letter in Medieval Theology" focuses on the epistolary exchange between the Dominican nun Margaret Ebner (d. 1291) and her confessor Henry of N枚rdlingen. Currently, she is a lecturer in the Peace and Justice Studies Department and the Augustine and Culture Seminar Program at 无码专区.聽

Education:
B.A., Theology, B.S., Psychology, Fordham University
MTS, History of Christianity, Harvard Divinity School
Ph.D., Theology and Religious Studies, 无码专区聽

Laura Simpson '25 PhD

Laura studies how storytelling about the American prison shapes political and theological imaginations. Her current research project explores how the prison museum functions to reproduce carceral power dynamics through reformist critique, asking how鈥攁nd if鈥攑ractices of memorializing the American prison can interrupt cyclical patterns of reform to inspire abolitionist possibility. She is working as a postdoctoral fellow at the Danforth Center for Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Education
BA, Religious Studies, Wake Forest University
MTS, Vanderbilt Divinity School
PhD, 无码专区

Janet Abai

Following her passion for seeing an intentional partnership between theology and trauma healing permeate culture and Church,听Janet聽pursues subjects of psycho-spiritual scholarship. Her current research focuses on trauma, death, and anxiety in the context of relational theodicy. She concentrates on the complex nature of human trauma with special attention to forgiveness, hope, and healing rituals responsive to individual and collective interventions toward personal and ecclesial transformations.

Teaching experience: Trauma and Theology. Arts & Trauma Healing, Church Hurt. Missionary Trauma.

Education
BA, BSC, Mass Communication, National Open University, Nigeria
MA, Theology and Peace Studies (MATPS), Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Indiana

Abel K. Aruan

Growing up in Indonesia and concerned about extractivist culture corroding the Asia-Pacific, Abel is researches social and ecological justice through the lens of political theology, post/decolonial critiques, queer theories and social reproduction theory. His articles and book reviews have appeared in聽Religions,听Zygon,听WCC Publications,听Journal of Interreligious Studies,听Indonesian Journal of Theology 补苍诲听International Bulletin of Mission Research. A former full-time minister in the Protestant denomination, he was appointed to the Advisory Board of the 11th World Council of Churches General Assembly, Karlsruhe, Germany, in 2022. Abel serves as the Vice-Chairperson of the Indonesian Theologians Association and co-convener of College Theology Society鈥檚 鈥淭heology, Ecology, and Natural Science鈥� unit鈥攂oth for the 2025-2028 term.

Education:
MTS, Boston University School of Theology
Summer School, Center of Study & Investigation for Decolonial Dialogues (dialogoglobal)
BTh, Southeast Asia Bible Seminary, Indonesia

Mark Florig

Mark Florig has concentrations in spirituality and systematic theology. His main area of expertise is in liturgical studies, with special emphasis on late medieval to contemporary western liturgy. Mark has significant interests in Roman Catholic and Anglican worship, sacramental theology, ecclesiology and spirituality, particularly with an eye to ecumenical relations and influence. While being heavily interested in theology and worship in the long 19th century, he also enjoys studying applications of Medieval and Reformation-era theologians to contemporary issues, particularly from the lens of the Christian Platonist tradition. 

Education
BA, University of Notre Dame
MAR, Yale University

Kate Giancatarino

Kate is the senior director of the of the St. Thomas of 无码专区 Center for the Common Good (CCG) within the Office of Mission and Ministry.聽 As a part-time doctoral student, Kate is focusing on the intersections of liberation theology and Augustinian spirituality, especially looking at how both can inform community outreach and advocacy. Kate facilitates a fourth hour for Caritas, a service-learning section of Communitas for first-year students.聽She is a member of the Mission and Social Justice committee of the University, the Board of Directors for the Augustinian Defenders of the Rights of the Poor (ADROP) and a member of the Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance. These committees all inform her study and work.

Education
BA, Theology and Religious Studies, University of Scranton
MA, Pastoral Ministry, Boston College
MSW, Boston College

Jordan Goneau-Goncalves

Jordan鈥檚 interests include trauma, mystical theology, and asceticism, primarily focusing on鈥攁nd grounded in a concern for鈥攕ubjects traumatized by sexual violence. His current research works with reconceptualization of desire and attention, a new understanding of how the subject should relate to their own trauma, and the ethics of traumatized existence in order to better understand how God is present to the traumatized subject, not through their suffering, but perhaps in the space carved out by it and in the work that must follow. He hopes that this work will serve as a resource for鈥攁nd a reminder of鈥攕urvivors and their spiritual needs.

