Rev. Cathal Doherty, S.J., formerly an associate professor of theology at the University of San Francisco, has been named the next Emmett J. and Martha Doerr Chair in Theology in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences.
The Emmett J. and Martha Doerr Chair in Theology was established in 1993 to provide crucial and transformational support to the Department of Theology. While historically focused on Catholic systematic theology, the scope of the chair was expanded to other theological specializations.
“I am thrilled to welcome Father Cathal Doherty to Marquette University to serve as our next Emmett J. and Martha Doerr Chair in Theology,” said Dr. Heidi Bostic, dean of the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences. “The Doerr Chair is an invaluable academic asset to the department and Father Doherty’s scholarly achievements, ability to connect with others and significant plans to further Marquette’s mission through the Doerr Chair will be considerable benefits to our community.”
Doherty, whose first name Cathal is pronounced “CA-hull,” joined the faculty at San Francisco in 2015 and served as the program director for Catholic studies. His main research interests lie in dogmatic, especially sacramental theology, in addition to linguistics and the philosophy of religion. His most recent research centers on the nature-supernature relation, sacramental causality and Maurice Blondel’s realist phenomenology of human action.
A native of County Donegal in the north of Ireland, Doherty is a Jesuit priest of the Irish Province. Prior to joining the faculty at USF, he previously taught at Boston College and University College Dublin, Ireland. A linguist turned theologian, he has two doctorates, one in sacred theology from Boston College and another in theoretical linguistics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Prior to joining the Jesuits, he taught and earned tenure in the Linguistics Department of University College in Dublin.
In addition to his academic appointment, Doherty also serves as a commissioned officer chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserves. He is also a member of the American Catholic Philosophy Association, Academy of Catholic Theologians and Linguistic Society of America.