Joseph P. Chinnici, O.F.M.
- Professor of Church History
Degrees
- D.Phil. Oxford University
- M.A. Graduate Theological Union
- M.Div. Franciscan School of Theology
- B.A. San Luis Rey College
"For me, history, theology and ministry are inseparable. Whether in the classroom, the pulpit, the office or in the community our work can be an act of worship."
An Oxford-educated historian initially mentored by John Tracy Ellis, Joe is a widely-respected scholar, teacher and speaker in the history of American Catholicism and the development of Franciscan theology and spirituality. His ground-breaking work Living Stones: The History and Structure of Catholic Spiritual Life in the United States (second edition 1996) has been followed by numerous articles in U.S. Catholic Historian, the co-edited Prayer and Practice In the American Catholic Community, and significant studies on the history of prayer and on the reception of Vatican II in the United States. He is currently working on Church, Society, and Change, 1965-1996, a history of the post-conciliar period in American Catholicism. Priest and religious leader, Joe has served in various administrative posts throughout his career: nine years as Provincial Minister for the Franciscan Friars of the Saint Barbara Province; two stints as Academic Dean at the Franciscan School of Theology, and in numerous other positions. In addition to his current faculty duties, Joe is Chairman of the Commission for the Retrieval of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition (CFIT). He has always insisted on high-quality education for the laity alongside those in religious life. Together, he says, we make the Church.
Selected Course Descriptions
Themes in Contemporary Catholicism
Using some secondary studies in the history of the Catholic community in the United States, research materials, primary documents, and a seminar method, this course examines selected themes in contemporary Catholicism, 1945-1986: religion and society during the Cold War, the interpretation of the 1960s, challenges of race and ethnicity, family life, women in ministry, pastoral practice, and other issues.
American Catholic Spirituality
Through the use of original documents and case studies, this course examines selected themes in the history of Catholic religious practice in the United States: models of holiness, liturgy, rites of passage, the relationship between prayer and Institutionalization, popular devotions, etc. Special attention is paid to the relationships between faith, religious practice, spiritual experience and culture.
Culture and Contemplation
Contemplative prayer has undergone several mutations in the course of the history of western Christianity from the sixteenth century to the present. Through the use of selected texts from Teresa of Avila through Thomas Merton, this course examines the relationship between social forces, the ecclesial culture of authority and power, and the waxing and waning of contemplative prayer. Some attention will be paid to the American context.
History, Theology, Spirituality in the Franciscan Tradition
A basic introduction to the early theological development of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition, this course examines key thinkers, themes, and texts from 1209-1322: Francis and Clare of Assisi, Robert Grosseteste, Alexander of Hales, Bonaventure, Peter John Olivi, John Duns Scotus, and William of Ockham. Attention will be paid to their social context and meaning.
Curiculum Vitae
