Gerald Glynn O'Collins (born 1931) is an Australian

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

and academic. He was a research professor and writer-in-residence at the Jesuit Theological College (JTC) in

Parkville, Victoria Parkville is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the Cities of City of Melbourne, Melbourne and City of Merri-bek, M ...

, and a research professor in theology at St Mary's University College in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boro ...

. For more than three decades, he was professor of systematic and fundamental theology at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

(Rome). In 2006, O'Collins was made a Companion of the General Division of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

(AC), in recognition of his outstanding commitment to theological scholarship and ecumenical initiatives.

Life and career

O'Collins was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

, Australia, in 1931 and educated at

Xavier College Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, founded in 1872 by the Society of Jesus, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Classes started in 1878. ...

. His maternal grandfather

Paddy Glynn Patrick McMahon Glynn KC (25 August 1855 – 28 October 1931) was an Irish-Australian lawyer and politician. He served in the House of Representatives from 1901 to 1919, and was a government minister under three prime ministers, as Attorney-Ge ...

was a federal government minister, while his sister Maev O'Collins became a professor at the

University of Papua New Guinea The University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) is a university located in Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea. It was established by ordinance of the Australian administration in 1965. This followed the Currie Commission which had enquired ...

. O'Collins studied at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb ...

, where he took both a first-class honours

baccalaureate degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

and a master's degree. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1963 and went on to earn a

Licentiate in Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus; abbreviated STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theol ...

(STL) at

Heythrop College Heythrop College, University of London, was a constituent college of the University of London between 1971 and 2018, last located in Kensington Square, London. It comprised the university's specialist faculties of philosophy and theology with soc ...

, Oxfordshire, in 1967. The next year he was made a

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiv ...

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, where he held a research

fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher educatio ...

at Pembroke College. He taught at the Weston School of Theology ( Boston Theological Institute) in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, and the JTC in Melbourne for five years before accepting a professorship at the

Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school (pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

in Rome in 1973. He taught there until 2006. Additionally, he served as

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of the theological faculty for six years. After retiring from the Gregorian he was named research professor at St. Mary's University College. O'Collins's has received several honorary doctorates: from the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The Hil ...

(1991),

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following recommendations in the Robbins Report. The institu ...

(2003),

Sacred Heart University Sacred Heart University (SHU) is a private, Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart was the first Catholic uni ...

(Bridgeport, Conn.) (2004);

John Carroll University John Carroll University is a private Jesuit university in University Heights, Ohio. It is primarily an undergraduate, liberal arts institution accompanied by the John M. and Mary Jo Boler College of Business. John Carroll has an enrollment of 3 ...

(Cleveland, Ohio) (2007); and a DD from Melbourne College of Divinity (2007); Honorary adjunct professor of

Australian Catholic University Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university in Australia. It has seven Australian campuses and also maintains a campus in Rome. History Australian Catholic University was opened on 1 January 1991 following the amalgamatio ...

(2007–2010). O'Collins organised and co-chaired international ecumenical symposia on the

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...

(1996), the

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

(1998), the

Incarnation Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It refers to the conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or the appearance of a god as a human. If capitalized, it is the union of divinit ...

(2000), the Redemption (2003), and the legacy of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

(2008), also co-editing their proceedings. He returned to Australia in 2009. O'Collins has been an honorary visitor and a visiting scholar at Pembroke College, and he currently serves as an honorary adjunct professor at the

. He has delivered the Fisher Lecture and the

Margaret Beaufort Lady Margaret Beaufort (usually pronounced: or ; 31 May 1441/43 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late fifteenth century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch. A descendant of ...

Lecture at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

and the Cardinal Hume Lectures at Heythrop College. Amongst other honours, he is the recipient of the Malipiero Prize, the

Stefano Borgia Stefano Borgia (3 December 1731 – 1804) was an Italian Cardinal, theologian, antiquarian, and historian. Life Cardinal Borgia belonged to a well known family of Velletri, where he was born, and was a member of the collateral branch of House ...

European Prize, and the Johannes Quasten Medal given by

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

.See Australian Government websites, as listed o
"ABC Broadcasting Personalities"
Accessed 25 October 2012

Selected works

* ''Christology: Origins, Developments'' Baylor University Press, 2015. ISBN 9781481302562. * *''Light from Light: Scientists and Theologians in Dialogue'' (ed. with Mary Ann Meyers) Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2011. *''Rethinking Fundamental Theology'' OUP, 2011. *''Jesus Our Priest: A Christian Approach to the Priesthood of Christ'' (with Michael Keenan Jones) OUP, 2010. *''Catholicism. A Very Short Introduction'' OUP, 2008. *''The Legacy of John Paul II'' (ed. with Michael Hayes) Continuum, 2008. *'' Jesus: A Portrait'' Darton, Longman & Todd, 2008. *''Salvation for All. God's Other Peoples'' OUP, 2008. *''Pope John Paul II. A Reader'' (with D Kendall and J LaBelle) Paulist Press, 2007. *''Christ Our Redeemer. A Christian Approach to Salvation'' OUP, 2007. *''The Lord's Prayer'' Darton, Longman & Todd, 2006. (Paulist Press ed.) *''Living Vatican II. The 21st Council for the 21st Century'', Paulist Press, 2006 (awarded best theology book of 2006 by the Catholic Press Association of the United States and of Canada). *''Following the Way: Jesus Our Spiritual Director'' Paulist Press, 2000. *'' Christology: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus'' OUP, 1995 – rev. 2nd ed. 2009. *'' Jesus Risen: An Historical, Fundamental, and Systematic Examination of Christ's Resurrection'' Paulist Press, 1987.

Notes

External links

Official Profile
on the ''Australian Jesuits'' Website Accessed 25 October 2012

on ''The Humble Approach Initiative''
Bibliography on ''Good Reads''Gerald O'Collins – Curriculum of published worksInterview with Fr. O'Collins
on ''ViasTuas'' (Australia) dated 3 August 2004, at St Thomas More College,

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany and various other facilitie ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:OCollins, Gerald Living people 1931 births Academics from Melbourne Australian Jesuits 20th-century Jesuits 21st-century Jesuits University of Melbourne alumni 20th-century Australian Roman Catholic priests Alumni of Heythrop College Alumni of the University of Cambridge Pontifical Gregorian University faculty Jesuit philosophers 20th-century Australian philosophers 21st-century Australian philosophers Academics of St Mary's University, Twickenham Australian Roman Catholic theologians Philosophers of religion People in Christian ecumenism Christologists Companions of the Order of Australia 21st-century Australian Roman Catholic priests

Life and career

Selected works

See also

Notes

External links