Assistant Professor
Theology Department (Systematic Theology)
Fr. Simmons, SJ (DPhil, Oxon, 2023) is a Catholic priest of the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). His areas of interest are theology and literature, the theological turn in phenomenology, fundamental theology, as well as atheism and secularity. His doctoral dissertation, “Attunements to Grace in the Writings of Virginia Woolf and Marilynne Robinson,” was directed by the Rev. Dr. Graham Ward, Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford (Christ Church).
Recent essays include a treatment of Intersubjectivity in Nicholas of Cusa’s De Visione Dei, and a theological reading of domesticity in Marilynne Robinson’s first novel Housekeeping. Future work includes an essay on religious belief in Virginia Woolf’s seminal novel, A Voyage Out.
Fr. Simmons is a proud Marquette alumnus (A&S ’04), having majored in Classics as well as Spanish Language and Literature.
Courses Taught
- THEO 1001: Foundations in Theology
- THEO 3230: Theology in the Writings of C.S. Lewis
- THEO 3230H: Theology in the Writings of C.S. Lewis (Honors)
Spring 2025 courses:
THEO 1001 – Foundations in Theology (Team Taught Lecture)
THEO 4300 - The Question of God in a Secular Age
THEO 4300H - The Question of God in a Secular Age (Honors)
THEO 5300 - The Question of God in a Secular Age (Graduate Level)
Research Interests
- Theology and Literature
- Marilynne Robinson
- Virginia Woolf
- Religious Belief and Atheism
- The Phenomenological Turn in Theology
- Nicholas of Cusa
Presentations
Recordings of papers given on various topics:
given at the Catholic Imagination Conference, Loyola University Chicago, October 2020.
a paper introducing Campion Hall (University of Oxford) and Georgetown University’s joint series, “The Christian Literary Imagination”, October 2020.
given at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies “Phenomenology of Religion as Philosophical Anthropology” conference, October 2021.
public lecture on Ignatian spirituality, St. Ignatius College Prep, July 2022.
a paper given for Georgetown University’s Global Engagement “A Bent but Beautiful World: Literature, Art, and the Environment” series, May 2023.
“” a paper given for Georgetown University’s Global Engagement “Cultural Encounters” series, April 2024.
given to the Ӱ Humanities Research Colloquium, October 2024.
Additional Information
Office Hours - Fall 2024
- M 2:00-3:00
- Tu 11:00-12:00
- Or by appointment