PhD students
Fr. Innocent Abonyi
I 
am a British-Nigerian national. I am a priest in the Order of the Missionary Society of St. Paul, Nigeria. Since 2009, I have served as a priest in England and Wales: High Wycombe (Buckinghamshire), Gravesend (Kent), Brixton (London) and Llandudno (Conwy).
PhD title: Moral Dilemmas of Humanitarian Aid: An Inquiry into the Humanitarian Ministry of the Irish Catholic Missionaries in Biafra from 1967 to 1970.
Fr. Harrison Ayre
Fr. Harrison is a priest of the Diocese of Victoria, currently serving at St Peter's Parish in Nanaimo, BC. He is currently studying the relationship between history and ontology in the thought of Joseph Ratzinger.
PhD title: History Mediates Salvation - The Sacramental-Apocalyptic Character of Joseph Ratzinger's Theological Project.
Bo Bonner
Bo has been a professor and lecturer in Philosophy, Theology, and Literature for nearly two decades at various Colleges and Universities, is a member of the Church Communication Ecology Project at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at University of Notre Dame, and is the Co-Host of The UnCommon Good radio show and podcast. He is currently researching the resources of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, especially Catholic Social Teaching, to resist the technocratic paradigm in the digital age.
PhD title: Against Utility In the Transmission of Knowledge: Newman, MacIntyre, and McLuhan on the Social Form of Communication.
Rafael Hermes Honorato Cheng
Rafael is a psychologist who graduated from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo. He obtained his Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the Institute of Psychology at the University of São Paulo. He develops research, projects, and interdisciplinary work that bring together psychology and themes such as dreams, the sacred, transcendence, and spirituality.
PhD title: A Study of Vocation through St. John of the Cross´s ‘Symbolic Ground’
Dcn. Esteban Crawford Del Val.
Esteban ministers in the Anglican Diocese of the Great Lakes (US) while preparing for the priesthood and completing his doctoral studies.
PhD title: Great Secrets: The Eucharistic Charisms of St. Teresa of Ávila
Richard Ferro
After teaching English as a second language for over a decade, Richard is now pursuing a PhD in Christian theology. For his Master’s, which was an M.Phil. in Christian theology, he wrote my thesis on the virtue of prudentia in political action. He is now expanding this research to explore how this virtue might be applied to ethics and artificial intelligence.
PhD title: Practical Wisdom in the Age of AI: The Virtue of Prudentia and Artificial Intelligence Ethics.
Thomas Gillespie
Thomas is a psychotherapist, who also works within the field of UK government public health consultancy. He specialises in the field of sociology of religion, with a particular interest in Muslim communities in the UK.
PhD title: A call to Faith: How do Islamic faith communities contribute to counternarratives that oppose extremist violent ideologies in the UK?
Rachelle Haddad
Rachelle's life has always been contextualized within protracted ethno-religious conflicts. After years of working and studying division and war in the Levant, she now focuses on reconciliation and integrated diversity. Her research on the Greek-Latin reunion in Antioch brings together both her interest in socio-political complexity and passion for Catholic History.
PhD title: Antioch Between Schism and Unity: A Historical Contextualization of the Melkite Catholic Reunion and its Implications for Modern Ecumenical Dialogue.
Brian Hanson
Brian is a husband and father living in the United States (AZ). He loves the theology of marriage and the theology of nature and grace; he has an MTS from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute and has served in diocesan and parish settings for nearly 25 years.
PhD title: A Theology of Marriage Within A Theology of Nature and Grace: Theological, Metaphysical and Pastoral Perspectives.
Michael Hanley
I am the Head of School at Wy'East Mountain Academy in Mt Hood, Oregon USA. We have students from ten different nations who come to balance their time between academics and the action sports of snowboarding, skateboarding, freeskiing and mountain biking. I am on the National Faculty for the United States Ski and Snowboard Association for Sport Education and I continue to work internationally as a consultant in high performance sport and school accreditation.
PhD title: The role of Anglo-Saxon missionaries in the Pipinid usurpation of the Merovingian Dynasty.
Samantha Horsthuis
Samantha completed her MA in Theology with Distinction at St Mary’s University in 2018. Her passion for medieval mysticism has been strongly influenced by The Cloud of Unknowing, the writings of Dionysius the Areopagite and the Carthusian Order.
PhD title: An investigation into the influence of Jan van Ruysbroeck on Denys the Carthusian’s mystical writings.
Cherryl Howlett
Cherryl completed her BA Divinity and MA Catholic Applied Theology at Maryvale Institute following her retirement from a long career in nursing. She serves in a Parish in the Southwark Diocese (UK) as a Parish Lead for Formation and involvement in Sacramental preparation of parishioners including Confirmation.
