Theology Department

List of 14 members.

• 

  Fr. Brian Taber , S.J. 

  Theology Department Chair

  Bio

  The Baccalaureate Mass is the moment where Fr. Brian Taber S.J. feels the deepest connection to the mission of Saint Ignatius College Prep. “At the Baccalaureate Mass I am able to see how much our students have grown since they started,” he shares. “It’s a moment where the faculty and parents can gather to communally give thanks to God and send our grads to commence the next chapter of their lives.”

  
  

  Students have a long journey from when they begin as Freshman to the Baccalaureate Mass. For a group of student-athletes each year, it is Fr. Taber, Freshman Football Coach, who is the first Jesuit educator they meet. “Coaching Freshmen is a distinct opportunity to introduce our students to the expectations and principles of Jesuit education,” he says, “and to begin to foster the relationships that’ll last years.”

   

  Students will work with Fr. Taber again during their upper-level Theology classes. Fr. Taber teaches Catholic Ethics to Juniors and a Senior elective titled Exploring Faith and Science. “The Jesuits have a rich tradition of scientific inquiry and made an immense impact on scientific understanding,” he explains. “The first person to posit the idea of the big bang was Georges Lemaître, a Jesuit-educated Belgian Priest.” The thesis that guides Fr. Taber’s class is that faith and science are not just compatible with one another, but indeed complementary.
• 

  Ms. Katie Davis-Crowder 

  Theology Teacher
• 

  Ms. Rebecca Frett 94

  Theology Teacher

  Bio

  “The only thing my father insisted that all his kids do is attend Saint Ignatius College Prep,” says Ms. Rebecca Frett ‘94. Indeed, Saint Ignatius is a thread that runs through the family history of Ms. Frett: her father graduated in 1950 and her two siblings attended Saint Ignatius alongside her. Ms. Frett returned to her alma mater as a Theology teacher in 2007 and currently teaches Catholic Ethics and World Religions in the department. 

  
  

  “I want my theology classes to remain with students for their whole lives,” she says. Her educational philosophy stresses that students must engage personally with the material to fully benefit from the lifelong privilege of receiving a Jesuit education. 

  
  

  “My goal is not just that my students understand the material. I want them to apply it. I want Catholic ethics and the diverse perspectives of World Religions to inform who they become when they leave Roosevelt Road.” Words like humility, virtue and faith appear frequently in Ms. Frett’s classroom.

  
  

  Ms. Frett has seen numerous changes throughout her years as a student, teacher and administrator at Saint Ignatius. But one thing has alway remained the same - the teachers. “We have some truly outstanding educators here,” she shares. “To tell the truth, I would put our faculty up against any other school in the country - that is how proud I am of my colleagues.”
• 

  Ms. Kaitlin Hasenbeck-Meyer 

  Theology Teacher
• 

  Mrs. Rhian Jeong 

  Theology Teacher

  Bio

  Ms. Rhian Jeong’s journey to Saint Ignatius College Prep is one of diverse perspectives and global religious experiences – lessons she hopes to impart on her students as a teacher. 

  
  

  Ms. Jeong grew up in an area with many different religious traditions. In college she focused on Jewish and Islamic studies. She later spent time living and studying in the Holy Land and did her Master’s work at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, a space with seminaries belonging to multiple Catholic orders, as well as Jewish, Protestant and Muslim programs, all existing in one place and learning from one another. 

  
  

  She hopes to share this knowledge and understanding of other religions with her students. “Different religious traditions have profoundly shaped world history, literature and modern economies,” she shares. “Devoting time to understand the practices and beliefs that guide other major religions of the world empowers Christians to become more authentic and loving neighbors.”

  
  

  Ms. Jeong believes that the diverse perspectives of World Religions, a required class for seniors, are essential to understanding your own faith and place in the world. “Theological literacy enables compassion and sympathy to cultures unlike our own,” she says. “It also allows us to view our faith from fresh perspectives.”

