Faculty
St. John’s seminarians are formed by the best and brightest. Our faculty comes to us from all corners of the earth, trained in the world’s most respected universities. They are world-class teachers, guides, and authors.
- All
- 1 Theology Department
- 2 Pre-Theology Department
- 3 Ministries Department
- 4 Cultural Studies
- A-D
- Adjuct Faculty
- E-H
- Full time Faculty
- I-M
- N-R
- S-Z
Rev. John P. Brennan, S.M.A.
Professor of Systematic Theology
A native of Ireland, Fr. Brennan was ordained in 1968 in the Society of African Missions. Fr. Brennan, who is a fluent Spanish speaker, was a missionary in Argentina from...
Kevin Brennan, PhD.
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Kevin Brennan received his B.A. in philosophy at St. Anselm College and studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Atheneum of Sant’Anselmo in Rome, earning an S.T.B. in theology and...
Victoria Brennan, S.T.D.
Library Director
A native of Ukraine, Victoria holds an ecclesiastical licentiate in Eastern Christian Studies from the University of St. Paul, Ottawa and a doctorate in Eastern Ecclesiastical Studies from the Pontifical...
Rev. Eugenio Cárdenas, MSpS
Assistant Professor of Spiritual Theology
Fr. Cárdenas studied philosophy with the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit, of which he is a member, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He then studied his first two...
Ligia Cardona, M.A.
Associate Professor of Spanish
Ligia Cardona is a native of Guatemala. She has received an M.A. in Spanish Language and Literature from California State University of Northridge in 2007. An expert on Central American culture,...
Rev. Gustavo Castillo, S.T.D.
Director of Spiritual Formation
Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Fr. Castillo came to the United States in 1990. He was ordained for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2001 and has served in the following...
Rev. Marco A. Durazo, S.T.D.
Rector, Assistant Professor of Moral Theology
A native of Mexico and an alumnus of St. John’s Seminary, Fr. Marco was ordained to the priesthood in 2007. He has served as Associate Pastor at Santa Clara Church...
Rev. Luke Dysinger, OSB, MD, DPhil.
Professor of Church History and Moral Theology
Father Luke Dysinger, O.S.B. studied religion and medicine at the University of Southern California, receiving his B.A. in 1974 and his M.D. in 1978. He was board certified in Family...
Mark F. Fischer, PhD.
Professor of Theology
Mark Fischer came to St. John’s in 1990 after spending six years as Director of the Diocesan Pastoral Council Office in Oakland, California. Although he trained in systematic theology, writing...
Paul F. Ford, PhD.
Professor of Systematic Theology and Liturgy
Dr. Ford studied for the priesthood for the then-diocese of Monterey–Fresno, 1961–1973, but was never ordained. He was a Benedictine monk at St. Andrew’s Abbey, Valyermo, from 1973–1978. Dr. Ford...
Sister Mary Leanne Hubbard, S.N.D.
Assistant Professor of Pastoral Studies
Sr. Leanne entered the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1986, making her final vows in 1994. She has taught at La Reina High School, St. Rose of Lima School, and...
Rev. Timothy Klosterman, M.A.
Director of Pastoral Formation
Reverend Timothy Klosterman grew up in Palmdale, California and entered St. John’s Seminary College in 1998. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2008 and...
Mariano Lopez, PhD.
Associate Professor of Spanish
Born in Madrid, Spain, Dr. Mariano Lopez earned his doctorate in Spanish Literature from Catholic University of Fribourg, Switzerland in 1990. The next year, he spent time between the United...
Rev. Aelred John Niespolo, OSB, M.A.
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Fr. Niespolo is a Benedictine priest of St. Andrew’s Abbey in Valyermo, California. He made his final vows as a monk of the Abbey on August 15, 2004 and was...
Rev. Timothy Peters
Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies
Fr. Tim Peters was ordained for the Diocese of Orange in 2003. He served at Saint Anne’s parish in Santa Ana from 2003 to 2007 and at Saint Anthony Claret...
Rev. Thinh Duc Pham, S.L.L.
Assistant Professor of Liturgy
Ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2002, Fr. Thinh Pham, a native of Vietnam and an alumnus of Saint John’s Seminary, served as Associate Pastor...
Rev. Slawomir Szkredka, S.S.D.
Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies
Ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2002, Fr. Slawomir Szkredka, a native of Poland, served as Associate Pastor at Saint Genevieve Parish in Panorama City...
Rev. Steven R. Thoma, CR, M.A.
Assistant Professor of Homiletics
Before coming to St. John’s Seminary, Father Thoma served his religious community, the Congregation of the Resurrection, in a variety of ways. In his twenty-two years of active ministry, Fr....
Alan Vincelette, PhD.
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Dr. Vincelette came to philosophy by way of biology where he was previously a research assistant at the University of Illinois at Chicago in Molecular Biology (1989) and at the...
