Biography
Rev. Fr. Lawrence Fernandes, SJ, of the South Asia Province of the Society of Jesus, is Head of the Department of Philosophy at Loyola College Chennai and Acting Principal of Sacred Heart College, Satya Nilayam in Chennai, India. Director of the Satya Nilayam Research Institute and editor of the bi-annual journal Satya Nilayam: Chennai Journal of Intercultural Philosophy, he is the author of Popular Religiosity: A Quest for Meaning, Shrines and Pilgrimages: Philosophy and Practice, and Popular Devotions: Philosophy and Practice. Fr. Fernandes previously served as an International Visiting Jesuit Scholar at College of the Holy Cross during 2018–2019 and will return as an International Visiting Jesuit Scholar for 2026–2027. He will teach RELS 199, “Religion & the Marginalized in India,” in the Fall 2026 semester.