PhD title: Does a greater understanding of the relationship of God with human beings and the perfection of relationality of the Divine Persons help young Catholic confirmandi deepen their faith?
Fr. Oseagwina Jerome Ituah
Fr. Ituah is a Discalced Carmelite priest of the Anglo-Irish Province. He is the Sub-Prior of St. Joseph’s Carmelite Priory, Gerrards Cross and is the Promoter of Vocations and Young Adult Ministry for the Discalced Carmelites in the UK. He holds a Licentiate in Sacred Scriptures from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome.
PhD title: The Desperation of Elijah (1 Kings 19): A Model for Resolving Traumatic and Post-Traumatic Problems.
Louise Joyner
Louise teaches history of art at the Legion of Christ College of Humanities in Cheshire, Connecticut; a seminary of the pontifical Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ. She is an oblate of Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey; a Benedictine community belonging to the Solesmes Congregation.
PhD title: Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890): Sacred Art as an Instrument of Ascent to God through the Senses.
Andrew Kellogg
I graduated with my BA in philosophy and theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville, and my MA in theology from Holy Apostles College & Seminary; my interest lies in fundamental theology. I live in Phoenix, AZ, run my own company and enjoy reading, running, and traveling.
PhD title: The Catholic Notion of Revelation: A Theological Analysis of the Traditional Notion of Revelation in Light of Shifting Perspectives in 20th Century Catholic Theology.
Theresa Martin
Theresa is the wife of Peter G. Martin and a mother of eight. She lives in Wisconsin, U.S. She is the Executive Director of the Wojtyła Community & Institute (WCI), an international non-profit marriage ministry. She received her Master's degree from Maryvale Institute in 2019. She spends her days educating her children, studying, and running the WCI, which supports couples throughout the U.S. and eight countries worldwide. One of her favourite quotes from St. John Paul II is: "Man cannot live without love."
PhD title: Conjugal Spirituality: Understanding Karol Wojtyła/ St. John Paul II's insight into the spousal spiritual union through sacramental grace, its power of authentic personhood reintegration, and his Rule that makes this accessible universally.
Zoe McCann
Zoe lives in Belfast, where she works as an English tutor and a support worker. She has an MPhil in English Language and she is interested in applying the theories and methodologies of linguistics to religious texts.
PhD title: A stylistic analysis of the role of metaphor in the writings of the Middle English mystics.
Nancy McCarthy
I'm Nancy McCarthy, a Floridian, with a background in journalism and publishing along with a decade of stage work. These are the foundations that brought me to spiritual theology and a life in service to Christ.
PhD title: In Union with God: How the Spiritual Theology of Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange and the Mystical Charism of St. Pio of Pietrelcina's Stigmata Intersect in the Pre-Conciliar Church.
Fr. Alan McDonald
Fr. Alan was born in Lancashire and ordained to the priesthood in July 2011 for diocese of Dallas. He is Vice Rector of Redemptoris Mater Diocesan Missionary Seminary, Dallas.
PhD title: The Paschal Banquet: Food for Eternal Life.
Fr. David Murphy
Originally from Galway City, Ireland, Fr. Murphy was ordained to the priesthood in 1996. He now serves in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton in the Parish of Our Lady and the Saints of Sussex, covering the communities of Chichester, Bosham, The Witterings, and Selsey.
PhD Title: The analogia entis as a foundational concept for a living Christian philosophy within a theological context, particularly in harmonising faith and reason in the contemporary setting of a synodal church.
Tapiwa Nduna
I am an ordained minister from a charismatic Pentecostal church background with a BA in Theology from Oral Roberts University and an MA in Christian Spirituality from St Mary's University, Twickenham.
PhD title: The Synodal Catholic Church and the Contemporary Learning Organisations Question: Examining the Synod on Synodality Process as a Mechanism for Organisational Learning and Change Management in the Catholic Church: A Case Study of the 2024 Synod on Synodality in the Archdiocese of Southwark, London, UK.
Michael Pallotto
Michael lives in Toronto, Canada. He has a MA in Theology from University of St. Michael's College, University of Toronto and a BA in Great Books and Catholic Studies from St. Thomas University, New Brunswick, Canada. His research interests include the moral theology of St. Thomas Aquinas and Søren Kierkegaard, Christian anthropology, and ancient and Catholic political thought. Michael married Olivia, in 2023 and currently works as a high school religion teacher at Villanova College in King City, Ontario where he greatly enjoys sharing the faith and exploring big ideas with his students.
PhD title: The Life of Love: A Comparative Analysis of the Moral Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas and Søren Kierkegaard.
