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Dr. Fáinche Ryan

Associate Professor (School of Religion)
      
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Dr. Fáinche Ryan

Associate Professor (School of Religion)

 faryan@tcd.ie

 


In 2007 I was awarded my doctorate in theology from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome. The research focused on the concept and method of theology in the work of Thomas Aquinas. This was subsequently published in the prestigious series of the Thomas Instituut te Utrecht with Peeters at Louvain (Belgium). In 2006 I took up the position of Director of Teaching and Learning at the Margaret Beaufort Institute, a member of the Cambridge Theological Federation. From 2006-2008 I was an Affiliated Lecturer at the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge. In 2008 I was appointed Lecturer in Theology at the Mater Dei Institute, Dublin City University. In 2013 I was appointed Assistant Professor in Systematic Theology at the Loyola Institute, Trinity College Dublin, promoted to Associate Professor in 2021. From July 2016 to August 2020 I was Director of the Loyola Institute. At the Annual General Meeting of the European Society of Catholic Theology, held in Pecs, Hungary, I was elected Vice-President of the Association. I serve in this role for two years, and then succeed as President.
     Church   Eucharistic Theology   Ministry in the Church   Sensus Fidelium   The Virtue of Truth-telling   Theology   Theology of the Book of Kells   Theology of Thomas Aquinas   Women in Leadership
Project Title
 Theology in the University
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Project Title
 Religious Literacy
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Details Date
Elected President, Irish Section of the European Society for Catholic Theology (ESCT) 2019
President of the Irish Theological Association 2012
External examiner, University of Malta, Faculty of Theology. 2019
Invited member of committee for the state doctoral examination, Faculty of Theology, University of South Bohemia 2023
External examiner for Licentiate dissertation, Pontifical University, Maynooth. 10th December
External Examiner, Carlow College, St Patrick's 2022
Member of the Board of Mount Anville Heart Education Trust 2019
Appointed by the Teaching Council of Ireland as subject assessor in the area of Religious Education 2014
As Irish representative at the European Third Level Network of rectors and deans of Jesuit Universities and Faculties (Kircher Network I attended meetings in Paris (2017), Bilbao (2018) and Innsbruck (2019) 2017
Appointed member of the Academic Council of the Priory Institute, Tallaght, Dublin 2010
Invitation to present a paper to the Christian Theology Seminar, at the Divinity Faculty, Cambridge. Title of presentation: 'Priesthood and Thomas Aquinas' Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews: Some Pointers for a Theology of Priesthood today.' March 6
Invited participant at a symposium entitled Factions, Fears, and Fake News. This was organized by the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute and the Heyman Center for the Humanities, Columbia University, New York. 7 November
I am an invited member of the Applied Catholic Social Tradition Network, an international group of scholars focused on the application of Catholic social tradition (CST) to various social problems. In this capacity I have participated in seminars in London and Rome. At the Rome colloquium, entitled, "Enacting Catholic Social Tradition: Making a Difference on the Ground," I gave a paper entitled "Catholic Social Teaching and the Christian Theological Virtue of Hope. January
I was invited to present a paper at a colloquium entitled Aquinas and Analytic Philosophy. My paper was titled "Post-truth in the light of Aquinas analysis of truth-telling (veritas sive veracitas). Other speakers included Prof Eleanore Stump,The Robert J. Henle Professor of Philosophy, Saint Louis University and Prof. Roger Pouivet, Université de Lorraine. 27-28th January
Invited speaker at the Second International Symposium Thomisticum (held in Porto, Portugal, June 2017) and the forthcoming Fourth International Symposium Thomisticum to be held in Rome (July 2019). July
Keynote speaker at the SMA Summer School 2017 - "Faith Responding To Changing Times". My paper was titled "Imbalanced Leadership within the Church". 7-9 July
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
French Fluent Medium Medium
German Basic Basic Basic
Greek Basic Basic Basic
Irish Medium Medium Medium
Italian Fluent Medium Medium
Latin Medium Basic Basic
Details Date From Date To
European Academy of Religion 2018 Present
Irish Theological Association (President 2012-2017) 1998 Present
European Society for Catholic Theology (ESCT)[President Irish Section, 2019-present] 2003 Present
Catholic Theological Association (GB) 2006 2018
Irish Biblical Association 1998 2016
Inclina aurem cordis tui - Listening to the Conference for discerning God"s Word in, editor(s)Series edited by Jean Ehret and Annemarie C. Mayer. , What keeps us together When We Disagree, Aschendorff Verlag, 2025, [Fainche Ryan], Book Chapter, IN_PRESS
Fainche Ryan, Hacia una comprensión de la afirmación de Ratzinger de un «derecho inalienable del pensamiento griego a un lugar en el cristianismo", Concilium, 409, (FEBRERO), 2025, p131 - 140, Notes: [Published in six languages: Croatian, English, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish], Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Fainche Ryan, Theology and the University, Routledge: Taylor and Francis Group, 2024, Book, PUBLISHED  DOI
The University: A Refuge of Truth and Truthfulness in, editor(s)Fainche Ryan, Dirk Ansorge, Joseph Quitterer , Theology and the University, London and New York, Routledge, 2024, pp24 - 38, [Fainche Ryan], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Special Issue of Religions: "Decision-Making in an Uncertain Time. Should You Always Obey Your Conscience?", (2022), Fainche Ryan, Journal, PUBLISHED
Fainche Ryan, Conscience Working within Prudentia. Instructed by Thomas Deman's Reading of Aquinas, Religions , 13, (9), 2022, p12 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Fainche Ryan, Ideology of perfectionism abounds but legislation alone cannot eliminate violence against women, 1826, 2022, -, Notes: [https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/ideology-of-perfectionism-abounds-but-legislation-alone-cannot-eliminate-violence-against-women-1.4872673 ], Miscellaneous, PUBLISHED
Fainche Ryan, The Role of Intelligence in Good Human Living. , Aquinas Seminar Series: De Magistro: Aquinas and the Education of the Whole Person, Aquinas Institute, Blackfriars, Oxford, 6th May, 2021, Aquinas Institute, Invited Talk, PUBLISHED
Fainche Ryan, The Network of Agape: Who is my neighbour? , Dignity, Justice, & Law Meet Catholic Social Tradition Conference , University of Notre Dame Kylemore Abbey Global Center, Nov. 21st-23rd, 2021, Invited Talk, PUBLISHED
Fainche Ryan, . On Restoring the Centrality of Prudentia (Phronēsis) for Living Well: Pathways and Contemporary Relevance , Religions , 12, (10), 2021, p1 - 19, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
  