Education
BA, History, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth聽
MA, History, Boston University聽
MA, Biblical Studies, Providence College
MA, Theology, 无码专区

Julia Henderson

Julia specializes in mystical theology from the 12th to 14th century. Her research examines the intersections of mysticism, philosophy and rhetoric, with a focus on vernacular texts written by women. She is particularly interested in how the innovative literary forms they employ contribute to reconfigurations of the ways freedom and confinement are understood and lived out.

Education
BA, English Literature, University of Toronto
MA, English, University of Toronto
MA, Philosophy, The Institute for Christian Studies聽

Joshua Johnston

Joshua鈥檚 research interests revolve around developments in theological anthropology in patristic and medieval thought, the history of Augustinianism and the relationship between faith and reason in contemporary thought. His current work focuses on Christian critiques of disordered knowledge and changing conceptions of聽creatio ex nihilo,听but he maintains a passion for education in the humanities and engagements with popular culture.聽

Education
BS, Auburn University
MA, Yale University

Shayla A. Jordan

Shayla鈥檚 research falls within the concentrations of Christian ethics and systematic theology.聽Her dissertation offers a critical reimagining of the doctrines of Christian perfection and deification through the lenses of feminist thought, queer theory, liberation theology, political theology and virtue ethics.聽Shayla has presented and published in a variety of contexts, including the聽Journal of Scriptural Reasoning, the American Academy of Religion and the American Philosophical Association. She completed a certificate in Women and Gender Studies at 无码专区 and is a candidate for ordination in the United Methodist Church.

Education
BA, Philosophy and Religion, Southwestern College
MA, Divinity, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University
MA, Education, Southern Methodist University

Augustin Kassa, S.M.A.

Augustin聽has聽an active theological interest in holistic philosophies, with particular emphasis on Ancient Egyptian cosmological systems, diverse African cosmogonies and their intellectual intersections with Hebraic cosmological narratives, Pauline metaphysical constructs, and the Pan-African philosophical principle of Ubuntu. His research methodology interrogates the epistemological relationships these traditional philosophical systems maintain with contemporary "Big Bang" cosmological theory, examining the theoretical implications that emerge from such comparative analysis. His agenda extends to a critical hermeneutical examination of the principle of catholicity through a cosmological lens, while giving scholarly attention to Raimon Panikkar鈥檚 theoretical idea of cosmotheandrism.

Education
STB Tangaza University, Nairobi, Kenya
MA, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago
MA, 无码专区

William Kuncken

William鈥檚 work focuses on Christian ethics and systematic theology. As part of his coursework and dissertation, William has sought to build upon the theological trajectories established in Pope Francis鈥檚 groundbreaking encyclical,听Laudato si鈥�,听while also examining narratives and paradigms outside of traditional Christian sources that address humanity鈥檚 relationship with the natural world, particularly through the theme of vulnerability. In addition to his doctoral work at 无码专区, William is a full-time faculty member within the religious studies department at St. Joseph鈥檚 Preparatory School in Philadelphia. He coordinates the school鈥檚 environmental justice week and is involved in ongoing sustainability initiatives on campus. Through his complementary roles as a student, activist and educator, he hopes to build upon his efficacy as an instructor in the classroom and advocate for the wider ecological community.

Education
BA, Political Science and Philosophy, Seton Hall University聽
MA, Theology, 无码专区

Jacques Linder

Jacques鈥檚 work traces how political and theological power are intertwined and produced through the creation, use and proliferation of nuclear weapons. His dissertation, 鈥淚n the Security of The Bomb: A Political Theology of Nuclear Destruction,鈥� argues that 鈥渟ecurity鈥� is a secularized eschatological discourse through an examination of the rhetoric and practices of activists, political stakeholders and peacemakers.聽Jacques is a visiting instructor in the religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., where he teaches classes on Christian social ethics and medical ethics. Jacques also co-convenes the blog 鈥淐atholic Re-Visions鈥� on the Political Theology Network website.

