Fr. Joe Boenzi, S.D.B.
Associate Professor of Theology
Office phone: (510) 883-2070
E-mail:
B.A., Don Bosco College, Newton (NJ); Professional diploma in Education, University
of Alberta, Edmonton; S.T.B. Salesian Pontifical University, Turin; S.T.L.,
S.T.D., Universita Pontificia Salesiana, Rome.
Be who you are and be that well! ~ Francis de Sales
Fr. Joe Boenzi is a member of the Salesians of Don Bosco. He made his first
vows as a Salesian in 1968, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1979. His
early training was in special education, catechetics and youth ministry. After
a number of years directing a young adult community in Los Angeles, he was
encouraged by the young people and his fellow Salesians to train in spiritual
direction and to deepen his studies in Christian spirituality. He earned a
doctorate in spiritual theology in 1996.
In 1984, the Salesians launched the Institute of Salesian Studies at
Berkeley, affiliating this Institute (ISS) with DSPT. Fr Joe resourced to the
ISS from the beginning, and began teaching core ISS courses in 1992, joining
the DSPT faculty at the same time.
In his teaching, Fr. Joe brings to light how the gifts of the Holy Spirit
become fruitful in the life of the individual disciple and in the coming together
of the Church. His courses have highlighted the experience of the great leaders
and founders of the last millennium as well as the experience and ideals of
contemporary Christians committed to the Gospel in the New Ecclesial Movements.
He often asks his students to see the Church as an ongoing story of ordinary
people who can allow the extraordinary (charisms of the Spirit, rootedness
in Christ) to transform their lives so that they become signs and bearers of
God’s love to new generations and new contexts. Fr Joe’s hope is
that all those who study theology will not be content to leave their studies
at an academic level, but will discern ways to integrate these studies with
a life of faith.
The courses Fr. Joe Boenzi teaches at DSPT are:
- Church Modern and Contemporary: Christian History 1451-2000
- In Search of the Church: Foundations Ecclesiology
- Church on the Move: Building Ecclesiology
- Francis de Sales: Story and Spirit
- Francis de Sales: Spiritual Director
- Salesian Identity and Charism
- Western Spirituality: Four Matrices
Since 2005, Fr Joe Boenzi has been a Visiting Professor of Spiritual Theology
at the School of Theology of the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome. There
he teaches the following courses:
- Francesco di Sales: Storia e Spirito (Francis de Sales: Story and
Spirit)
- Spiritualità nel racconto: Giovannino Bosco, Harry Potter e la
magia della spiritualità giovanile (Storytelling the Spirit:
Johnny Bosco, Harry Potter and the magic of youth spirituality)
- Spiritualità Giovanile (Youth Spirituality)
- Resourcement: La teologia di Josef Ratzinger (Resourcement:
Readings in Ratzinger)
In addition to teaching at the Institute of Salesian Spirituality and the
DSPT, Fr. Joe Boenzi is often called upon to direct retreats and to facilitate
workshops or in-services for parents and educators. He is currently preparing
for the National Salesian Conference (St. Paul, August 2-5, 2007), where he
will deliver a keynote: "Francis de Sales in Western Spiritual Traditions."
Select Publications
“Youthful Holiness: the Encounter between Dominic Savio and Don Bosco,” in Human
Encounter in the Salesian Tradition, edited by Joseph Chorpenning. Philadelphia:
ICSS, 2007 (publication in process).
“Francis de Sales and the Bases for Salesian Prayer,” in Journal of
Salesian Studies 14.2 (Fall 2006): publication in process.
“Parole che illuminano il nostro cammino: la Bibbia nella predicazione
di Francesco di Sales”, in Quaderni di Spiritualità Salesiana n.
6 (Novembre 2006): 3-10.
“Encountering Others: the Forever Unfinished Treatise”, Sound
recording of keynote address (70 minutes). 2004 Salesian Conference, Year 22,
St Louis, Missouri; general coordinator and editor: Joanne Kinney. Stella Niagara,
NY: DeSales Resource Center, 2004.
"What is Salesian in Don Bosco? Francis de Sales and Don Bosco's pastoral
spirit." Journal of Salesian Studies 12.2 (Spring 2004): 231-256.
"Cast out into the deep: Salesian apostolic spirit", Sound recording
of keynote address (70 minutes). 2002 Salesian Conference, Year 20, Notre Dame,
Indiana; general coordinator and editor: Joanne Kinney. Stella Niagara, NY:
DeSales Resource Center, 2002.
San Francisco de Sales: su espíritu e influencia. Quito: Centro
Regional de Formación Permanente, 2000.
“Saint Francis de Sales, 1567-1622: Toward a Complete Bibliography of
English-language Works,” compiled by Joseph Boenzi, SDB, revised ed.
Prepared December 1996 for publication. St.
Francis De Sales in English: a bibliography.
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