Timothy W. O'Brien, S.J.
Visiting Scholar
Clough School of Theology and Ministry
Boston College
Visiting Scholar
Clough School of Theology and Ministry
Boston College
I am a Jesuit priest and a historian of Christian religious and spiritual culture, with particular interests in the early modern Iberian world. In 2024, I earned my doctorate from Facultés Loyola Paris (formerly Centre Sèvres).
Trained in both history and theology, my scholarship analyzes the ways that spiritual traditions have been constructed (and re-constructed) over time. My current book project – Contemplation and Conflict: Baltasar Álvarez, Teresa of Avila, and the Making of Early Jesuit Spiritual Culture – explores this process in the Society of Jesus, especially in sixteenth-century Spain.
Beginning in May 2025, I will be a visiting fellow at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College. Previously, I served as associate vice present for mission at the College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA). I have also taught at Loyola University Maryland, and was an associate pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Washington, DC).
STD in the history of spirituality, Facultés Loyola Paris
MA in history, the Johns Hopkins University
STL in theology, Facultés Loyola Paris
MA in theology and history of Christianity, the University of Chicago Divinity School
MA in philosophy, Loyola University Chicago
BA in political science, College of the Holy Cross
the history of Christianity, especially from the 16th–20th centuries
Christian mysticism and asceticism
Ignatian Spirituality
Jesuit studies