Education
BA, Religion and Theology, La Salle University
BS, Information Technology, La Salle University
MTS, 无码专区

Angela Lopez-Egea Vives

Angela鈥檚 areas of specialization are Christian Ethics and Systematic Theology, with interests in gender and women studies and postcolonial theory. Her current doctoral research centers on the impact of Spanish Catholicism on Mexican women during 16th and 17th-century colonial Mexico, with a specific emphasis on forms of punishment and reclusion for women. She is a recipient of the 鈥淩eligion and Public Life Summer Fellowship" co-sponsored by the Center for Political Theology and the Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy of 无码专区. This fellowship supports her internship about Catholic education with the 无码专区 School of Law and the Department of Theology and Religious Studies.聽

Education
BA, Archaeology, University of Barcelona
BA, History, Archaeology and Christian Education, Ateneu Universitari Sant Paci脿, Barcelona
MA, Theology, 无码专区聽

Anne Patricia Minicozzi

Anne teaches first-year students in the Augustine and Culture Seminar Program at 无码专区 and enjoys the interplay between theology, literature, music and the fine arts. She tries to be prayerfully attentive to the notion that the poiesis, or aesthetic 鈥渕aking,鈥濃�攊n which she engages while reading, writing, worshipping, gardening and writing poetry, as well as participating in family life and racial justice work in her parish/archdiocese and community鈥攁re 鈥渕aking鈥� her, too. She looks forward to learning more so she can share that knowledge via fresh pedagogical strategies with her students, while at the same time always learning from them.

Education
BA, English, University of Hartford
MFA, English, The Pennsylvania State University
MA, Theology, 无码专区

Hai-Duong Nguyen

As a former religious Sister from Vietnam, where the church is characterized by a double layer of patriarchy from both Confucianism and traditional interpretations of Catholicism, the issues of gender and women鈥檚 sexuality have been Duong鈥檚 burning concerns and the focus of her theological reflection. Growing up in a multi-religious environment of Vietnam, Duong is fascinated by how each person lives out their religious beliefs. Studying lived religious practice allows her not only to cherish the religious heritage of her ancestors but also to appreciate the plurality of how humans communicate with the divine. In addition to academic work in theology, Duong genuinely cares about the integrity of talking聽about聽补苍诲听to/with聽God鈥攎eaning, doing theology is and should be a way of experiencing God, deepening her relationship with God and becoming a more loving person each day. Given her context, background, and passions, Duong鈥檚 research interests also include interreligious dialogue, Buddhist鈥揅hristian comparative theology, theology of friendship, queer theories and gender studies, women mysticism, theological reflection from the posthuman perspective.

Education
BA, English Language, Hue University, Vietnam
BA, Psychology and Theology, King鈥檚 College, PA
MTS, Systematic Theology, 无码专区

Hoa聽Nguyen, L.H.C.

Hoa is a professed member of the Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross in Dalat, Vietnam. Her scholarly interests and research are how to read and reread women鈥檚 鈥渟ilence鈥� at the empty tomb in the Gospel of Mark, in conversation with female Vietnamese postcolonial perspectives and Asian cultural contexts. Through a comparative study of the empty tomb narratives in both canonical and non-canonical Gospels, she examines the overlaps and how the women are portrayed differently in these accounts. She poses a central research question, which concerns the cultural meanings of silence and how it is understood. Her current research enhances her pastoral and scholarly service as an educator by exploring how Vietnamese women can interpret biblical texts in culturally sensitive and empowering ways, offering an alternative perspective to the unhelpful approaches commonly adopted in Vietnam.聽

Education
BA, Saint Xavier University
MDiv, University of Chicago, Divinity School
STL, Boston College

Jessie Pagan

Within the focus areas of Historical Theology and Spirituality Studies, Jessie is a doctoral candidate specializing in medieval monastic spiritualities and creation theologies. Her dissertation, tentatively entitled, 鈥溾�業n The Mode of Water鈥�: A Symbolic Theology of Creation in Helftan Literature,鈥� integrates lived religion methodology with a literary analysis of a thirteenth-century German community's theology of creation, with marked attention for its Augustinian influences. Jessie also serves as an associate editor in her role as graduate assistant for 无码专区's Augustinian Institute.

Education
BA, History and Religion, University of Georgia
MA, Theology, 无码专区
MTS, Vanderbilt Divinity School聽
Carpenter Certificate in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality from Vanderbilt University

Nathan Preuhs

Nathan has a wide range of research interests that align with the department's interdisciplinary and integrative approach to theology, primarily through the lens of theological anthropology. His research focuses on theological interpretations of scripture, religious dimensions of culture, and the reintegration of 19th and 20th century 鈥渓iberal theology鈥� into Orthodox reflection. Currently, his research hopes to聽use聽Paul Tillich鈥檚 theology of culture聽in the service of聽an existential analysis of scripture. Nathan works as a doctoral research assistant for 无码专区's CLEAR Project, which examines the intersecting spheres of children, liturgy, ecology and renewal in churches surrounding the greater Philadelphia area.

