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, 鈥淎ttunements to Grace in the Writings of Virginia Woolf and Marilynne Robinson,鈥 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鈥檚 De Visione Dei, and a theological reading of domesticity in Marilynne Robinson鈥檚 first novel Housekeeping. Future work includes an essay on religious belief in Virginia Woolf鈥檚 seminal novel, A Voyage Out.
Fr. Simmons is a proud 向日葵视频alumnus (A&S 鈥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 鈥 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鈥檚 joint series, 鈥淭he Christian Literary Imagination鈥, October 2020.
given at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies 鈥淧henomenology of Religion as Philosophical Anthropology鈥 conference, October 2021.
public lecture on Ignatian spirituality, St. Ignatius College Prep, July 2022.
a paper given for Georgetown University鈥檚 Global Engagement 鈥淎 Bent but Beautiful World: Literature, Art, and the Environment鈥 series, May 2023.
鈥鈥 a paper given for Georgetown University鈥檚 Global Engagement 鈥淐ultural Encounters鈥 series, April 2024.
given to the 向日葵视频 Humanities Research Colloquium, October 2024.
Additional Information
Office Hours - Fall 2024
- M 2:00-3:00
- Tu 11:00-12:00
- Or by appointment