Postdoctoral Fellow - Institute for Black Catholic Studies/Theology

The Institute for Black Catholic Studies (IBCS) and the Department of Theology at Xavier University of Louisiana invite applicants for a postdoctoral fellow position in Theology for the 2021-22 academic year beginning August 2021. The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D., Th.D., or D.Min. in Theology or Religious Studies, with an emphasis in Black Catholic Studies. The appointment is full-time for 2 years, renewable for a third year.  Degree must be conferred before the start date.  

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a potential for excellence in 1) teaching undergraduate and IBCS continuing education and graduate pastoral theology students, 2) facilitating pastoral ministry, including workshops, retreats and other programming, 3) planning academic conferences and seminars, and 4) conducting theological research in support of the IBCS.  Teaching responsibilities include courses offered by the Xavier Theology Department and the IBCS summer program.  

The IBCS and Theology faculty members are active scholars who participate in the Academy and publish on a regular basis. IBCS faculty also identify as scholar activists. Applications are encouraged from graduates with a strong background in Black Catholic theological studies, including (but not limited to) systematics, catechetics, and spirituality. The department is particularly interested in candidates who have experience working with Black Catholic communities in the diaspora, and students from diverse backgrounds, minimizing barriers and increasing equity and completion rates between members of different demographic groups. 

Duties:

• Teach undergraduate theology students during the academic year for a total of 9 credit hours.
• Teach in the IBCS summer session.
• Under the auspices of the IBCS, advance an initiative dedicated to 1) the study of Black Catholicism in the diaspora, highlighting the exemplary missionary discipleship of the six African American candidates for canonization, and 2) the development of intergenerational programming that recognizes and promotes holiness in the diverse contemporary lifestyles of God's people.
• Focus on academic, pastoral, and community networks to work in conjunction with the Director of IBCS to promote IBCS programs, including the new initiative on the holiness of Black Catholic life.
• Participate and help establish a Theology Colloquium at Xavier during the spring semester.  

About The IBCS, the Department, and the University

The Institute for Black Catholic Studies (IBCS) is the first and primary national center for the study of the Black Catholic experience. Established in 1980 in association with Xavier University of Louisiana, the Institute's constituent programs bring together theory and practice, systematic and pastoral theology, rigorous academic study and committed ministry, classroom learning and practical application, rural and urban ministerial concerns, the marketplace and the church. The IBCS shares the University's mission and supports it by preparing students to create a more just and humane society through pastoral ministry and further academic study. Conceived in an interdisciplinary context, the various program components of the Institute advance a holistic appreciation of the human person. The Institute's faculty is an outstanding group of nationally and internationally respected African American and African priests, vowed religious and laity who are pastoral leaders and educators, scholars and researchers. The IBCS strives in every way to meet the charge Pope Paul VI issued to Catholics of African descent - to enrich our Roman Catholic Church with our "precious and original contribution" of Blackness.

The Department of Theology at Xavier values teaching and research as essential components of education; many of our undergraduate students engage in independent research directly mentored by faculty. As a Department, our goal is to prepare Xavier students for careers that are impactful through leadership and service. The Theology Program promotes a more just and humane society within the context of faith and theological reflection. It enables students to understand the discourse of the human experience of God by means of an historical critical approach.

About Xavier University of Louisiana

Founded in 1925 by Saint Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, Xavier is the only Historically Black and Catholic University in the U.S.  Located in New Orleans, the ultimate purpose of the University is to contribute to the promotion of a more just and humane society by preparing its students to assume roles of leadership and service in a global society.  This preparation takes place in a diverse learning and teaching environment that incorporates all relevant educational means, including research and community service.