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Le sensus fidei chez Thomas Aquinas : `ils sont tous oints d"une onction invisible" in, editor(s)Paulo Rodrigues , Sensus Fidei, France, Éditions Parole et Silence, 2025, [Fainche Ryan], Notes: [This publication is the output from an international colloquium on Sensus Fidei], Book Chapter, IN_PRESS
Synodality and Co-responsibility in, editor(s)Margit Eckholt , Synodality in Europe, Zurich, Lit Verlag, 2024, pp129 - 144, [Fainche Ryan], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Fainche Ryan, The Book of Kells and Our Lady, Africa , 88, (4), 2023, p8 - 9, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Fainche Ryan, Aquinas on Faith, Reason and Charity, Review of Aquinas on Faith, Reason, and Charity, by Roberto Di Ceglie , Faith and Philosophy, 2022, Review, APPROVED
Fainche Ryan, Book Review, Review of Truth and the Church in a Secular Age, by David Jasper and Jenny A. Wright, eds , Modern Believing, 63, (4), 2022, p436-437 , Notes: [doi.org/10.3828/mb.2022.25 ISBN 978-0-334-05816-8], Review, IN_PRESS
Cornelius Casey, Fainche Ryan, Soiscéal mór Colmcille, Comcille in Context: Theologians and Historians in Conversation, Webinar, 29th September, 2021, Invited Talk, PUBLISHED
Fainche Ryan, For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission, Ennismore Conversations, Ennismore Retreat House, Cork, 29th November, 2021, Dominican Congregation, Invited Talk, PUBLISHED
Fainche Ryan, Women on the Synodal Pathway, Autumn Lectures, St John the Baptist Church, Clontarf, 8th December, 2021, Invited Talk, PUBLISHED
Fainche Ryan, The Complexity of Truth-telling in a Post-Truth Age, Inspiring Ideas Webinar, Trinity College Dublin, 19 May, 2021, Trinity Development & Alumni, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Fainche Ryan, Truth-telling matters: Hannah Arendt , The Percy French Festival, Roscommon, Ireland, 21 July, 2021, Invited Talk, PRESENTED

  


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Award Date
Fellow of Trinity College Dublin 29th April, 2019
I am an internationally recognised theologian with specific expertise in the theology of Thomas Aquinas, evidenced by acceptance of my paper at the Eleventh International Thomistic Congress (September 2022, Rome). This will be published in the proceedings of the Congress. My research brings Aquinas' philosophical and theological works to bear on contemporary ecclesial and societal concerns. The second key direction of my research concerns church and ministry, with current particular interest in the theme of synodality, the sensus fidei, and the role for women in church leadership. My scholarship on Thomas Aquinas brings an original contribution to these topics. I publish and give talks in these areas both within and outside academia. A third focus of research is truth and truth-telling, a topic with singular relevance to the current political and cultural landscape. My argument is that truth-telling is an integral component within the virtue of justice, and that where truth-telling decays, society decays. My research has been disseminated in keynote papers at international conferences (January 2017, Dublin; June 2017 Porto; January 2019, Cambridge; January 2020, Innsbruck; May 2021, Oxford; September 2022, Rome). A publication emanating from this regards intelligent truth-telling (Aquinas' prudentia) (Religions 2021). In May 2022 I organised an international conference on the role of the university, with particular focus on the role of theology within academia (May 2022). In addition, developing this same topic, I am principal editor of an edited international volume, titled, Theology and the University (Routledge, 2024). As well as editorial material I contributed a chapter titled 'The University: A refuge of truth and truthfulness'. Within this research interest I was led to the work of Thomas Deman, a twentieth century French theologian, little translated into English. In 2022 I published 'Conscience Working within Prudentia. Instructed by Thomas Deman's Reading of Aquinas', Religions, 13. I was awarded a Research Boost fund to visit the Deman archive, University of Fribourg (Summer 2023). I am currently preparing a proposal for a monograph, working title 'Fiat veritas, et pereat mundus: The Complexity of Truth-telling'. T