Education
BA, Biblical Studies, Eastern University聽
BA, Criminal Justice, Eastern University聽
MATS, 无码专区

Paola Pruett-Vergara

Paola鈥檚 research interests include aesthetics, continental philosophy of religion, political philosophy, ressourcement theology, and Augustine's thought on time, history and eternity. She works as a program assistant for Migrants & Refugees in Our Common Home, a 无码专区-led initiative seeking to mobilize academic communities in addressing the challenges faced by migrants and refugees.

Education
BA, Communications, St. Mary's College of California
MFA, Creative Writing, St. Mary's College of California
MA, Philosophy, Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
MA, Theology, Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology

Matthew Riddle

Matthew works at the intersection of historical theology and spirituality, exploring the alleged decline of religion and the rise of spirituality today. He is interested in the history of contemporary spirituality in America, especially the 鈥渟piritual but not religious,鈥� contemplative and mystical forms of Christianity, and their mutual influence on one another. He is currently working on a dissertation investigating the dynamic interplay between these traditions, utilizing ethnographic, historical, and theological methods. It is tentatively titled, 鈥淭he Monkhood of All Believers: Thomas Keating, Centering Prayer, and Democratizing Contemplation in America.鈥�

Education
BA, Religious Studies, Rutgers University
MA, Theology, 无码专区

Connor Ritchie

Connor鈥檚 research lies at the intersection of philosophy and theology, and in particular, continental philosophy of religion, medieval mysticism and apophatic theology. He is interested in John Scottus Eriugena, especially his collection of poems entitled the聽Carmina. His current projects focus on relating Eriugena's theology to issues that occupy contemporary continental philosophy of religion, including revelation and conceptions of God without being. Prior to joining the 无码专区鈥檚 doctoral program, Connor taught undergraduate philosophy courses as an adjunct faculty member at 无码专区, Rowan University and Rowan College at Burlington County.

Education
BA, Philosophy and Humanities, 无码专区
MA, Philosophy, Boston College
MTS, 无码专区

Luke Roberts

Luke works at the intersection of theology and modern philosophy with a particular focus on the relationship between religious practices and knowledge. His areas of interest include the history of political and mystical theology, Christian ethics, and the philosophy of religion. His current research focuses on the epistemic, social, and political role of ascetic life and practice.

Education
BA, Harvard University
MA, University of Chicago Divinity School

Sujit T Thomas

Sujit鈥檚 broad research interests include theology of Scripture, theological interpretation of scripture, Christian origins, scriptural interpretation in early Christianity, early Christian attitudes to Judaism, orthodoxy and heresy in early Christianity, and mysticism. He is also interested History of Christianity in India. Sujit is a priest in the Malankara Church and is concerned about pastoral implications of Biblical and historical studies.

Education
ThM  St. Vladimir鈥檚 Theological Seminary
STM Union Theological Seminary
BD Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam, India
BSc Columbia University

Perdian Tumanan

Perdian is a PhD candidate in Christian ethics and constructive theology. His dissertation critically interrogates the logic of moral coloniality and imperialism. Focusing on the historical context of Dutch colonialism in Indonesia鈥攑articularly the era of Dutch ethical politics鈥攈is research argues that colonialism was not merely a project of extractive capitalism or geopolitical expansion, but fundamentally a moral enterprise deeply shaped by Christian theology. Perdian is a recipient of two Summer Fellowships from 无码专区鈥檚 Center for Political Theology (2024) and the Office of Graduate Studies (2025). He is also a Roothbert Fellow (2023) and an APARRI Media Fellow (2025). His publications include an article in the聽Journal for Peace and Justice Studies聽and a chapter in an anthology on justice and peace published by Anabaptist scholars and activists (Pickwick Publications, 2023).

Education
BA, Petra Christian University, Surabaya, Indonesia
MDiv, Southeast Asia Bible Seminary, Malang, Indonesia
MA, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

Mathew Verghese

Mat鈥檚 primary interests are in the areas of liturgical and moral theology, as well as in pastoral ministry in the context of higher education. His dissertation is titled, 鈥�Laudato si鈥櫬�and the Liturgy: Renewing the Sacramental Imagination at a time of Ecological Crisis鈥� and advances a sacramental reading of Pope Francis鈥檚 landmark encyclical on the ecological crisis. Mat shifted to part-time doctoral work and is now Director of Liturgy in the Office for Mission and Ministry at 无码专区. He hopes to continue to work at the intersections of the church鈥檚 liturgical life and theological/ministerial formation.

Education
BA, Psychology, Saint Joseph鈥檚 University
MA,听Theology, 无码专区
MS, Counseling, 无码专区
MTS, 无码专区