Megan Effron
Primary Area: Systematic Theology
Biography
Megan Effron grew up in the Bay Area of California and received her B.A. in English from UCLA (summa cum laude) where she first discovered an interest in theology through literature. After earning her M.Div. degree from the University of Notre Dame, she taught high school theology for several years before returning to Notre Dame to pursue her Ph.D.
A systematic theologian working at the intersection of ecclesiology, pneumatology, and sacramental theology, Megan is especially interested in the theology of the word and the theology of preaching. Her dissertation draws on the writings of French Dominican Yves Congar as a foundation from which to construct a contemporary sacramental theology of preaching, with a particular focus on the voices of lay people. Megan is also committed to the craft of preaching and preaches whenever she has an opportunity to do so. She has also taught homiletics to undergraduate students, lay graduate students in formation for ministry, and seminarians. She lives in La Porte, Indiana with her husband and two children.
Research Interests
Ecclesiology, Pneumatology, Sacramental Theology, Preaching, Feminist Theology, Ecumenism, Religion and Literature
Representative Publications
“Synodal Listening, Receptive Ecumenism, and Women’s Preaching: Enriching the Catholic Conversation with Gifts from Pentecostalism,” Questions Liturgiques 105, no. 1-2 (2025): 32-59.
Book Review: “Let the Children Lead: Models for Worship with All Generations.” Homiletic Journal 50, no. 2 (2025): 111–12. EBSCOhost.
“Co-Responsibility for Proclaiming the Gospel: Parts I-III,” Pray Tell Blog: Worship, Wit & Wisdom, sponsored by the Obsculta Preaching Initiative at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary and published online February 27, March 5, and March 11, 2025. Part I, Part II, Part III.
“Balancing Eucharistic Origins in the Work of Gordon Lathrop and Thomas O’Loughlin” in Further Issues in Eucharistic Praying in East and West: Essays in Liturgical and Theological Analysis, ed. Maxwell E. Johnson (Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2023), 1-22.
“Ascension of the Lord: What will you do?” in Catholic Women Preach: Raising Voices, Renewing the Church Cycle B, eds. Elizabeth Donnelly and Russ Petrus (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2023), 112-116.
Dissertation
“Nourishing the People of God at the Table of the Word: A Sacramental Theology of Preaching Grounded in the Writings of Yves Congar”
Director: Mary Catherine Hilkert
Education
- B.A., University of California, Los Angeles
- M. Div., University of Notre Dame