Western Dominican Province Announces New President of the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology
Fr. Allen Moran, O.P., to Lead DSPT Beginning July 2022
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. Allen Moran, O.P., as the next President of the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology in Berkeley, California.
Fr. Allen is a member of the Province of St. Joseph (Eastern Dominican Province) and will begin his role July 1, 2022, following in the footsteps of Fr. Peter Rogers, O.P., who has served as President since 2015.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Fr. Peter for guiding our school through the challenges and opportunities of the past 6 years,” said Fr. Christopher, “especially as our vocations continue to grow in the West. He has positioned us as a Center of Studies for the world-wide Order, and given us the opportunity to imagine an exciting future for the DSPT.”
Fr. Christopher added, “Welcoming Fr. Allen to the DSPT community, and our wider province, is a source of great joy for us all. He’s a faithful son of St. Dominic, and an insightful leader who acts with clarity, patience and dedication to the Gospel.”
Reflecting on his appointment, Fr. Allen said, “I’m honored to be asked to serve the DSPT faculty, students and staff, and give my sincere thanks to Fr. Christopher, Fr. Peter, my Provincial, Fr. Ken Letoile, O.P., and all the brethren of our respective provinces for their vote of confidence.”
Fr. Allen added, “Without light, we walk in darkness, ignorance and fear. Without confidence in the power of the light of reason to find the truth, we are left at the mercy of ideology and raw power. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” At the DSPT we endeavor to continue to form students to be clear and effective torch bearers of the Light and the power of His truth.”
The second of eight children of John and Jane Moran, Fr. Allen was born in Central Illinois and raised on his family’s apple orchard. He studied political science and economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, receiving his bachelor’s degree is 1993 and his Ph.D. in Economics in 1999.
After graduation, Fr. Allen worked for a short time in investment banking in New York. He later entered the novitiate for the Order of Preachers in the Province of St. Joseph in the summer of 2000, completing his M.Div., STB, and ultimately STL at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington DC. He was ordained to the ministerial Priesthood of Jesus Christ in 2007.
Since his ordination, Fr. Allen has served in several administrative, teaching and ministerial roles. He has spent time as a Professor at Providence College in Rhode Island, as well as at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome, and at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, where he also served as Registrar and Assistant Student Master.
Between 2013-2018 he served as the Prior of the novitiate community in Cincinnati Ohio. He has been the President of the International Dominican Foundation since 2015, and President of the American Friends of the École Biblique since 2018, as well as Syndic (Treasurer) of the Province of St. Joseph.
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.
Originally operated from St. Albert the Great Priory (the Dominican House of Studies in the West), the DSPT has been a member of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) since 1964, an alliance of schools in Berkeley that is one of the most comprehensive centers for the graduate study of religion in North America.
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 ~ 70 students, of which about 50% are Dominicans in formation.
Background: 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 1/7th 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.
