Meet the Faculty: Leonard J. DeLorenzo’03, ’08 M.A., ’14 Ph.D.
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Leonard J. DeLorenzo, ’03, ’08 M.A., ’14 Ph.D., professor of the practice, is the director of undergraduate studies at the McGrath Institute for Church Life where he also serves as academic director for Notre Dame Vision, director of the Sullivan Family Saints Initiative, director of the Inklings Project, and creator and host of Church Life Today. He holds a concurrent teaching appointment in the Department of Theology.
He is the author of ten books, including Work of Love: A Theological Reconstruction of the Communion of Saints (UND Press, 2017), What Matters Most: Empowering Young Catholics for Life’s Big Decisions (Ave Maria, 2018), Turn to the Lord: Forming Disciples for Lifelong Conversion (Liturgical Press, 2021), and Our Faithful Departed: Where They Are and Why It Matters (Ave Maria, 2022). He is also editor of three books including Dante, Mercy, and the Beauty of the Human Person (Wipf & Stock, 2017) and Chronicles of Transformation: A Spiritual Journey with C. S. Lewis (Ignatius, 2022).
Leonard earned his doctorate in systematic theology from the University of Notre Dame, where he also earned his M.A. in systematic theology and B.A. in theology and philosophy. A member of the McGrath Institute for Church Life since 2003, he has served on the leadership teams for Notre Dame Vision, Notre Dame Catechist Academy, Notre Dame Character Project, Echo, and the Church Life Internship, which he founded in 2016. In addition to writing books, articles, and essays, he speaks regularly in academic and pastoral settings on the saints, biblical catechesis, vocation and discernment, and the theological imagination, among other topics. His newsletter––“Life, Sweetness, Hope”––is shared weekly with hundreds of subscribers.
Originally from Nutley, New Jersey but raised in Southern California, Leonard now lives with his wife, Lisa (BA ’04, MDiv ’08 from Notre Dame), and their six children in South Bend, Indiana, where they are active in their parish and school communities.
