Position
Academic Background
Sample Courses   
Teaching Philosophy
Research & Interests   
Notable Academic Appointments & Awards
Publication Highlights   
Selected Scholarly Presentations

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• Associate Professor of Theology

Academic Background           

• The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.: Ph.D. in Religious Studies (concentrations in Roman Catholic Theology and Interreligious Dialogue with Islam), 2001.
• Pontifical Institute for the Study of Arabic and Islam, Rome: License of Sacred Theology, 1995.
• The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.: Master of Arts in Religious Studies, 1991.
• College of St. Benedict, MN: Bachelor of Arts in Liturgical Music, 1986.

Sample Courses Taught at Providence College

• The Church and the Major World Religions
• Foundations of Theology
• Theology of the Liturgy
• Development of Western Civilization: Theology and Philosophy components (Honors)
• Christ - Word and Redeemer (graduate and undergraduate)
• Introduction to Islam (School of Continuing Education)

The challenges of our world today require a deep, open reflection on the insights and events that have led us to the present. I believe that the mission of Providence College, to cultivate "intellectual, spiritual, ethical and aesthetic values within the context of the Judaeo-Christian heritage" affords every individual student, whether Roman Catholic or not, the possibility of reflecting on his or her own role in the global community. As a theologian, it is always my goal to draw students into serious engagement with the Judaeo-Christian tradition within the wider religious and cultural context in the hope that they, too, will join in the quest of "faith seeking understanding."

My research has focused on the early theological engagement between Muslims and Christians. In particular, I have emphasized the recovery and translation of Arabic texts from the early ninth century that give an insight into an important period of formation and solidification of relations between these two communities, and provided the bases for later law and theological engagement. This research has very important implications today for understanding and shaping new approaches, and perhaps even suggesting models for the contemporary global society.

Notable Academic Appointments and Awards

• Consultor to the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims, Vatican (2005-present).
• Participant, Islamic-Catholic Liaison Committee (Vatican), Annual meeting, 2005, Rome, Italy.
• Mingana Foundation Grant for Manuscript Research (2005).
• Member of Board of Directors, The Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas, Rome, Italy (2004-present).
• Fullbright Teaching Assistant for English, Salzburg, Austria. Ursulinen Gymnasium (parochial girls' school, 1987-1988) and Landesschule für Frauenberuf (public girls' school, 1986-1987).

• Defending the 'People of Truth' in the Early Islamic period: The Christian Apologies of Abu Ra'itah. The History of Christian-Muslim Relations. Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2006, projected.
• "Refuting the Charge of Tahrif: Abu Ra'itah (d. ca. 835 CE) and His First Risala on the Holy Trinity." Pp. 41-57. In: Ideas, Images, and Methods of Portrayal: Insights into Classical Arabic Literature and Islam. Ed. Sebastian Günter. Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2005.
• "Habib ibn Khidmah Abu Ra'itah al-Takriti's 'The Refutation of the Melkites Concerning the Union [of the Divinity and Humanity] in Christ' (III)". Pp. 39-53. In: Christians at the Heart of Islamic Rule: Church Life and Scholarship in ^c Abbasid Iraq. Ed. David Thomas. Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2003.
• "The Roots of Tolerance or Terror? Islam and the Non-Believer." Providence Alumni Magazine (Spring 2002): 18-23.
• "Divinely Revealed: The Qur'an and Non-Believers." Providence: Studies in Western Civilization 6 (Fall/Winter 2001): 73-88.

Selected Scholarly Presentations and Activities

• Presenter and Organizer: An Inside Look at the Catholic Church. Sponsored by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, Rome, Italy (June 23-30, 2006).
• Lecture: Exploring the Spiritual Bonds that Unite Us: Reflections on the Church's Mission to Dialogue with Muslims. Marie-Eugenie Milleret Lecture, Assumption College, Worcester, MA (April 3, 2006).
• Panelist: Open Forum "Responsible Freedom of Speech" (concerning the Danish cartoons of Muhammad). Sponsored by RI Council for Muslim Advancement, Brown University, Providence, RI (March 27, 2006).
• Paper: "The Translation of Scripture into Arabic in the Apologetical Writings of Abu Ra'itah al-Takriti." Fifth Mingana Symposium on the Bible in Arab Christianity, Birmingham, UK (September 14-17, 2005).
• Lecture: Interreligious Dialogue in the Medieval Period: The Example of Abu Ra'itah al-Takriti. Center for Muslim-Christian Relations, Birmingham, UK (Nov. 2, 2004).
• Respondent: Nostra Aetate 40 Years Later: Catholic Education and Interreligious Dialogue. With Archbishop J. Michael Miller, C.S.B., and others; Rome, Italy (October 27, 2004).
• Paper: "The Problem of Tahrif in Habib ibn Hidmah Abu Ra'itah al-Takriti's 'First Risalah on the Holy Trinity,'" American Oriental Society, Houston, TX (March 2002).

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