Santa Clara University Names Welsh Theologian and “World Citizen” as Executive Director of Ignatian Center
SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 19, 2016 –Welsh theologian Dorian Llywelyn, S.J., has been named to lead the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education at Santa Clara University. Fr. Llywelyn will begin his appointment on August 1, 2016.
As Executive Director of the Ignatian Center, Fr. Llywelyn will lead the 15-member team in its work of promoting and enhancing the distinctively Jesuit, Catholic tradition of education at Santa Clara. The Center engages campus members, local neighbors, and the global community through its signature programs including the Bannan Institutes, Arrupe Weekly Engagement, immersions, Ignatian tradition offerings, and the Thriving Neighbors Initiative. Fr. Llywelyn will also lead the University’s efforts in promoting and strengthening the understanding, engagement, and shared appreciation of the Jesuit, Catholic character of the University.
“Hiring Dorian Llywelyn, S.J., is a big win for Santa Clara University,” said Michael Engh, S.J., president of Santa Clara University. “Having lived and worked in many countries around the world, Fr. Llywelyn brings impressive global perspectives on Jesuit education, ecumenism, and interreligious dialogue. Coupled with these, he holds a deep appreciation for Santa Clara’s particular setting and strengths. His vision for the Ignatian Center will bolster current programs and animate new enterprises that will boldly engage our Jesuit imagination.”
Fr. Llywelyn comes to Santa Clara from Heythrop College at the University of London and Loyola Marymount University, where he has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in Christian spirituality, theology and culture, and ecclesiology and ecumenism. He has also held visiting chairs at Marquette University and Seattle University.
“Santa Clara University is a leading institution of Jesuit higher education, and I am honored to have been asked to join in this great tradition of learning, faith, and social engagement,” said Fr. Llywelyn. “Standing as it does in the heartland of a globally influential industry, SCU is a key player in forging Jesuit, Catholic higher education for the 21st century. The prospect of working alongside so many people of imagination, compassion, and vision—both on and off campus—fills me with enthusiasm. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves."
In addition to his appointment as associate professor at LMU, Fr. Llywelyn was founding director of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute and the director of the Catholic Studies Program. He has held appointments on various advisory boards at LMU including the Center for Ignatian Spirituality, Center for Religion and Spirituality, and the CSJ Center for Reconciliation and Justice. Fr. Llywelyn currently serves as president of the International Society of Jesuit Ecumenists and is the superior of the Jesuit Community in Brixton, London.
Fr. Llywelyn has written several books and scholarly articles on the intersection of faith and culture. His research interests focus on the place of land and national identity in the spirituality of peoples, and the intersection of devotion to the Virgin Mary with politics and culture.
Fluent in several languages including Spanish, French, Indonesian, and colloquial Arabic, he served several years in the Voluntary Service Overseas (British Peace Corps) in Indonesia and Egypt.
Fr. Llywelyn received a Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Wales; a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Jesuit School of Theology; a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca in Spain; and a B.A. in English from the University of Cambridge.
About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 9,000 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering; master’s degrees in business, education, counseling psychology, pastoral ministry, and theology; and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.
Media Contact
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Relations | (408) 554-5121