About

Qualifications

BA (Macq),1974; MA (CUA),1983; PhD (CUA),1992; GradDipHEd (UNSW),1998; Certificate in Financial Management (Kuring-Gai CAE 1986).

Research Interests

Political Philosophy, Epistemology, Rhetoric and Politics in the Pacific

Biennial Conference in Philosophy, Religions and Culture (link)

Personal

I grew up in the coal mining areas of the Hunter Valley and attended primary school with the Sisters of Mercy at Toronto and secondary school with the Marist Brothers at Hamilton. I am a Marist Father of the Australian Province. Following seminary studies and a degree in maths and physics, I taught science at Marist College in Burnie, Tasmania. I then had the opportunity to undertake degrees in philosophy at Catholic University of America. I taught at Catholic Theological Union at Hunters Hill in the 1980s and joined the faculty of Catholic Institute of Sydney in 1992. I retired from the faculty of Catholic Institute of Sydney on 31 January 2016.

Priest

My life as a Marist Father has been mostly devoted to education. I am, however, available for retreats and for parish supply. Between 1997 and 2009 I engaged in voluntary chaplaincy work at Villawood immigration Detention Centre.

Philosopher

My philosophical education was broadly historically based but with theses on the epistemology of Thomas Aquinas. While I maintain a deep affinity with Thomas, more recent interests have drawn me towards the ethical, political and rhetorical work of Aristotle. For twenty years, I organised the Biennial Conference in Philosophy, Religion and Culture.

Educator

I remain research active with the Sydney College of Divinity and am available for thesis examinations and supervision. I have conducted a number of educational reviews and am open to further work in that area.

Pacific Studies

I have long been interested in the Pacific Islands and have enjoyed links to the people there through my Marist contacts. My latest book, Thinking about Political Things: An Aristotelian Approach to Pacific Life, aims to assist Pacific peoples in thinking about their political situation. I am available for seminars and workshops in this area.