Kristin Heyer appointed inaugural Joseph Chair in Theology

Kristin Heyer, a professor of theological ethics and former director of graduate studies in the Boston College Theology Department, has been named as the University’s inaugural Joseph Chair in Theology.

Heyer, who earned a Ph.D. in theological ethics from Boston College, focuses her scholarship and teaching on topics such as moral agency, migration, social inequality, and modern Catholic social teaching. She is author of the award-winning books Kinship Across Borders: A Christian Ethic of Immigration and Prophetic and Public: The Social Witness of U.S. Catholicism, as well as dozens of articles and book chapters. She is co-editor of six books, including Christianity and the Law of Migration and the forthcoming book, The Moral Vision of Pope Francis: Expanding the U.S. Reception of the First Jesuit Pope.

"Professor Heyer is an outstanding and highly respected scholar, whose expertise in the areas of social ethics, migration ethics, Catholic social thought, and religion and politics makes a significant contribution to the University's Jesuit, Catholic mission," said Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J.  "She served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, and she is an engaging teacher, offering courses in the Core curriculum, the major, and the graduate program. Professor Heyer is a most appropriate choice to serve as the inaugural Joseph Chair in Theology."

Established in 2012 by anonymous donors, the Joseph Chair in Theology supports a professorial chair in either the Theology Department or the Clough School of Theology and Ministry. The donors also created three other chairs: the Joseph Chair in Catholic Spirituality; the Joseph Chair in Catholic Philosophy; and the Joseph Chair in Catholic Systematic Theology.

“I am deeply honored to be appointed as the inaugural Joseph Chair in Theology,” said Heyer, who joined the Boston College faculty in 2015. “The University’s commitment to theology has been unwavering, which is all the more noteworthy amid challenges the discipline increasingly faces. I have been impressed by how much Boston College graduates continue to shape the field of theology in significant ways, like my faculty colleagues. I am grateful  for this opportunity to further support our current and future students and the wider University.”

In June, Heyer completed her term as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the principal association of Catholic theologians in North America and the largest professional society of theologians in the world. As CTSA president, Heyer led the organization in the face of increased precarity in Catholic higher education and the synodal movement under way in the Church. She brought to vote significant changes, oversaw success in new fundraising efforts, and promoted transparency and stewardship.

Heyer serves as a co-chair of Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church, an international network of scholars and practitioners in the field of theological ethics. Her research has had global reach through presentations in Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, India, Italy and Sweden.