Fr. George Alengaden, S.D.B.
Adjunct Professor of Theology
Office phone: (510) 525-2620
E-mail:
B.A. in Philosophy, Salesian Colleage, Yercaud, India (Affiliated to Salesian Pontifical University, Rome, Italy); B.A. in Theology, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, Ireland; M.A. in Philosophy, Pontifical Athenaeum, Pune, India, School of Philosophy; S.T.L., St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, Ireland; Ph.D., Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley
I like to be the bridge between the East and the West, following the middle path like St. Thomas Aquinas, a philosopher and theologian of synthesis, giving students contact and understanding of the different forms of spirituality.
Fr. George sees his task as teacher to train his students to be rooted in one's Christian faith while reaching out to other traditions. Drawing from his training in India and Ireland, Fr. George uses his Catholic faith as a foundation for understanding the eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Fr. George draws from many different models to understanding Revelation, such as Revelation as doctrine, history, inner experience, symbolic mediation, and shows the strengths and weaknesses of each model. Drawing upon the different religious traditions, he takes the philosophy of the human person and connects it to a theological understanding of liberation and salvation, while always returning to the Catholic tradition. Fr. George uses different methods of teaching, such as lecture, group projects and debate so that his students will gain a comprehensive understanding of Revelation and Theology.
The course Fr. George Alengadan teaches is Revelation and Theology. He is also interested in: Ethics; Fundamental Moral Theology; Philosophy of Religions; Hermeneutics; and the Marriage of East and West, between Hinduism and Christianity.
Fr. George Alengadan is currently working on a study of Mercea Eliade and Swami Vevekananda, focusing on their concepts of human bondage such as human ignorance and how to be liberated from that through spirituality. He is also interested in Interreligious dialogue, working out an additional paradigm to the Pluralistic, Exclusivist and Inclusivist paradigms that will respect all religions while remaining faithful to the Christian tradition.
Fr. George is the pastor at St. Ambrose, 1145 Gilman Street in Berkeley, CA.
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