Kevin Ahern

Professor, Religious Studies

Kevin Glauber Ahern, PhD is a theological ethicist and public theologian. His research focuses on the significance of Catholic institutional ministries and Christian social movements. He is an associate professor of Religious Studies at Manhattan College and the past director of the Peace and Justice Studies and Labor Studies programs. He is the author of Structures of Grace: Catholic Organizations Serving the Global Common Good. He has edited several books, including the award-winning Visions of Hope: Emerging Theologians and the Future of the Church, The Radical Bible, and the award-winning Public Theology and the Global Common Good. His most recent book is God’s Quad: Small Faith Communities on Campus and Beyond. 

Dr. Ahern is active on campus with a number of student and faculty groups. He serves as faculty advisor to Just Peace and helps to coordinate the college’s partnerships with Catholic Relief Services and initiatives to engage the legacy of Dorothy Day.

From 2003-2007, Dr. Ahern served as the president of the International Movement of Catholic Students, a global student movement in more than 70 countries. In 2016, he was elected to the leadership of IMCS's sister movement, the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA-Pax Romana), a global movement of intellectual and professionals committed to social action. Dr. Ahern lives in Westchester with his wife, Beth, and two young children.

 

 

Education

  • PHD, Boston College
  • MA, Boston College
  • BA, Fordham University

Courses Taught

Courses Taught at Manhattan College

  • RELS 110: The Nature and Experience of Religion
  • RELS 254: Catholic Social Teaching 
  • RELS 204: Religion and Social Justice 
  • RELS 200: Special Topic: Radical Religious 
  • LABR 201 / RELS 200 / SOC 332: Labor Studies Colloquium 

Courses Taught at Other Institutions

  • Catholic Social Teaching
  • Introduction to Catholic Social Ethics
  • Exploring Catholicism:  Tradition and Transformation
  • Catholic Social Doctrine
  • Human Rights, Humanitarian Crises and Refugees: Political, and Religious Responses
  • Ethics, Religion and International Politics
  • Research
    • Youth and student movements
    • Christian social movements
    • Pneumatology and ecclesiology
    • Reception of the Second Vatican Council
    • Magnanimity and the theological virtue of hope
    • Global governance reform
  • Publications and Scholarly Activities

    Selected publications 

    Books

    Structures of Grace: Catholic Organizations and the Global Common Good. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2015.

    The Radical Bible. Maryknoll: Orbis, 2009.

    Edited and Co-Edited Books

    Ahern, Kevin, and Christopher Derige Malano, eds. God’s Quad: Small Faith Communities on Campus and Beyond. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2018

    Ahern, Kevin, Meghan Clark, David DeCosse, Kristin E. Heyer, and Laurie Johnston, eds. Public Theology and the Global Common Good: Essays in Honor of David Hollenbach. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2016.

    Visions of Hope: Emerging Theologians and the Future of the Church. Maryknoll: Orbis, 2013.

    Peer Reviewed Articles

    “Catholic Institutional Identity: Navigating a Difficult Future.” Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion 9 (2018): 247–268.

    “Gemeenschappen van de Geest De Theologieën van de Nieuwe Katholieke Bewegingen.” Tijdschrift Voor Theologie 57, no. 4 (2017): 374–89.
    Translation: “Communities of the Spirit: The Theologies of the New Catholic Movements.”

    “The Justice Legacy of Populorum Progressio: a Jesuit Case Study,” Journal of Moral Theology.

    “From Spectators to Protagonists: Youth Movements in a Global Church.” In Young Catholics: How They Think, How They Live, and How They Are Reshaping the Church, edited by Solange Lefebvre, Maria Clara Bingemer, and Silvia Scatena, 28–40. Concilium 2015/2. London: SCM Press, 2015.

    Published also in German (MatthiasGrünewald-Verlag), Italian (Queriniana Editor), Portuguese (Editora Vozes), Spanish (Editorial VerboDivino), Croatian (Ex Libris and Synopsis Publications) and French (Editions Bayard).

    “Virtue, Vulnerability, and Social Transformation.” In Violence, Transformation, and the Sacred: They Shall Be Called Children of God, edited by Tobias Winright and Margaret Pfeil. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2012.

    “Structures of Hope in a Fractured World: the Ministry of the International Catholic Youth Movements.” In Ministries in the Church, edited by Susan A Ross, Diego Irarrázaval, and P. D Murray, 76-84. Concilium 2010/1. London: SCM Press, 2010.

    Published also in German (MatthiasGrünewald-Verlag), Italian (Queriniana Editor), Portuguese (Editora Vozes), Spanish (Editorial VerboDivino), Croatian (Ex Libris and Synopsis Publications) and French (Editions Bayard).

    Editor-Reviewed Book Chapters

    “The Joy of the Gospel on Campus: Pope Francis’ Challenge to the Student Church” in God’s Quad: Small Faith Communities on Campus and Beyond, edited by Kevin Ahern and Christopher Derige Malano, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2018.

