Rate My Professor Catherine E. Clifford

Catherine E. Clifford is Full Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology in the Faculty of Theology at Université Saint-Paul in Ottawa. She earned her Ph.D. in Theology from the University of St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto in 2002, with a thesis titled The Groupe des Dombes: A Dialogue of Conversion. Her earlier degrees include an S.T.L. in Theology from the Université de Fribourg, Switzerland, in 1987 (magna cum laude), a Graduate Certificate in Ecumenical Studies from the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in 1984, and a B.A. (Honours) in Religious Studies from the University of Waterloo in 1983. Joining Université Saint-Paul as a lecturer in 2002, she progressed to Assistant Professor from 2003 to 2009, Associate Professor from 2009 to 2012, and Full Professor since 2012. Throughout her career, she has served in key administrative roles, including Vice Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Director of Graduate Studies, Director of Undergraduate Programs, and Director of the Research Centre: Vatican II and 21st Century Catholicism. She was also Resident Scholar at the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Intercultural Research in 2016 via the Kilian McDonnell Fellowship and has been a Visiting Scholar at institutions such as Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

Clifford's research focuses on ecclesiology, ecumenism, the history and reception of the Second Vatican Council, conversion and renewal of the churches, doctrinal development, and the unity and diversity of Christian communions. Her major publications include co-editing The Oxford Handbook of Vatican II with Massimo Faggioli (Oxford University Press, 2023), editing Vatican II at 60: Re-energizing the Renewal (Orbis, 2024) and The Legacy and Limits of Vatican II in an Age of Crisis (Liturgical Press, 2025), authoring Decoding Vatican II: Interpreting the Teaching of the Second Vatican Council (Paulist, 2014), and co-authoring Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II with Richard R. Gaillardetz (Liturgical Press, 2012). She has received the Catholic Media Association Book Awards in 2025 and 2022, a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Development Grant (2022–2025), and an honorary doctorate from Tilburg University. As North American delegate to the Synod on Synodality (2023–2024), she contributed to its theological forums and final document commission. Currently President-elect of the Catholic Theological Society of America, she serves on the Board of Directors of Theological Studies and engages in international ecumenical dialogues, including the Methodist-Roman Catholic International Dialogue.