  
  

  Ms. Jeong wants her students to think about how class content interacts with the world they live in. For example, in a lesson on the power of pilgrimage, Ms. Jeong has students ponder why so many religions value sacred travel, particularly when students can experience God without traveling at all. As someone who spent Christmas in Bethlehem and Easter in Jerusalem, Ms. Jeong invites students to see their own campus as a pilgrimage destination. In class, she asks, “If you were to take someone on a pilgrimage to Saint Ignatius College Prep, what's on the tour?”
• 

  Mrs. M. Hollis Kennedy 

  Theology Teacher
• 

  Mr. Steven Lord 

  Theology Teacher

  Bio

  We all have our ideas about a perfect day.

  
  

  Steve Lord’s would include soccer and hanging out with his German shepherd, Scout. But it wouldn’t be complete without classroom time. Lord teaches Catholic Ethics and The Catholic Imagination.

  
  

  “I felt called to be there for the kids and give them a sense of how much God loves them,” says Lord.

  
  

  That calling has roots in his own childhood. Lord’s father was a minister. He says theology conversations were central to his relationship with his dad.

  
  

  Later on, theology helped him make sense of what he calls “some of the big questions in life that were unavoidable.”

  
  

  Lord is a Marine who served during the Gulf War. Battlefield experiences caused him to lean into what he knew could help.

  
  

  “Theology allowed me to think through it in a rich, intellectual way,” says Lord. He even explored the relationship between trauma and how ministry can be helpful, in his Master’s thesis.

  
  

  The wide range of experience has informed Lord’s work at Saint Ignatius College Prep, where he converted to Catholicism, a decision influenced, he says, by the Jesuits, Pope John Paul II and the richness of Catholic tradition.

  
  

  When he’s teaching, Lord says, “I try to share generously with my students without overdoing it…It gives them permission to ask questions…In my field of theology, every single year, I learn new things from the questions they ask. They help me to learn, ‘How do I need to hear this?’”

  
  

  From teacher to learner and back again, Lord hopes the theological conversations contribute to his students’ growth as well.  

  
  

  “I guess I’d want them to know we all struggle. We’re all imperfect, but we’re all good by God’s grace.”
• 

  Mrs. Kristen Maxwell 

  Theology Teacher

  Bio

  Ms. Kristen Maxwell has taught students at Catholic schools in each year from 4th to 10th grade. “I have always been dedicated to teaching young minds about the Catholic faith and helping them grow their relationship with Christ,” she shares. Ms. Maxwell has also served in Catholic religious formation, as a parish coordinator and as a high school youth minister. 

  
  

  After earning her Masters in Pastoral Studies at Loyola University, Ms. Maxwell felt a call to teach at Saint Ignatius College Prep. “I felt the Holy Spirit guiding me towards Saint Ignatius,” she says. “I could see from the moment that I arrived on campus that the school matched my vision of what Catholic, Jesuit education looks like.”

   

  Ms. Maxwell currently teaches Introduction to Catholicism for freshmen and Introduction to Sacred Scripture for sophomores. One of her chief goals in the classroom is to share how God is with her students, both inside and outside of class. “Cura personalis is a core tenant of the curriculum,” she says. “My goal is to care for the whole person, and show the students how what we learn in class connects to the lives they lead outside of school.”

  
  

  Students can expect a range of activities in Ms Maxwell’s classes to learn about the Catholic faith and reflect on God’s call, including prayer, journaling, games and group projects. “God is always with us,” Ms. Maxwell shares. “We’re trying to learn how to open our eyes and see his plan for us.”
• 

  Ms. Christine Mayeaux 

  Theology Teacher

  Bio

  Ms. Christine Mayeaux joined the Saint Ignatius College Prep Theology Department in what she describes as a "serendipitous" turn of events.

