BA (VUW), SSL (PBI, Rome), PhD (Otago)
Role at Te Kupenga: Lecturer in Biblical Studies
I am a priest of the Society of Mary, NZ Province, born and bred in Timaru. After ordination I worked in the two very different Wellington parishes of St Francis de Sales and St Mary of the Angels. Then in 1982 I embarked upon post-graduate biblical study, living for varying periods in Washington DC and Rome. Over the years I have lectured in a number of New Zealand tertiary institutions. My Licence in Sacred Scripture (SSL) is from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, and my PhD thesis (“Compassion, Jesus and Luke – Words and Deeds in a Redaction-Compositional Study of Luke 6:12-8:3”) was accepted by the University of Otago. Every week of the liturgical year I write commentaries on the Sunday Scripture readings for NZCatholic. At present I hold the office of Vice-President of the Australian Catholic Biblical Association, am a member of the Aotearoa New Zealand Association for Biblical Studies and of the Society of Biblical Literature. I regularly appear as a presenter at the Mercy Spirituality Centre, Auckland, and frequently participate in their PlanetFM interviews. For relaxation I love going to the cinema to view films of all kinds and I particularly enjoy engaging in critical discussion of what I have seen.
Professional Activities:
My doctoral thesis (“Compassion, Jesus and Luke – Words and Deeds in a Redaction-Compositional Study of Luke 6:12-8:3”) was recently accepted by the University of Otago.
March 2009: Guest Lecturer, St Paul’s Parish, Dallington, Christchurch, NZ: “The Damascus Road Experience”.
July 2009: Guest Lecturer, Mercy Spirituality Centre, Auckland, NZ: “Thinking and Talking about the Apostle Paul”.
July 2009: Paper delivered at the Australian Catholic Biblical Association Conference: “Of Angels and Demons – Priests, Pastors and the People of God”.
Treasurer to the Aotearoa New Zealand Association for Biblical Studies.
