Western Dominican Province Announces President of the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology During 175th Jubilee

Fr. Albert Duggan, O.P., will begin his service as President of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (DSPT) on July 1, following in the footsteps of Interim President Fr. Justin Gable, O.P.

Fr. Albert joins us from the Province of St. Joseph (Eastern Dominican Province), having most recently served as their Vicar Provincial for Administration. He’s a graduate of Brown University (magna cum laude) and the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception.

We’re excited to welcome such a thoughtful and talented leader to serve in our vital ministry at the DSPT, which is forming religious and lay students for leadership in the Church, academia, and society.

We ask for your prayers for Fr. Albert as he takes on the role of President, for Fr. Justin, and for all students, faculty, and staff of DSPT.

March 7, 2025

Western Dominican Province Announces President of the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology during 175th Jubilee

Fr. Albert Duggan, O.P., to Lead DSPT Beginning July 2025

OAKLAND, CA – The Very Reverend Christopher Fadok, O.P., Prior Provincial of the Dominican Friars of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Western Dominican Province), a province of the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans), announced today the appointment of Fr. Albert Duggan, O.P., as the next President of the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology in Berkeley, California.

Fr. Albert is a member of the Province of St. Joseph (Eastern Dominican Province) and will begin his role July 1, 2025, following in the footsteps of Fr. Justin Gable, O.P., who has served as Interim President since 2024.

“Fr. Justin has always been a strong leader for the DSPT, and I’m deeply grateful for his service as Interim President,” said Fr. Christopher. “With the appointment of Fr. Albert, I also extend my sincere gratitude to his superiors in the Eastern Dominican Province, and to our DSPT Board of Directors and Presidential Search Committee Members. They have all worked hard together to position the DSPT for an exciting future. May God bless their efforts.”

Fr. Christopher added, “Fr. Albert is a deep thinker and superb administrator who will bring these and many other gifts to his role as President. As we enter a time of renewal in purpose and vision, Fr. Albert is a great addition to the leadership of our school.”

Reflecting on his appointment, Fr. Albert said, “I am humbled and honored to be selected as the next President of the DSPT. With its strong foundations, the school is poised to become one of the premier centers of philosophical and theological studies on the West Coast. In a changing academic and cultural context, our Dominican intellectual tradition has so much to offer the Church and the world. I look forward to leading the DSPT as we seize the opportunities that are now before us.”

The Very Rev. Allen Moran, Prior Provincial of the Province of St. Joseph, added, “The DSPT can look forward to strong leadership under the presidency of Fr. Albert. I know he will approach this new opportunity with the same love for the Church and the Order, and the same knack for problem solving and vision for the future, that he brought to the leadership team of our province. And as a former president of the DSPT, it gives me great confidence that the school will be in his capable hands.”

After growing up with three siblings in Trenton, Michigan, Fr. Albert attended Brown University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Ethics, graduating magna cum laude. Upon entering the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) in 2007, he continued his education at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., graduating with a Masters of Divinity and Bachelor of Sacred Theology in 2013.

Before religious life, Fr. Albert spent four years working on research projects at the John Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics in Baltimore. Following his entrance into the Dominicans, he was ordained to the ministerial Priesthood of Jesus Christ in 2013.

After ordination, Fr. Albert was assigned as the Catholic Chaplain to John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, as the Associate Chaplain of campus ministry at Brown University, and the last four years in various leadership positions for the Eastern Dominican Province, including his most recent assignment as Vicar Provincial for Administration. Fr. Albert has been published in Linacre Quarterly and the American Journal of Bioethics, among others.

Background & History of the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology (DSPT) 

Inspired by the Dominican practice of disciplined inquiry and learned preaching, DSPT students are drawn into the rich tradition of classical philosophy and Catholic theology, especially as exemplified by St. Thomas Aquinas.

Both as a Center of Studies of the Order of Preachers and an apostolate of the Western Dominican Province, DSPT prepares religious, clerics, and laity for academic and apostolic vocations.

As a community of scholars committed to the pursuit of truth as revealed in the Gospel and discovered by human reason, the DSPT instructs both Dominican student brothers and seminarians from other religious traditions, as well as lay men and women who desire to serve the Church in leadership and academic roles.

DSPT is the only school in North America to offer a 3-year concurrent enrollment in the MA Philosophy and MA Theology degrees, thus awarding students two Masters degrees upon graduation.

Annual enrollment is about 70 students, of which about 50% are Dominicans in formation.

Background & History of the Dominican Order

The Order of Preachers – the Dominicans – is a worldwide religious order of the Catholic Church dedicated to preaching the Gospel for the salvation of souls.

The Dominicans are one of the fastest growing men’s religious communities in the United States. Vocations to the Order have been increasing in the U.S. over the past 15 years, and now account for roughly 1/8th of all vocations to the Order world-wide.

Founded in 1850, the Dominican Friars of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Western Dominican Province) serve throughout the Western U.S. in a variety of apostolates, including campus and parish ministries, schools, seminaries, media, international missions, and the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology in Berkeley, CA – a graduate school serving religious and lay students from around the world.

During the year 2025, the Western Dominican Province celebrates its 175th Jubilee, honoring a rich legacy of service to the San Francisco Bay Area and the American West Coast, which began during the California Gold Rush in 1850.