Joseph A. Komonchak (born on March 13, 1939) is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, ordained on 18 December 1963 for the

Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York ( la, Archidiœcesis Neo-Eboracensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the State of New York. It encompasses the boroug ...

. He is Professor Emeritus of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America, where he retired in 2009.

Biography

Komonchak was born in

Nyack, New York Nyack () is a Village (New York), village located primarily in the Town (New York), town of Orangetown, New York, Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, Rockland County, New York (state), New York, United States. Incorporated in 1872, it retai ...

in 1939. He attended Cathedral College in Brooklyn, and in 1960 received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Joseph's Seminary in

Dunwoodie, Yonkers Dunwoodie is a neighborhood in Yonkers, New York, noted for being the home of St. Joseph's Seminary and College on Valentine Hill. Dunwoodie (proper) is located north of the Seminary, while Dunwoodie Heights includes the seminary and what is sout ...

. He studied at the North American College in Rome, earning a

Licentiate of Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus; abbreviated STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theol ...

from the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

in Rome. One of his instructors at the Gregorian was Jesuit theologian

Bernard Lonergan Bernard Joseph Francis Lonergan (17 December 1904 – 26 November 1984) was a Canadian Jesuit priest, philosopher, and theologian, regarded by many as one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century. Lonergan's works include ''Insight: A ...

, whom Komonchak credited with restoring his faith in the future of Catholic intellectualism. He received a doctorate from Union Theological Seminary in New York. Ordained in 1963, he did parish work along with college and seminary teaching, before joining the faculty at

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

in 1977; he had among his students Cardinal Tagle of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. He was considered by many as the dean of American ecclesiologists. Komonchak is a leading interpreter of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

, co-editor of the English version of the five-volume history of the Council, and the chief editor of ''The New Dictionary of Theology''. In June 2015 he received from the

Catholic Theological Society of America The Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA) is a professional association of Catholic theologians founded in 1946 to promote studies and research in theology within the Catholic tradition. Its members are primarily in the United States and C ...

the

John Courtney Murray John Courtney Murray (September 12, 1904 – August 16, 1967) was an American Jesuit priest and theologian, who was especially known for his efforts to reconcile Catholicism and religious pluralism, particularly focusing on the relationsh ...

Award, the highest honor it bestows. He served as a consultant to three committees of the

National Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

, and published more than 150 articles.

References

External links

Lecture on the Second Vatican Council

J. A. Komonchak on the election of Pope Benedict XVI.

book review by JA Komonchak in the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

: J. Ratzinger, On the Situation of Faith, A Conversation with Vittorio Messori
Komonchak's contribution to the theology of the local church.

A ''Realist's Church: Essays in Honor of Joseph A.Komonchak''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Komonchak, Joseph A. 21st-century American Roman Catholic theologians 20th-century American Roman Catholic theologians 21st-century American Roman Catholic priests 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests Catholic University of America faculty 1939 births Ecclesiologists Living people People from Nyack, New York Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni People of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York