Center for Catholic Studies

Paul Lakeland, PhD
Professor of Religious Studies
Director of the Center for Catholic Studies, and Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J.
Chair in Catholic Studies

Dr. Lakeland received his licentiate in philosophy from Heythrop Pontifical Athenaeum, an MA from Oxford University in English Language and Literature, a bachelor of divinity degree from the University of London, and his PhD in religion from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. At Fairfield he teaches courses on ecclesiology, religion and culture, and religion and literature. He is the author of some 35 scholarly articles and 10 books, the most recent of which are:

• The Wounded Angel (Liturgical Press 2017) College Theological Society award for Best Theology Book of 2017
• A Council That Will Never End: Lumen Gentium and the Church Today (Liturgical Press, 2013)
• Yves Congar: Essential Writings. The Modern Spiritual Masters Series (Orbis Books, 2010)
• Church: Living Communion (Liturgical Press, 2009)
• Catholicism at the Crossroads: How the Laity Can Save the Church (Continuum, 2007), which won an award from the Catholic Press Association
• The Liberation of the Laity: In Search of an Accountable Church (Continuum, 2003), which received the 2004 Catholic Press Association Award for the best book in theology
• Postmodernity: Christian Identity in a Fragmented Age (Fortress Press, 1997)
• Theology and Critical Theory: the Discourse of the Church (Abingdon Press, 1990)

Paul Lakeland is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the Catholic Theological Society of America, the College Theology Society and the American Theological Society. His academic and research interests include the roles of the laity in the Catholic Church, the Papacy, religion and literature, and the relations between religious commitment and progressive politics.

He can be reached at pflakeland@fzgmy.com.

Dr. Paul Lakeland, professor of religious studies, was formally installed as the first holder of the Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., Chair in Catholic Studies
March 2, 2005

The Aloysius P. Kelley S.J. Chair in Catholic Studies was established as a result of gifts of various donors in honor of the retiring president, Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J.

Sharing the honor of the occasion with Dr. Lakeland (third from left) were: (l-r) Dr. G. Dennis O'Brien, former president of Bucknell University and the University of Rochester, who received an honorary doctor of laws degree; the Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., president emeritus, for whom the chair is named; and Rev. Jeffrey von Arx, S.J., former University President.

Mary Crimmins is the Administrative Coordinator for the Center for Social Impact. In this capacity Mary interacts with faculty, other departments and outside partners to ensure the achievement of the Center’s objectives.

Mary is also the Administrative Coordinator for the Center for Catholic Studies. As administrative coordinator, Mary interacts with faculty, lecturers, and other departments to ensure the achievement of the Center’s objectives.

Mary received her BA in 1991 with a focus on marketing, from St. Bonaventure University. Prior to taking a hiatus to raise her three daughters, Mary held a variety of administrative positions in marketing and promotion, most recently with Breitling, a manufacturer of premium watches. Mary is an 18-year resident of Fairfield and mostly enjoys spending time with her three daughters, Emily, Nicole, Claire and husband Mike.