Departmental News

Congratulations to Sister Trang! Her paper proposal has been accepted by the American Academy of Religion.

She will present her paper at their San Diego conference in November 2019!

Congratulations to John Cacchione who is the 2019 winner of the Graduate Research Prize for his essay, “Saint Albert the Great’s Revolution.”  The essay is being published in Villanova University’s Interdisciplinary Journal of Graduate Studies CONCEPT, Volume XLII, Spring 2019.

John will be attending a reception where he will recieve a certificate and prize. 

Congratulations are in order for Dr. Massimo Faggioli who is the recipient of Barry University’s "Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence" for 2019.

Dr. Massimo Faggioli continues to be quoted by many news outlets regarding the Abuse Scandal within the Church as well as publishing many articles on the subject. This award reflects his Theological academic distinction and hard work! 

Congratulations to Dr. Massimo Faggioli appointed to conjoint professor at BBI - The Australian Institute of Theologicial Education

Massimo Faggioli, PhD, professor of Theology and Religious Studies in Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was appointed as cojoint professor at The Austustian Institute of Theological Education.

To read the full press release, click here

Congratualtions to Dr. Vincent Lloyd who was awarded $200,000 Grant from Henry Luce Foundation

Vincent Lloyd, PhD, associate professor of Theology and Religious Studies in Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, received a two-year grant of $200,000 from the Henry Luce Foundation to support an interdisciplinary network of scholars exploring the intersection of religion and politics.

To read the full press release, click here

Congratulations to Dr. Vincent Lloyd, on the special issue publication of "The Religious Ethics of Labor" journal which he co-edits.

“The Religious Ethics of Labor,” with essays by six scholars, including an essay by Gerald Beyer, and an introduction co-authored by Fred Glennon and Dr. Vincent Lloyd, appears as Journal of Religious Ethics 45:2. Essays range in topics from contemporary interfaith activism to Simone Weil and Henry David Thoreau’s spiritual theories of work to perspectives on labor from systematic theology.

Congraulations to Dr. Lloyd and click here to get more information on the journal. 

Congratulations to PhD student, Jacob Given on the release of "Theology in Dialogue" Podcast

On Friday, April 7th, the Theology in Dialogue Podcast went live! Check it out the first episode below titled "Hagiography and Religious Truth Part 1" where Luke Hopkins interviews Dr. Rachel Smith, Dr. Kerry San Chirico and Rico Monge on Hagiography and Religious Truth!  

Click here to download and subscribe in iTunes!

Click here to download and subscribe in Google Play!

Congratulations to Dr. Paul L. Danove on receiving the 2017 Outstanding Faculty Research Award!

He will be giving the 2017 Outstanding Faculty Research Award Lecture on Monday April 24th at 1:00pm in the Idea Accelerator in Falvey Memorial Library! He will be presenting "Semantic and Narrative Study of the Bible." He will discuss some of the discoveries of his research on the Greek grammar of the Bible and his narrative studies of Mark's Gospel.

Paul L Danove, PhD, STL, MDiv, BS, professor of New Testament Studies, will highlight the extensive research that lead him to win the coveted Outstanding Faculty Research Award. Dr. Danove, a 22-year member of Villanova's Department of Theology and Religious Studies, is an internationally recognized expert on the semantic study of the Greek Old Testament and New Testament and the nattive study of the Gospel of Mark.  

Light refreshments will be served.

We hope to see you there and congratulations once again to Dr. Danove! 

Congratulations to Dr. Massimo Faggioli on the publication of his new book "Catholicism and Citizenship: Political Cultures of the Church in the Twenty-First Century"

Published on March 29th, 2017, Dr. Massimo Faggioli uses this book to focus on the meaning, legacy, and reception in today's world of the ecclesiology of Vatican II, starting with Gaudium et Spes: “This council exhorts Christians, as citizens of two cities, to strive to discharge their earthly duties conscientiously and in response to the Gospel spirit.” Catholicism and Citizenship is a call for a rediscovery of the moral and political imagination of Vatican II for the Church and the world of our time.

