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Mary Catherine Hilkert

Professor

Primary Area: Systematic Theology

Headshot of a woman with short, brown hair and glasses. She wears a bright green blazer over a white shirt and smiles warmly at the camera. A small pin with the University of Notre Dame logo is affixed to her lapel.
Office
337 Malloy Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556-4619
Phone
+1 574-631-7290
Email
mhilkert@nd.edu

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Biography

Professor Mary Catherine Hilkert specializes in contemporary systematic theology with particular focus on theological anthropology, fundamental theology, Christology, and feminist theologies and spirituality. She is also an internationally recognized expert on the theology of Edward Schillebeeckx. A former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America (2005-2006), Dr. Hilkert holds four honorary doctorates and has been the recipient of the Catholic Theological Society of America’s John Courtney Murray Award for Theological Excellence, Washington Theological Union’s Sophia Award for Theological Excellence in Service of Ministry, Barry University’s Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence, and the Ann O’Hara Graff Award for her contributions to the integration of academic and pastoral theology with particular attention to the voices of women. A member of the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Sr. Hilkert has lectured and preached in Catholic and ecumenical contexts in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and South Africa and served on two international theological commissions of the Order of Preachers for studies related to the preaching mission of the Order.

Research Interests

Theological Anthropology, Fundamental Theology, Christology, Theology of Edward Schillebeeckx, Feminist Theologies and Spirituality, Relationship of Theology and Preaching

Selected Publications

Naming Grace: Preaching and the Sacramental Imagination. New York: Bloomsbury [Continuum], 1997.

Speaking with Authority: Catherine of Siena and the Voices of Women Today. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 2008.

A Time to Keep Silence and a Time to Speak, Marymount Institute Press, 2023.

The Praxis of the Reign of God: An Introduction to the Theology of Edward Schillebeeckx, 2nd ed., ed. Mary Catherine Hilkert and Robert J. Schreiter. New York: Fordham University Press, 2002.

“Human Desires and God’s ‘Holy Trick’: Catherine of Siena and the School of Friendship,” in Mysticism in Contemporary Life: Essays in Honor of Bernard McGinn, ed. John Markey and J. August Higgins (New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 2019) 163-181.

Education

  • B.A., University of Dayton
  • M.A., Ph.D., Catholic University of America