Mary Stephens
Mary lives in Eagle River, Alaska (USA). She has a Bachelor's in Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Master's in Teaching Secondary Education from the American University in Washington, DC. In addition to being a small business owner, Mary has worked as a catechist in a variety of settings for approximately thirty years. She developed a deep interest in Biblical Studies and the development of doctrine in the early Church through her Master's in Catechetics and Evangelization from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
PhD title: An Intertextual Exploration of the Mother of Jesus as Gebira in the Biblical Texts and Epiphanius' Panarion.
Dom Ildephonse Swithinbank
Dom IldeIphonse is a monk of the Monastere Saint Benoit in Brignoles (Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon), where he professed vows in 2017. His reading of theology started before entering the monastery but with only incidental studies alongside his usual work. Within the monastery, the monks live a classical life integrating intellectual and manual work with the sacred liturgy from which the daily rhythm is derived.
PhD title: Theology of the Church Fathers according to monks of the twelfth century.
Carlos Taja
Carlos served the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for thirteen years as a senior staff theologian overseeing the doctrinal review of religion textbooks for conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church on behalf of the bishops. He has taught theology at three universities and numerous (arch)dioceses throughout the United States.
PhD title: The Relationship between Faith and Piety in Bonaventure's Collationes de septem donis Spiritus Sanctus and the Breviloquium.
Mick Train
Mick completed his MA in Catholic Applied Theology with Maryvale Institute in 2024. He is particularly interested in understanding the reasons why adult parishioners engage, or don’t engage, in catechesis and ongoing formation. He is also interested in improving his own catechetical practice as well as proposing a methodology that can be shared with other catechists. A key aspect of this is using questioning to improve the effectiveness of small group discussions.
PhD title: Adult engagement in catechesis and on-going formation: what are the issues and can they be overcome with an appropriate catechesis and formation programme?
Fr. Jojappa Tulimelli
Fr. Jojappa was ordained to the priesthood in the diocese of Vijayawada, India in April 20210. Since 2014 he has been working as a missionary in the diocese of Passau, Germany.
PhD title: Eucharist is the source of union with God: a comparative study with the mysticism of Abhishiktananda.
Fr. Johannes van Voorst
Fr Johannes is a priest of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, with a Masters from the ITI in Austria, several years of pastoral experience in The Netherlands, and several years of Licentiate Studies in Thomistic Philosophy in Italy, now in ministry in parishes outside of Maastricht, The Netherlands. It is a real privilege to combine it with theological research.
PhD title: What is Pope John Paul II’s contribution to Theology regarding the Sacrificial Character of the Holy Mass?
Matthew Weller
Matthew lives in the United States, where he has just retired from military service. He has a Master of Arts in Theology from Newman University in Wichita, Kansas, where he researched the influence of liturgy and scripture on First Crusade motivation and ideology. His research interests include medieval church history, the Crusades, the military-religious orders, and the Latin East.
PhD title: The Influence of Crusading Memory and the Military Religious Orders on English Chivalric Identity 1377-1540.
Professional Doctorate in Ministry (DMin)
Marthina Ukachukwu Amarachi
Marthina is a faith-driven entrepreneur, author, and public speaker, passionate about ministry, leadership, and entrepreneurship. She supports other Christian leaders, entrepreneurs, and creatives to build themselves and their brands with biblical principles of integrity and excellence. Marthina also works as a mentor going into schools across London to support them in their career and personal development.
Thesis title: A Church in Crisis: Examining the Link Between Failing Spiritual Discernment and Recurring Sexual Abuse Scandals in the Church
Barbara Hogan
Barbara has a background in teaching psychology and graduated with an MA in Theology at St. Mary's University in 2019. Her interest in exploring aspects of Church in rapidly changing times has led to her current study on the Professional Doctorate in Ministry programme.
Thesis title: Worship Through Corporeality: Assessing the Importance of Touch to Worshippers at the Roman Catholic Mass
Kirsten Schouwenaars-Harms
Kirsten was born in the Netherlands and moved to the UK in 2004. After a 20-year career in dentistry, she gained a master’s degree in Christian Spirituality from St Mary’s in 2022. She lives in the Scottish Highlands, researching the domestic church in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen. She is also actively engaged in parish ministry and ongoing formation and is a freelance writer.
Thesis title: Soil for Mustard Seeds: The Lived Experience of Domestic Church Leaders in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen
MPhil students
Bernadette Durcan
Bernadette is based at the Benedict XVI Centre within the School of Theology, and currently works for Caritas in England and Wales. She has worked and volunteered in various capacities in the Archdioceses of Westminster and Liverpool and the Diocese of Nottingham.
PhD title: Towards a Counter-Secularisation through Voluntarist Religious Identities: How Catholicism is thriving in British Higher Education.