ROY, Louis 1942-

PERSONAL:

Born August 25, 1942, in Quebec, Canada. Education: Attended Université Laval, 1964-65; Collège dominicain de philosophie et de théologie, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, B.Ph., 1968, M.A. (philosophy), 1971, M.A. (theology), 1973; Cambridge University, Ph.D., 1984.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Department of Theology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave., Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3806; fax: 617-552-0794. E-mail—royl@bc.edu

CAREER:

Entered Order of Preachers (Dominicans), 1965, ordained Roman Catholic priest, 1972; Scholasticate of the Sisters of Charity, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, teacher of philosophy, 1969, 1970; part-time teacher at colleges in Quebec, Canada, 1973-75; Collège dominicain de philosophie et de théologie, Ottawa, teacher, 1975-80, 1984-85; Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, assistant professor, 1985-90, associate professor of theology, 1990—. Seminar lecturer at Thomas More Institute and Université du Québec à Chicoutimi; guest lecturer at other institutions, including Saint Anselm College and Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Lonergan Institute, Washington, DC, honorary board member, 2000—.

MEMBER:

International John Macmurray Association, Society for Comparative Theology, Boston Theological Society.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Grants from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 1977, Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom, 1981-84, Bethune-Baker Fund, 1982, and Bradley Foundation, 1993, 1996.

WRITINGS:

(Translator into French and author of glossary) Bernard J. F. Lonergan, Pour une méthode en théologie (title means "Method in Theology") Fides (Montreal, Quebec, Canada), 1978.

(Translator into French; editor, with Pierrot Lambert, and author of introduction) Bernard J. F. Lonergan, Les Voies d'une théologie méthodique, Bellarmin (Montreal, Quebec, Canada), 1982.

La Foi en quête de cohérence, Bellarmin (Montreal, Quebec, Canada), 1988.

Se réaliser et suivre Jésus: Est-ce possible?, Fides (Montreal, Quebec, Canada), 1989, revised translation published as Self-Actualization and the Radical Gospel, Liturgical Press (Collegeville, MN), 2002.

Le Sentiment de transcendance, expérience de Dieu?, Cerf (Paris, France), 2000.

Transcendent Experiences: Phenomenology and Critique, University of Toronto Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2001.

Contributor to books, including Lonergan Workshop, edited by Fred Lawrence, Boston College (Chestnut Hill, MA), 1993; Jesus Crucified and Risen: Essays in Spirituality and Theology in Honor of Dom Sebastian Moore, edited by William P. Loewe and Vernon J. Gregson, Liturgical Press (Collegeville, MN), 1998; and Scholasticism: Cross-Cultural and Comparative Perspectives, edited by José Ignacio Cabezón, State University of New York Press (Albany, NY), 1998. Contributor of articles and reviews to scholarly periodicals and religious magazines, including Studies in Religion, Modern Theology, Thomist, Communio, Worship, American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly, Theological Studies, Journal of Religion, Method: Journal of Lonergan Studies, and Science et Esprit.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Mystical Consciousness: Western and Japanese Perspectives, for State University of New York Press (Albany, NY); Religious Experience and Revelation: Christian Faith in a Pluralistic World (tentative title).

SIDELIGHTS:

Louis Roy told CA: "During my high school days I began writing a diary, composing poems, and sharing my thoughts in essays or in the company of friends. In French literature, especially the Romantics and the Existentialists, I discovered the basic questions about the meaning (or absurdity) of human life. I was very sensitive to the fact of evil and economic injustice. I excelled in mathematics (my logical side) and I developed a passion for music and painting (my creative side).

"I have always practiced meditation and needed the proximity of nature. Manual work such as walking, hiking, biking, skiing, and swimming have kept me close to my body and to the biological world. Travels are also important for me, given my strong interest in history, art, and contemporary cultures.

"Intellectually I am engaged in the study of mysticism, the question of God, the inculturation of Christian faith, and interreligious dialogue, mainly between Christianity and Buddhism. I learn much from the Bible, from spiritual writers, and from literature. In theology and philosophy, I have been influenced by many thinkers, but more particularly by Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Bernard Lonergan, and the philosophers of the Kyoto School.

"All my books are meant to be guidebooks. I see my contribution as mapping out spiritual trails, in order to help readers identify and situate their own spiritual experiences and insights."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Theological Studies, March, 2001, Andrew Tallon, review of Le Sentiment de transcendance, expérience de Dieu?, p. 208; December, 2001, Andrew Tallon, review of Transcendent Experiences: Phenomenology and Critique, p. 863.