Mary Melone, S.F.A. (born 1964) is an Italian

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated: Sr.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to prayer and ...

and

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

specialising in the life and thought of

Saint Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. Anthony was born and raised by a wealth ...

. Since October 2014, she has served as the

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the

Pontifical University Antonianum The Antonianum, also known as the Pontifical University of Saint Anthony (, ), and as Pontifical Athenaeum Antonianum, is a Franciscan pontifical university in Rome named in honour of Anthony of Padua. It is located in the Rione Esquiline Hill, Es ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. She was the first woman to head a

pontifical university A pontifical university or athenaeum is an ecclesiastical university established or approved directly by the Holy See, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties (Theology, Philosophy and canon law (Catholic Church), Canon Law) and at least o ...

Life

Born Maria Domenica Melone, she joined the Franciscan Sisters of Blessed

Angela of Foligno Angela of Foligno (1248 – 4 January 1309) was an Italian Third Order of Saint Francis, Franciscan tertiary who became known as a Christian mysticism, mystic from her extensive writings about her mystical Private revelation, revelations. Due to ...

(''Suore Francescane Angeline'' in Italian) after graduating from high school. She took her temporary vows in 1986, and

professed A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise that is solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedding c ...

her

perpetual vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, many different kinds of re ...

in 1991. Melone has a number of degrees. She has a degree in teaching and philosophy from the Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta, graduating in 1992. She then studied theology at the

, graduating in 1996. She completed her

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

(PhD) degree at the Pontifical University Antonianum in 2001; her

doctoral thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

was titled ''The

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

Richard of St. Victor Richard of Saint Victor (died 10 March 1173) was a Medieval Scottish philosopher and theologian and one of the most influential religious thinkers of his time. A canon regular, he was a prominent mystical theologian, and was prior of the famous ...

's 'De Trinitate. From 2011 to 2014, Melone was

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 * Dean Sw ...

of the Department of Theology at the

. In 2014, she was elected by the

Congregation for Catholic Education The Congregation for Catholic Education (Institutes of Study) () was the pontifical congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for: universities, faculties, institutes and higher schools of study, either ecclesial or non-ecclesiastical depende ...

as the

of the Pontifical University Antonianum. She will serve a three-year term. She is the first woman to head a

. She was installed as rector on 22 October 2014. Melone has also served as President of the Italian Society for Theological Research.

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

named her a member of the

Study Commission on the Women's Diaconate Pope Francis created two Study Commissions on the Women's Diaconate, the first in August 2016 to review the theology of women deacons and their nature in the first centuries of the Catholic Church, and a second in April 2020 following discussion ...

on 2 August 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melone, Mary 1964 births Living people 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns 21st-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns Third Order Regular Franciscans Franciscan scholars 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic theologians Women academic administrators Italian women academics Place of birth missing (living people) Italian academic administrators Heads of universities in Italy 21st-century Italian Roman Catholic theologians 21st-century Roman Catholic sisters 20th-century Roman Catholic sisters Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta alumni

Life

See also

References