Tom had over a decade of experience teaching in Catholic education at the secondary level. He has also taught courses at Brescia University, Bellarmine University, St. Meinrad Seminary & School of Theology, and Spalding University.
Tom has led over 100 presentations, including several scholarly papers and workshops at the College English Association, International Thomas Merton Society, and National Catholic Education Association conferences. He serves as a consistent presenter for ministry formation with the Archdiocese of Louisville and St. Meinrad School of Theology.
Tom is an active member and has served as a peer-reviewer for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and International Thomas Merton Society (ITMS). He is also a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA), College English Association (CEA), and The Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain & Ireland (TMS-GBI).
Recognition:
2024
- 5/16 - Parish study: The Eucharistic sacrifice, Holy Guardian Angels, Irvington, KY
- 5/20 - Workshop: Seeking Peace/Thomas Merton, Our Lady of Lourdes, Louisville, KY
- 5/23 - Parish study: The sacred Eucharistic meal, Holy Guardian Angels, Irvington, KY
- 5/30 - Parish study: The mystery of the Eucharistic presence, Holy Guardian Angels, Irvington, KY
- 6/4 - Workshop: The Exile: Exploring Lament in the Jewish Scriptures, Archdiocese of Louisville, KY
- 6/12 - Workshops: morning) The Book of Revelation; afternoon) Hollywood or History: Teaching with Film, Archdiocese of Louisville, KY
- 7/22 - Workshops: morning) Christus Vivit: Exploring Pope Francis’s Apostolic Exhortation for Young People; afternoon) Thomas Merton and Pope Francis: Voices for change in cultures of unrest, Archdiocese of Louisville, KY
- 11/22 - Workshop: Cardinal Dulles and the Models of the Church, Archdiocese of Louisville Diaconate formation
Truth and Reconciliation: Exploring Servant Leadership within Divided Nations
Art as the voice of authentic human resistance in an era of algorithms: Revisiting Thomas Merton's Message to Poets and Answers on Art and Freedom
My Argument with the Gestapo: Exploring Thomas Merton’s traumatic and imaginative narrative through the lens of magical realism
Emerging with Grace: Exploring a Post-Pandemic Pastoral Ministry and Spirituality of Hope
Doctoral
o Academic Writing & Leadership Theory
o Identifying and Analyzing Organizational Issues
o (Co-taught) Leadership Seminar: Ed.D. Capstone 1
o (Co-taught) Leadership Seminar: Ed.D. Capstone 2
o (Co-taught) Research Methodology and Problem Solving
o (Guest Lecture) Qualitative Methodologies
Graduate
o Adolescent Spirituality
o Becoming a Religious Educator
o Evangelization and Catechesis
o Introduction to Youth Ministry
o (Guest Lecture) Philosophy of Education
o (Guest Lecture) Storytelling and Learner Diversity
o Christian Marriage & Family
o The Church
o Faith & Justice
o Introduction to the Catholic Liturgy
o Introduction to the New Testament
o Introduction to the Old Testament
o Ultimate Questions
o (Guest Lecture) Storytelling through Original Musical Composition
o Christian Scriptures
o Christology
o The Church
o Hebrew Scriptures
o Philosophy
o Sacraments
o Statistics
College English Association, Atlanta, GA
Art as the voice of authentic human resistance in an era of algorithms: Revisiting Thomas Merton's Message to Poets and Answers on Art and Freedom [paper]
International Thomas Merton Society, St. Mary’s College Notre Dame, IN
My Argument with the Gestapo: Exploring Merton’s traumatic and imaginative narrative through the lens of magical realism [paper]
College English Association, Birmingham, AL
A nonviolent response to tragedy: Learning from the 16th Street Bombing through the lens of King and Merton [paper]
Recognition Received:
International Thomas Merton Society, Virtual
Secret Path – Using poetry as a catalyst for reconciliation in response to national tragedy [workshop]
American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA*
adapted to virtual access http://tinyurl.com/ra7j74c
Experience, the Art of Human Encounter: Eisner, Pedagogy, and a Response to Bullying [paper]
National Catholic Education Association Convention & Expo, Baltimore, MD*
co-presenters: B. Horgan & A. Zoeller
Navigating the signs of the times: Promoting the legacy of Catholic pedagogy in America for the 21st century [workshop]
Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain & Ireland Conference, Oakham, UK*
Thomas Merton & Leonard Cohen: Contemplative poets and agents of change [workshop]
*Conferences cancelled due to Covid pandemic
International Thomas Merton Society, Santa Clara University, CA
No one is an island: Experiences of using themes from the writings of Thomas Merton as a response to adolescent bullying in a Catholic school [paper]
National Catholic Education Association Convention & Expo, Cincinnati, OH
co-presented with: A. Zoeller
From heart to missionary zeal: Using language and lessons from athletics to aid adolescent catechesis in the New Evangelization [workshop]
National Catholic Education Association Convention & Expo, St. Louis, MO
co-presented with: A. Zoeller
Media literacy & Scriptural exegesis: Essential skills for 21st century religious educators [workshop]