Congraulations to Dr. Faggioli and stop by the Department of Theology and Religious Studies to check out a copy of the book. 

Congratulations to Dr. Kathleen Grimes on the publication of her book "Fugitive Saints: Catholicism and the Politics of Slavery"

Published on April 1, 2017, Dr. Kathleen Grimes asks the burning questions of a growing and improving Church. How does the Church acknowledge a history riddled with racial injustice, not the least of which is slavery? How does the Church justify the canonization of saints who had direct dealing with such injustice while failing to recognize would-be saints of color? With this debut work, Dr. Grimes makes her mark on the field of political and historical theology. 

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Dr. Martin Laird, OSA on the publication of his book "The Practice of the Presence of God."

Published in December 2016, Dr. Martin Laird, OSA and Sheelah Trefle Hidden explore unity within the practice of theology. It draws together insights from world-class theologians including Rowan Williams, Andrew Louth, Frances Young, Margaret R. Miles, and our very own Rachel Smith. 

Stop by the Theology & Religious Studies department to check out a copy of the book.

Congratulations to Dr. Judith Hadley!

On Tuesday January 17, 2017, Theology and Religious Studies faculty and staff gathered for a lovely retirement reception for Dr. Judith Hadley. The Chair gave a speech highlighting Dr. Hadley's involvement in both the department and the university before mentioning just a few of her extensive collection of articles and scholarly papers thoughout the years.

While Dr. Hadley will be missed, we will her and her husband the best of luck as they plan to move to Australia in the future.  

Congrautlations to Dr. Vincent Lloyd for his appointment as Editor of the American Academy of Religion's book series, Reflections and Theory in the Study of Religion

Congratulations to Dr. Vincent Lloyd, associate professor of Theology, was appointed Editor of the American Academy of Religion’s book series, Reflection and Theory in the Study of Religion, published by Oxford University Press. The book series features work on theories of religion, philosophy of religion, and the history and nature of religious studies and theology. By virtue of the appointment, Dr. Lloyd am also now a member of AAR’s Publications Committee.

Click the link to read more about the AAR

Congratulations to Dr. Brett Grainger, Associate Editor, on the Winter 2016 publication of American Catholic Studies: Journal of the American Catholic Historical Society. 

Congratulations to Massimo Faggioli, PhD, professor of Theology, who has received the Catholic Library Association's 2017 St. Jerome Award! It recognizes outstanding contribution and commitment to excellence in scholarship which embody the ideals of the Catholic Library Association. 

Click the link to read more about the Jerome Award 

We congratulate Dr. Tim Brunk for being named to the Board of the Philadelphia Liturgical Institute!

Click the link to read more about Philadelpha Liturgical Institute

Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences officially welcomed the inaugural class of its new doctoral program in Theology. The students were recognized at a special on-campus gathering on Oct. 20, celebrating the launch of the PhD in Theology program.

To read more, click here

Check out Dr. Massimo Faggioli's interview with Salt and Light TV about his latest book, "The Rising Laity: Ecclesial Movements since Vatican II."

For more information on his book, we have a copy in the department - feel free to stop by and take a look at it!

Professor Lloyd will join our faculty in fall 2016. He comes to us from Syracuse University.

Professor Grainger joins the Department of Theology and Religious Studies in fall 2016. His areas of expertise are History of Christianity and Spirituality.

Professor Faggioli will join the Department of Theology and Religious Studies in fall 2016.

Dr. Gerald Beyer won the College Theology Society Award, Best Article Published in Theology in 2015. He received the award at the CTS Annual Convention on June 4, 2016 at Rockhurst University, Kansas City, Missouri. The article selected was "Labor Unions, Adjuncts, and The Mission and Idenity of Catholic Universities."  It was published in Horizons (42,1) June 2015.