Father Andrew Summerson has been appointed a full-time, tenure stream member of Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology, where he will serve as an Assistant Professor of Greek Patristics. Prior to the appointment he had held a Contractually Limited Term Appointment with the Faculty for three years.
“I am happy to continue my work with the Faculty, the Sheptytsky Institute, and the University of St Michael’s College to deepen pathways of collaboration on campus with colleagues and the wider constituencies around campus,” he says.
Summerson holds an S.Th.D. in Patristic Theology from the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome. His book, Divine Scripture and Human Emotion in Maximus the Confessor: Exegesis of the Human Heart, was published by Brill.
“Professor Summerson brings many talents to this new position, from his wide-ranging scholarship in Patristics and the Eastern Churches to being a great community builder and fostering international networks of collaboration and research,” says RSM Dean Jaroslav Skira. “All of this will continue to raise the profile of an invaluable part of our Faculty of Theology, namely, the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian studies.”
Summerson will continue to teach History of Christianity 1 as well as the courses in Patristics and Eastern Christian Theology.
“The University of St. Michael’s College boasts a proud history of historical studies while engaging the contemporary world,” says Summerson. “I see my own work with Sheptytsky aligned with St. Michael’s heritage: engaging the touchstones of the Eastern Christian past for the life of the world we live in today.”
He looks forward to continuing his work with theology students,
“Early Christian texts aren’t meant to be sipped like wine; they must be chugged like beer,” he says. “I like to read primary sources with my students and treat them not like delicate artifacts, but living voices that speak true statements about God and the Church today.”