Theology Master’s Graduates Follow Diverse Paths to Serve and Lead
VILLANOVA, Pa. - Master's students in Theology at Villanova University are dedicated scholars who explore how faith engages culture in the church and world today.
“In creative and healing ways, their work reflects the transformative role of shared stories, the gift of understanding in love and the salvific power of faithful friendship—all markers of the Augustinian charism,” says Jennifer Jackson, ThD, Associate Teaching Professor and Director of Master’s and Graduate Certificate Programs. “Through their dedicated work at Villanova and beyond, our students’ contributions exemplify this charism that seeks to embody safe havens, places for authentic self-expression, gratitude, care, growth and transformation in and through contexts of profound uncertainty, suffering, mistrust, misunderstanding and abandonment in faith communities and social contexts.”
These recent Theology master’s graduates, Theresa Gardner ’24 MA, Dane Litchfield ’24 MTS and Matthew Zanowic ’24 MA, are traveling diverse pathways to serve their communities and lead important theological scholarship.
Theresa Gardner ’24 MA
Master of Arts in Theology
As Massimo Faggioli's graduate assistant, Gardner participated in Villanova's Conference, "The Legacy and Limits of Vatican II in an Age of Crisis: Gender, Race, Abuse, and the Living Catholic Tradition." She presented her paper "The Synodal Process and the North American Reception of Women in the Catholic Church" while sitting next to Catherine Clifford, PhD, who was one of the first women able to vote at the recent Synod on Synodality in Rome. Gardner witnessed first-hand the cutting-edge research and initiatives being discussed at a pivotal point in time in the Catholic Church. The conference has made a partnership with liturgical press, allowing for the papers presented at the conference to be published in a book volume. Gardner plans to continue her scholarship and present her work at upcoming conferences. She is currently the Director of Christian Service at the Loyola School in Manhattan.
“My experience with Dr. Faggioli and the Theology Department at Villanova have deeply inspired me, while giving me the tools to be a voice for change in the both the church and the greater society,” says Gardner. “For that, I am truly grateful.”
Dane Litchfield ’24 MTS
Master of Theological Studies
Litchfield’s research largely focuses on examining the history of Christian theology through the development of material culture in the premodern European and Middle Eastern contexts. Through coursework on Global Christianity and Medieval Spirituality and with the support of Theology faculty Kerry San Chirico, PhD, and Rachel Smith, PhD, Litchfield has been able to present on panels at two recent academic conferences. In March at the World Christianity conference hosted by Princeton University and the University of Ghana, he presented "Wrapped in Her Mantle: The Reception of Our Lady of Kibeho in South Bend, Indiana. In July at the International Medieval Congress hosted by the University of Leeds, he presented "Escstasis Crucis: Mystical Environmental Imagery in the Positionality of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre." His research on sacred art and architecture considers not only the doctrinal and biblical rootedness of such visual and textual data, but also the perspective and spiritual experiences of the beholder, the one affected by the experience of visuality.
“My work as both an artist and a theologian encounters beauty in such a way that considers deeply and intimately the ramifications of materiality and the ways Christians have navigated the duality between embodiment and contemplative prayer,” Litchfield says. “These opportunities to enter the world of academia in such a profoundly supportive manner greatly excite me for my future career as a theologian.”
Matthew Zanowic ’24 MA
Master of Arts in Ministry and Theology
As a Graduate Residential Minister, Zanowic worked with Multi-faith Ministries and the Center for the Common Good. At Multi-Faith Ministries, he helped found and run the Interfaith Justice Cohort, a year-long interfaith dialogue series in which students discuss social and economic justice in the light of their own faith tradition. At the Center for the Common Good, he led the effort to revitalize Villanova Interfaith Activism (VIA). VIA works with POWER Interfaith to organize people of all different faith backgrounds to advocate for a vision of a social and economic just world.
“As a minister and an organizer, I work with others to better our community in the light of Veritas, Unitas, and Caritas,” Zanowic says.
Learn more about Villanova’s graduate programs in Theology.
About Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Since its founding in 1842, Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has been the heart of the Villanova learning experience, offering foundational courses for undergraduate students in every college of the University. Serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students, the College is committed to fortifying them with intellectual rigor, multidisciplinary knowledge, moral courage and a global perspective. The College has more than 40 academic departments and programs across the humanities, social sciences, and natural and physical sciences.
SCHEDULE YOUR CAMPUS TOUR
The CLAS Office of Graduate Studies offers personal tours of the beautiful Villanova campus. All tours begin in the Graduate Studies Office, located in Vasey Hall.
Schedule your tour!