John C. Cavadini

The McGrath-Cavadini Director of the Institute for Church Life

Frequently and widely called upon by Church leaders, ministers, and teachers, theology professor John Cavadini leads the Institute for Church Life, through which Notre Dame puts its academic excellence in service to the Church through teaching, service, and outreach initiatives worldwide.

In 2009, Cavadini was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to the International Theological Commission. The commission, whose membership is personally reviewed and appointed by the pope, consists of some 30 theologians from around the world who advise the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

A member of the Notre Dame faculty since 1990, Cavadini was also named by Pope Benedict as a member of the Order of the Knights of St. Gregory the Great. He specializes in patristic and early medieval theology, the theology of Augustine, and the history of biblical and patristic exegesis. The author of several theological books, he also writes essays, articles, and reviews in popular journals. He has recently become deeply interested in and active on behalf of the development of theological education in the Catholic Church of Africa.

Contact Professor Cavadini.  
Visit his website.  
Learn more about the Institute for Church Life.

Bob (’55) and Joan McGrath, of San Francisco, Calif., are longtime members of the Institute for Church Life Advisory Council. The couple endowed the institute’s directorship in 2008.