Distinguished Faculty

Rev. Francis T. Hannafey, S.J.

"I'm very interested in questions of the intersections between religious faith and moral questions that affect our everyday lives," said Fr. Hannafey, who teaches religious studies courses as well as Business Ethics and Contemporary Moral Problems. "People in business sometimes think that what they're doing in their work is not connected to the good of humanity and the flourishing of human beings."

However, the Catholic Church has a history of lauding business enterprise for its contributions to the betterment of people's lives, Fr. Hannafey said. In one of his papers, Fr. Hannafey traces the consideration of entrepreneurship throughout papal thought. "Pope John Paul II expressed clear appreciation for entrepreneurs and describes some of their major activities," Fr. Hannafey noted. "He also praised the creative ability to foresee market needs and the right combinations of productive resources to meet those needs."

Fr. Hannafey's research takes him into some of the most controversial questions of the day, including advanced cell technology, stem cell research, human genome mapping, and the ethics of executive compensation and he incorporates these complicated subjects into the classroom.

His hope is to help his students see the complexity of the world and retain a framework to identify and resolve ethical and moral issues they will encounter. "Our particular experiences in human life are very important," Fr. Hannafey said, adding that individual experiences often lead people to the same moral truths.

Fr. Hannafey received his undergraduate degree in business, and continued to earn his MBA in finance and marketing. He came to Fairfield University in 1986 and taught in the School of Business. He was named assistant academic vice president of the University in 1988. The following year he left to earn his M. Div. and S.T.M. from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkley and then a Ph.D. in Christian Ethics from Loyola University Chicago. In 1998 he returned to Fairfield University to begin teaching religious studies. He is currently the Chair of the Religious Studies Department.

Along with his extensive academic background, Fr. Hannafey has produced several scholarly works, including "A Right Reverend New Dealer? Work and Employment in Monsignor John A. Ryan's Catholic Social Vision, and the Roman Catholic Church in America, 1933-1945" that was presented at an international conference at the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, NY.

Students credit Fr. Hannafey with taking the time to bond with them and make sure everybody understands the lesson or theory at hand. His interaction with students went up a notch this year, as he moved to Kostka Hall to be one of the Jesuits who lives among the student population.

"I love meeting students for their first semester of freshman year and then seeing them when they're leaving. You really feel that you've been part of their lives."