Very Rev. J. Augustine Di Noia, O.P.

Very Rev. J. Augustine Di Noia, O.P. has built a reputation as one of America's most active and respected theological minds. In April 2002, the late Pope John Paul II appointed Father Di Noia to work at the Vatican as undersecretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The congregation oversees and promotes the doctrine on the faith and morals in the Catholic world. In this appointment Father Di Noia served under Prefect Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who now holds office as Pope Benedict XVI.

Father Di Noia's address is titled: The Dominican Charism in Catholic Higher Education: Providence College on the Eve of Its Second Century.

Prior to his Vatican appointment, Father Di Noia served as the director of the Intercultural Forum for Studies in Faith and Culture at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. He received an honorary degree in absentia from Providence College in May 2002.

A member of the Dominican Eastern Province of St. Joseph, Father Di Noia attended Providence College from 1961-63. He was ordained in 1970 and taught theology at Providence College from 1971 to 1974. He earned a doctorate from Yale University in 1980 and holds four theology degrees or certificates, including three from St. Stephen's College in Dover, Mass. The master of sacred theology (S.T.M.) was conferred upon him by the Dominican Order in 1998.

Father Di Noia is a prolific writer and public speaker. He is the author of The Diversity of Religions: A Christian Perspective (Catholic University of America Press, 1992) and the co-author of The Love That Never Ends: A Key to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Our Sunday Visitor Press, 1996).

Father Di Noia has taught systematic theology at the Dominican House of Studies and was an adjunct professor at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family Studies, both in Washington. He served as executive director of the Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) from 1993 to 2001 and as auditor (expert) to the secretary general of the 10th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 2001. He has served as editor-in-chief of The Thomist, a speculative quarterly review of theology and philosophy with a worldwide readership, and has been a frequent presenter at national conferences, workshops, symposia, and other educational meetings.