St. John's University Theology & Religious Studies Department

Tomorrow (Thurs., Apr. 9) at 2 p.m.: St. John’s CRS (Catholic Relief Services) Global Campus Committee Webinar on a healthy environment 🌳 Join at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86917167042?pwd=bUJOnxygO2bjO2XjcvwKujmj2EA2bl.1

Amazing! 🤩 Pope Leo XIV has appointed Meghan J. Clark, assistant chair of our department, to the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development. Read more at https://www.osvnews.com/4-us-leaders-named-to-vatican-dicastery-that-promotes-churchs-humanitarian-vision-work.

It’s no (April Fools’) joke…Fall 2026 graduate registration begins on April 9th! Scroll through to check out our lineup of courses 👈

Congrats to our former M.A. student Taylor Ott on the publication of her new book! Dr. Ott now teaches in the Department of Theology and Franciscan Studies at St. Bonaventure University in New York. You can read more about her and her book here:

https://www.sbu.edu/academics/faculty/ott-taylor

https://www.routledge.com/Conflict-and-Catholic-Social-Ethics-An-Interdisciplinary-Approach/Ott/p/book/9781032700939

The prolific Dr. Meghan Clark checks out the new book she contributed to at the Vatican bookstore at St. Peter’s Basilica! See also her article published yesterday in U.S. Catholic: https://uscatholic.org/articles/202511/catholic-teaching-offers-guidance-on-tariffs-and-trade-policy/

Congratulations to Dr. Meghan Clark on her recent publication of a chapter in the first critical edition of Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te, with commentaries from ten global voices: https://www.castelvecchieditore.com/prodotto/dilexi-te-esortazione-apostolica-sullamore-verso-i-poveri/

Prof. John Fitzgerald got into the Halloween spirit last Friday by dressing as Pope Leo XIV for class on an otherwise weighty topic: the problem of evil. In difficult times, it can be helpful to remember the words of Kelly Clarkson, Friedrich Nietzsche, and others: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger! 💪 (Audio not working but you can listen to her full song here: https://youtu.be/Xn676-fLq7I.)

Baseball season may be over, but our full Spring 2026 graduate-level course lineup is now ready ⚾️

Our Spring 2026 graduate-level courses are now posted. Go ahead and take a look 👀

Congratulations to Dr. Robert Jay “Bobby” Rivera on the publication of his new book Christ for the Excluded: Christology, Globalization, and Liberation: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/christ-for-the-excluded-9780567688569/ 👏

Dr. Chris Vogt and his co-editor, Dr. Kate Ward, are receiving impressive accolades on their recent book! It was awarded second place in the morality and ethics category from the Catholic Media Association.  Read more about their book here: https://orbisbooks.com/products/bothering-to-love-james-f-keenans-retrieval-and-reinvention-of-catholic-ethics