Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of St. Michael's College, University of Toronto
S.T.D., Regis College, University of Toronto
Fields: Systematic Theology with a focus on 20th Century Christian Martyrdom as it intersects with Totalitarian Movements
Email: penguyen1@holycross.edu
Office: Smith 436 Phone: 508-793-2796
Biography
Fr. Peter Nguyen is a Jesuit priest who was born in Saigon, Vietnam and was raised in Chicago. His scholarship focuses on the theological engagement with the spirituality of contemporary Christian martyrdom as it intersects with totalitarian movements. In particular, he writes about the German Jesuit Alfred Delp and the German-Jewish Carmelite Edith Stein, two martyrs of the Second World War. In the future, he plans to write about Christians in East Asia who were persecuted, suffered, and died under communism. His work seeks to illuminate the witness and writings of the martyrs, the tumultuous, fearful, and violent times in which they lived and wrote, and the purpose for which they died and for which their texts were intended.
In addition, Fr. Peter enjoys giving Ignatian retreats and training and competing in the martial art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is a black belt. In the distant past, he dabbled in judo, wrestling, and boxing.
Selected Publications
Monograph
Against the Titans: Theology and the Martyrdom of Alfred Delp, Lexington Books/Fortress
Academic, June 2020.
Book Chapters
“Edith Stein: Interiority as Affective Depth,” in Jesuit Scholarship in a Secular Age, Georgetown
University Press, Summer 2025.
“Interiority as Freedom: Edith Stein and Hannah Arendt,” in Contemplation and Christian
Freedom: The Power of Spiritual Practice to Transform Resistance to Evil, Wipf and Stock, November 2024.
“Suffering from Anxiety and Loneliness: The Martyrdom of Alfred Delp and the Apostasy of
Sebastian Rodrigues,” in Alfred-Delp-Jahrbuch: Band 13, Lit Verlag, March 2023.
“Priesthood in the Age of Totalitarianism,” in A True and Mature Obedience: Seminary
Formation and Freedom, Institute for Priestly Formation Publications, January 2021.
“Strengthening the Body of Christ Amid Totalitarianism’s Terror: Alfred Delp’s Sacramental
Anthropology,” in The 2021 Proceedings of the Association of the Professors of Mission, First Fruits Press, Forthcoming.
Peer Reviewed Articles
Nicolae Roddy, “Performative Theodicy: Edith Stein and the Recovery of Lamentation.” In
Modern Theology Vol. 40, no. 3, July 2024, 572–599.
“Existence as Relationship: Alfred Delp contra the Totalitarian State,” in Hợp Tuyển Thần Học
54 [Theological Digest: A Journal of the Jesuits in Vietnam] Vol. 33, no. 54, 2023, 131–180.
M. Ross Romero, SJ. “Seeking What is Pure, Doing What Is True, and Living a Life of Love:
Pastoral Leadership and Self-Sacrifice in the Gospel of John.” In Science et Espirit Vol.
74, no. 2–3, 2022, 387–407.
“Renewing the Social Dimension of the Sacred Heart.” In Chicago Studies Vol. 60, no. 1, 2022,
39–47.
“Broken Bodies, Healed Body: Contemporary Martyrdom and Ecumenism.” In Journal of
Religion and Society. Supplement 18, 2019.
“Ecumenism in Blood: The Martyrdom of Alfred Delp and Helmuth James von Moltke. In Canadian Theological Review Vol. 3, no. 1, 2016, 14–25.
Editorial Reviewed Essays
“The Courage of a Catholic Intellectual: Edith Stein.” Evangelization and Culture, Winter Issue
2025.
“Not All Sacrifice Saves.” In Notre Dame Church Life Journal, 22 March 2018.
“The Last Judgement is the Reason for Advent.” In Notre Dame Church Life Journal, 14
December 2017.
“Silence and Weakness: The Martyrdom of Alfred Delp and the Apostasy of Sebastian
Rodrigues.” In Homiletics & Pastoral Review, 9 March 2017.
Book Reviews
Review of Hans Urs von Balthasar’s Theology of Representation: God, Drama, and Salvation, by Jacob Lett. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2023. Theological Studies, Vol. 85, no. 1, March 2024, 193-94.
Review of Spiritual Exercises for a Secular Age: Desmond and the Quest for God, by Ryan G. Duns, SJ, Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2020. Horizons: The Journal of the College Theology Society Vol. 48, no. 2, December 2021, 503–504.