Rev. Faustino Cruz, SM, PhD, has joined the School of Theology and Ministry for one year, as a Visiting Professor of Practical Theology.
 

“I was born and raised in Manila, the Philippines and migrated to the United States in 1982 to join the Society of Mary (Marists), the religious community of which the fourth bishop of Seattle, Bishop Gerald Shaughnessy, was a member.
 

For over 25 years, I have ministered with migrants and refugees at parish, diocesan, and national levels as catechetical consultant, educator, community organizer, and pastor in the United States, Latin America, and the Philippines. In 2000, before completing my PhD in Theology and Education at Boston College, I joined the faculty of the Franciscan School of Theology (FST) in Berkeley, California, which is one of the member schools of an ecumenical and interreligious partnership known as the Graduate Theological Union (GTU). For the past six years, I taught in the area of Practical Theology and Education, while concurrently serving as Executive Vice President and Academic Dean of FST. My interdisciplinary research is in the area of religion and immigration.
 

As a visiting professor at STM, I will teach courses in intercultural leadership, educational ministry, and Filipino American/Asian theologies, and assist our students in integrating their academic, ministerial, and spiritual formation. I will also help carry out the school’s strategic plan, particularly in the areas of curriculum development, global engagement, and recruitment of Latino/a and Asian students.