    “Mediating the Global Common Good:  Catholic NGOs and the Future of Global Governance.” In Public Theology and the Global Common Good: Essays in Honor of David Hollenbach, edited by Kevin Ahern, Meghan Clark, David DeCosse, Kristin E. Heyer and Laurie Johnston. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2016.

    “Magnanimity: A Sustainable Virtue for the Anthropocene.” In Turning to the Heavens and the Earth: Theological Insights into Hope, Wisdom and Creativity for Life on Planet Earth, Essays in Honor of Elizabeth A. Johnson, edited by Julia Brumbaugh, Natalia Imperatori-Lee, Erin Lothes Biviano, and Kathy Lilla Cox. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2016.

    Other Book Chapters and Journal Articles

    “Life and Dignity of the Human Person.” In Liturgy and Catholic Social Teaching. Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 2018.

    “Where Are the College Students?: Serving the Poor Through Higher Education in the United States.” Digital Journal of Lasallian Research, Towards the Declaration, no. 2 (May 2018).

     

  • Professional Experience and Memberships

     

     

    Academy

    2018 – Present

    Catholic Theological Society of America, Appointments Committee

    2016 – Present

    Catholic Theological Society of America, Administrative Team for Catholicity and Mission section.

    2018

    Peer Review of Oxford University Press

    2018

    Book synopsis for Randall, Ian M., and Nigel G. Wright. A Christian Peace Experiment: The Bruderhof Community in Britain, 1933–1942. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2018.

    2017

    Peer Review for Anselm Academic Press

    2014 – 2017

    College Theology Society, Convener of Justice and Peace Section

    2016

    Book synopsis for Ciuba, Edward J. Creation at the Crossroads: A Small-Group Resource on Pope Francis’ Laudato Si. Plainfield, NJ: Renew International, 2016.

    2015

    Peer review for Oxford University Press

    2015

    Book synopsis for Burke, Joan F. It Is Good for Us to Be Here: Catholic Religious Institutes as NGOs at the United Nations. Edited by Cecile Meijer and Emeka Xris Obiezu. Xlibris Corporation, 2015.

    2013

    Peer review for Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

    2011 – 2014

    Emerging Theologians Network, conference coordinator and founder.

    2011 – 2015

    Catholic Conversations Project, participant.

     

     

     

     

    Church

    2017-Present

    Member, Advisory Board, Sacred Heart High School, Yonkers, NY.

    2016 – Present

    The International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA-Pax Romana), International President*

    *ICMICA is a global network of Catholic professionals and theologians committed to engaging faith and professional life. The voluntarily position of president, elected for a term of four years, oversees the public engagement of the movement with the Vatican and United Nations and coordinates with the Secretary General based in Geneva and the International Council.

    2012-2018

    America Media (America Magazine), Board of Directors member and Board Secretary.

    *As a member of the Board, including four years as the Board Secretary (2013-2017), I helped to oversee and give direction for a major transition that included: the sale of the historic headquarters and the renovation and leasing of two spaces in Midtown Manhattan; and the shifting from a weekly magazine to a multi-media platform with regular film, radio, and online programing.

    2011-Present

    Catholic Common Ground Initiative, Advisory Committee member.

    2013 - 2017

    Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary Volunteer Program, Advisory Board member

    2008-2016

    The International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA-Pax Romana), International Council member.

    2015 - 2016

    Africa Faith and Justice Network, Consultant, (2015-2016)

    2014 - 2015

    Dominicans for Justice and Peace, Consultant in the development of their presence at the United Nations

    2013 - 2015

    Jesuit Networking Research Group, Facilitator and Member

    2008-2013

    Boston College Center for the Church in the 21st Century, Advisory Committee member.

    2007-2010

    Vatican Sponsored Forum of Catholic Inspired NGOs, Secretary and Working Group member.

    2007-2013

    Maryknoll Affiliates, member.

    2005

    Youth Delegate to the 60th Session of the United Nations General Assembly for the Holy See.

    2004-2007

    International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organizations, cofounder and coordinator.

    2003-2006

    Conference of International Catholic Organizations, Coordination Committee member.
  • Honors, Awards, and Grants
    • 2019: Honorable Mention by the Catholic Press Association for God’s Quad.
    • 2018: Agnes Flynn Faculty Award by the Student Veterans Organization
    • 2018: Nominated for the Costello Award for Excellence in Teaching
    • 2017: First Place, Catholic Press Association Book Award in the Category of Faithful Citizenship/ Religious Freedom for Public Theology and the Global Common Good: The Contribution of David Hollenbach (Ahern, Clark, Heyer, and Johnson, eds.). Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2016.
    • 2014: First Place Award by the Catholic Press Association for books on the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council for: Visions of Hope: Emerging Theologians and the Future of the Church (Ahern, ed.). Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2013.