Kenneth Amadi

Biography

Kenneth Onyema Amadi is a Ph.D. candidate in theology majoring in liturgical studies. With previous degrees in philosophy (B.Phil., 2009) and theology (B.S.T., 2014) from the Pontifical Urban University, Rome, and following priestly ordination in 2015, Father Amadi came to Notre Dame in 2017 earning a Master of Theological Studies degree (M.T.S., 2019). Ken’s areas of interest include liturgical and sacramental theology, ritual studies, sociology of religion, African Christian imagination, global Catholicism, and lay theological mission. His dissertation, “Ritualizing Thanksgiving: The Place of Local Rituals in Global Catholicism” explores the changing dynamics in local expressions of worship amidst an enduring liturgical tradition. How do local rituals, particularly in the African context, participate in and contribute to the richness of the Church’s lex orandi?

Inspired by Notre Dame’s vision of Catholic education, Ken co-founded Church Life Africa (CLA), an initiative whose mission is to invest in the intentional theological and pastoral formation of lay African leaders who will lead the Church and society towards the next generation. This important initiative has received support from several Notre Dame units including the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, McGrath Institute for Church Life, Kellogg Institute for International Studies, and the Department of Theology.

For his outstanding leadership and service as a scholar-practitioner, Fr. Amadi received the 2025 Notre Dame Black Excellence Award. In the fall of 2025, he joined the faculty at the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology as Director of Church Life Africa and concurrent Assistant Professor of Theology.