   

  "I was interested in a teaching job in Washington, D.C.," she says. "I asked a friend who worked at Ignatius to look at my resume. He did and said, 'We have a job opening here. You should apply.'"

   

  That fortunate twist of events brought Ms. Mayeaux to 1076 West Roosevelt Road, much to the benefit of the Wolfpack. Chicago is certainly a change of pace from Florida, but she loves the work here. 

   

  "The students are the high point," says Ms. Mayeaux. "They are engaged, interested and they want to understand things on a deeper level."

   

  That desire for depth is precisely what drew her to theology in the first place. "I've always had a passion for theology. Studying it was an opportunity to put more thought and education behind my Faith," she says.

   

  When she's not teaching Intro to Catholicism and Intro to Scripture, Ms. Mayeaux moderates the Wolfpack's Respect Life Club and actively contributes to discussions with the Philosophy Club. She is also an assistant cross-country coach. "It's fun to see the students be themselves more, outside of the academics," she says, "To see them really commit to their passions!"
• 

  Mr. Michael McKeon Jr. 

  Theology Teacher

  Bio

  Pilgrimage is a word that comes up frequently when speaking with Mr. Michael McKeon. He’s been a pilgrim on guided expeditions to Paris, Rome and the Holy Land, and it is the framework of the guided pilgrimage that Mr. McKeon hopes to recreate in his classes at Saint Ignatius. 

  
  

  “A guide on a pilgrimage can show you the sites, but it is up to you to find personal meaning in them,” he shares. “I see myself as the guide on a pilgrimage. I can lead the way and show my students where to find meaning. But it is ultimately their learning and their spiritual journey we’re here to find.” His classes, as a result, are taught differently each year. 

  
  

  In his Catholic Imagination class, an elective for Seniors, Mr. McKeon helps his students understand how goodness, beauty, art and catholicism are all intertwined. They look frequently at religious art and cathedrals across the world. “Every church tells us a story, including the one right next door,” he explains. “I want to help my students be able to decipher the story and beauty in a building and find what that means.” 

  
  

  Mr. McKeon has a long fascination with theology and the Catholic faith that bloomed when he studied in Loyola University’s Pastoral Studies program. “Theology is a field with many right answers, but no final answers,” he shares. “That is why I love teaching it so much. The more we study God, the more questions we have about God.”
• 

  Ms. Renee Reyes 14

  Theology Teacher

  Bio

  Her faith has always been important to her.

  
  That’s why, when it came time to pick a high school, Renee Reyes ‘14 was certain that attending a reputable Catholic one was the right choice for her.
  
  

  “When I toured Saint Ignatius College Prep, everyone was so welcoming. It was such a beautiful place to be, and the classes were interesting. The teachers cared so much and they still do, which is really cool to see,” says Reyes.
  
  

  That care is what made her want to go into education. Reyes says one of her theology teachers, Mr. Steven Lord, drove her passion for theology.

   
  “I can almost remember everything that was said in his class because he made it so interesting,” says Reyes.
  
  

  She hopes her students think her classes are just as compelling.
  
  

  “I try to make it as exciting as possible because I want them to remember it,” says Reyes, “I don’t want them to take a test on it, and then forget it.”

  
  To hit that high bar, she shows her students how God is present in their lives.
  
  

  She explains, “We study the lives of the people in the Bible. If God is present in their lives, He’s so present in our lives. If God answers their prayers, He’s going to answer our prayers, too.”
  
  

  Outside of the classroom, you can find Reyes with a front-row seat at her students’ events.
  
  

  She says, “I want to know what they’re passionate about, not just what they got on a test. I go to everything for them, and it’s fun to see them in their element.”
  
  

  Her message to students: You’re important. You’ve been given certain gifts, graces and abilities that make you special. God has something special for you.
• 

  Deacon Chuck Thompson 

  Theology Teacher
• 

  Fr. Jean-Audrey Touloulou SJ 
• 

  Mr. Tom Weiler 

  Theology Teacher