ulty biographies Fr. Sylvester Tan, S.J. teaches courses such as Arthurian Legend, Ignatius
Loyola, and Analysis of French Texts in Loyola’s College of Humanities and Natural Sciences. After obtaining a B.A. in English (with a concentration in environmental studies) from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, Tan travelled through Africa and Asia for a year as a Thomas J. Watson Fellow studying “the changing face of Catholicism.” He continued on to Rome, Italy, where he resided for five years, studying Christian letters and spirituality at the Casa Balthasar and obtaining a bachelor’s degree in philosophy (Ph.B.) from the Pontifical Gregorian University. Tan has also studied French literature at the University of Toronto and completed a M.A. in medieval studies there. His thesis, “Perceval’s Sin: Theological Controversy in Chrétien’s Conte del Graal?,” proposes to re-examine the notion of sin in Chrétien de Troyes’ Perceval in the light of the 12-century controversy between monastic and scholastic theologians.
Dr. Evelyn Thibeaux is assistant professor of sacred Scripture in the Loyola Institute for Ministry. Her previous experience includes teaching Scripture in several other academic and ministry education programs, working as a pastoral associate in a Catholic parish (Jackson, Miss.), and serving as an associate director for RCIA and evangelization in the Office of Religious Education (Archdiocese of New Orleans). Her ongoing interest is in how the Scriptures nourish the prayer and spirituality of believers, deepening their faith and fostering ongoing conversion. Thibeaux’s degrees include an M.A. in religion and the arts, a licentiate in sacred theology, and a Ph.D. in biblical studies, with a focus on the New Testament and an abiding passion for the parables of Jesus.
Sandi Varnado, J.D., is an assistant professor of law and teaches Louisiana
civil courses, specifically Successions, Donations and Trusts, Persons, and Obligations. She publishes in the area of American Family law. Her most recent publications have addressed topics such as parental alienation and online infidelity. Prior to joining the Loyola faculty in 2010, she served as law clerk to Judge James L. Dennis of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and practiced at Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz. She received her J.D. from Louisiana State University in 2006 where she served as Articles Editor of the Louisiana Law Review and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.
Dr. Catherine Wessinger is Rev. H. James Yamauchi, S.J., Professor of the History of Religions. Her publications on millennialism include: How the Millennium Comes Violently: From Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate (2000); Millennialism, Persecution, and Violence: Historical Perspectives (2000, edited); and The Oxford Handbook of Millennialism (2011, edited). Beginning in 2004, she conducted an oral history project with Branch Davidian survivors of the 1993 conflict between the Branch Davidians of Waco, Texas, and federal law enforcement agents. The oral history project culminated in the publication of three edited autobiographies (2007, 2009, and 2012). She has published articles on a variety of topics relating to the study of religious movements. She has served as co-general editor of Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions since 2000.
alumni.loyno.edu/alumni-college
17