David Peter Delio, Ph.D. serves as the S. E. Canizaro Associate Professor of Theology and as Chair of the Theology Department at the University of Holy Cross (UHC), New Orleans. Prior to joining UHC, Delio, a New England native, matriculated to Trinity University in San Antonio, TX and earned a BA in Composite Social Studies and a Master of Arts in Teaching. He worked as a middle school teacher in both California and Texas before returning to Massachusetts to study at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge. Following his M.T.S and an Advanced Certificate in Theology, Delio began his doctoral studies at the Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, DC. He completed his doctoral work on John Henry Newman under the direction of Rev. John T. Ford, CSC and taught as a Theology Lecturer at Georgetown University and Teaching Fellow at CUA.
Since joining Our Lady of Holy Cross College in 2011, now UHC, Dr. Delio revised the BA in Theology curriculum and also added a philosophy minor and a concentration in elementary religious education. He also lead in designing and implementing an online/hybrid BA and a Master of Arts in Catholic Theology (MACT), which are inspired by Newman's vision for an educated laity and are thus resources for working Christians. Finally, Dr. Delio works with several UHC committees and is the faculty advisor for the UHC Theology Club.
In 2016, Dr. Delio completed a book length study on Blessed Cardinal Newman titled, 'An aristocracy of exalted spirits': The Idea of the Church in Newman's Tamworth Reading Room, by Gracewing Publishers. Delio has two peer-reviewed publications which investigate Newman's Oxford University Sermons, two book reviews in the Newman Studies Journal, a review forthcoming in Nineteenth Century Prose, and a couple articles in the works. He has also presented papers on Newman's understanding of faith and reason, ecclesiology, education and the role of imagination in his thought. Delio has given a paper on the use of 'rights' language in the documents of the Second Vatican Council.
Dr. Delio hopes that the UHC Theology Department will develop, through research, publications, and service, a Theology of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Indeed, he and his colleagues are active in the New Orleans community giving workshops and lectures to local parishes, attending and presenting at various conferences, and doing a variety of projects with UHC Theology majors. Dr. Delio is proud to serve as a Newman Association of America Board Member, President of the New Orleans Filipino Lions Club, a Trinity Christian Community Board Member, an advisory board member for Catholic Community Radio (and as a cohost on the radio!), and the New Orleans Archdiocesan advisory board member for Lay Ecclesial Ministry.