Br. Joe Chinnici honored for his lifetime of Franciscan scholarship

In a sincere tribute to his lifelong scholarship and 80 years of life, the Academy of American Franciscan History, associated with the Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego, celebrated Br. Joe Chinnici, OFM, with a special collection of essays known as a Festschrift.  

Written by colleagues familiar with his impact on Franciscan and American Catholicism scholarship, these articles honor Br. Joe’s remarkable academic legacy and enduring influence within the Church. This volume covers Br. Joe’s influence and leadership in the study of the Franciscan intellectual tradition, the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church and American Catholic history. 

“None of the fields which I tried to cover in my academic career could have been done without a whole host of friends, supporters, the friars, editors, students and colleagues in various fields,” Br. Joe said of the distinction. “Looking back, it all felt providential.” 

Br. Joe, president emeritus and history professor at FST, is a leading authority on U.S. Catholic history. He recently finished his major work, American Catholicism Transformed From the Cold War Through the Council (Oxford, 2021). 

The Festschrift “Building a House of Living Stones” opens with a brief biography of Br. Joe by his friend Mary Lyons, President Emerita, University of San Diego. Others whose works were featured are: 

• Dr. Steven Avella, professor emeritus, Marquette University 

• Dr. Jeffrey Burns, Director, Academy of American Franciscan History 

• Sr. Margaret Carney, OSF, Franciscan Scholar and President Emerita of St. Bonaventure University 

• Sr. Angelyn Dries, OSF, Professor Emerita, Saint Louis University 

• Sr. Mary Beth Ingham, CSJ, Scotus Scholar and Congregational Leader of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Orange, California 

• Dr. James McCartin, Associate Professor, Department of Theology, Fordham University 

• Dr. James O’Toole, Clough Professor of History, Emeritus, Boston College 

• Dr. William Portier, Professor Emeritus, University of Dayton 

• Br. William J. Short, OFM, Director, International Center for Franciscan Studies and Research, Collegio S. Isidoro 

• Dr. Leslie Tentler, Professor Emerita, The Catholic University of America 

‘A great promoter’ of the Franciscan tradition 

Br. Bill Short, OFM, professor of spirituality at the Franciscan School of Theology, said he considered it a pleasure to work on the Festschrift to celebrate his good friend and brother. 

“He has made a great contribution to U.S. Catholic history with his teaching and publications,” Br. Bill said. “And he has been a great promoter of the Franciscan intellectual and spiritual tradition nationally and internationally.”  

That is only one aspect of Br. Joe's work. 

Br. Joe, formerly general editor of The Franciscan Heritage Series, helped found the Commission on the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition and served as Provincial Minister of St. Barbara Province amid the onset of a sexual abuse crisis at its minor seminary in the early 1990s. 

His transparent and compassionate leadership set a new standard for the Church. Drawing on Franciscan tradition, he wrote the groundbreaking work When Values Collide: The Catholic Church, Sexual Abuse, and the Challenges of Leadership. (Orbis, 2010) 

‘He wants top-notch Franciscan thinkers’ 

Dr. Burns, executive director of the Academy of American Franciscan History, recognizes Br. Joe for his substantial contributions and remembers him as a demanding but accessible teacher who set high standards for Franciscan scholars. 

He says Br. Joe relentlessly modifies his courses to keep them innovative and fresh. 

“He wants top-notch Franciscan thinkers and scholars,” said Dr. Burns, who has taught with Br. Joe at the Franciscan School of Theology. “What makes Br. Joe unique is his charism that filters intellect from the mind through the heart.” 

Br. Joe speaks of mercy and love as gifts from God, citing First Corinthians: “What have we that we have not received?” (1 Cor 4.7) 

“Everything in life, and life itself, is graciously bestowed on us by God through other people: family, friends, colleagues, serendipitous meetings, our very existence, any success that falls into one’s lap, our abilities to speak, work, research, and love,” he said.  

'Scholarship has a pastoral purpose' 

Through decades of introspective, intellectual and spiritual work, Br. Joe has earned the commendation of worthy colleagues and built a legacy of fruitful work. 

“The work of a Franciscan scholar in the fields of teaching, research, and publications, is done for the sake of others and the Church,” he said. “Scholarship has a pastoral purpose to build up the communities of people in the world.   

“This goal, hidden sometimes from my own view, was the purpose of the works in Franciscan theology, spirituality and social thought.” 

He points out that reform in Franciscan history has emerged from “contemplation, commitment to mission and the best of academic work knowledgeable in our sources and directed to a pastoral purpose.” 

“My firm hope is that in the future of our own newly created province, the friars’ academic work, as it was done for me, may be seen and honored as graciously bestowed on the fraternity, the society, and the Church,” he said.