Father Thomas G. Weinandy, O.F.M., Cap, Named Executive Director of Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices
WASHINGTON (February 24, 2004) -- Father Thomas G. Weinandy, O.F.M., Cap., of the Faculty of Theology, Oxford University, has been named Executive Director of the Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
He will succeed Msgr. John Strynkowski who has held the post since 2001.
The appointment, which is effective January 1, 2005, was announced by Msgr. William Fay, USCCB General Secretary.
"Father Weinandy is a leading scholar in the Church today, and a prolific writer, at both the academic and popular levels," Msgr. Fay said. "He is held in the highest esteem by his colleagues and the students who have taken his courses in this country and abroad. He has inspired numerous people through the days of recollection, retreats and parish missions he has conducted in the United States, Canada, Ireland, England and Scotland. I am confident that his work with the Bishops' Conference will make an enormous contribution to the life of the Church in our country."
"I also want to pay tribute to the dedicated service and accomplishments of Msgr. Strynkowski," Msgr. Fay continued. "The USCCB will remain in his debt for many years to come."
Thomas G. Weinandy was born January 12, 1946, in Delphos, Ohio. He entered the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in 1966, was solemnly professed in 1970, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1972.
He earned a B.A. in Philosophy at St. Fidelis College, Herman, Pennsylvania in 1969, an M.A. in Systematic Theology at Washington Theological Union in 1972, and a Doctorate in Historical Theology at King's College, University of London, in 1975.
Father Weinandy's major fields of specialty are History of Christology, especially Patristic, Medieval and Contemporary, History of Trinitarian Theology, History of Soteriology, and Philosophical Notions of God.
He has held academic positions at Georgetown University, Mount St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Maryland, Franciscan University of Steubenville, and Loyola College, Baltimore. Father Weinandy has served at the University of Oxford since 1991. He is the Warden of Greyfriars and tutor and lecturer in History and Doctrine in the Faculty of Theology. He was Chairman of the Faculty of Theology from 1997 to 1999. He also administers the Greyfriars Year Abroad Program.
Father Weinandy is a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, the Catholic Theological Society of Great Britain, the North American Patristics Society, and the Association Internationale D'Etudes Patristiques.
His books include Does God Change? The Word's Becoming in the Incarnation, which has been translated into Romanian; In the Likeness of Sinful Flesh: An Essay on the Humanity of Christ; The Father's Spirit of Sonship: Reconceiving the Trinity; Does God Suffer, which has been translated into Polish; The Lord Jesus Christ: An Introduction to Christology and Soteriology; Jesus the Christ; Receiving the Promise: The Spirit's Work of Conversion; Be Reconciled to God: A Family Guide to Confession; and Sacrament of Mercy: A Spiritual and Practical Guide to Confession.
Father Weinandy has published scholarly articles in such journals as The Thomist, New Blackfriars, Communio, First Things, Pro Ecclesia, Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, and the International Journal of Systematic Theology. His popular articles include those written for New Covenant, National Catholic Register, Pastoral Life, Canadian Catholic Review, New Oxford Review, the Arlington Catholic Herald, and The Family.
The Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices provides staff support for the USCCB Committee on Doctrine, the Committee on Pastoral Practices, the Committee on Science and Human Values, the Ad Hoc Committee for the Review of Scripture Translations, and the Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Issues and the Church.