Essays by Ilia Delio

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Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD, is a Franciscan Sister of Washington, DC, and an American theologian specializing in the area of science and religion, with interests in evolution, physics, and neuroscience and the import of these for theology.

Ilia currently holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University and is the author of twenty books, including "Care for Creation" (coauthored with Keith Warner and Pamela Woods), which won two Catholic Press Book Awards in 2009: first place for social concerns and second place in spirituality.

Her book "The Emergent Christ" won a third-place Catholic Press Book Award in 2011 for the area of Science and Religion. Her recent books include "The Unbearable Wholeness of Being: God, Evolution, and the Power of Love" (Orbis, 2013), which received the 2014 Silver Nautilus Book Award and a third-place Catholic Press Association Award for Faith and Science. Ilia holds two honorary doctorates, one from St. Francis University in 2015, and one from Sacred Heart University in 2020.

Learn more about Sr. Ilia and her publications.

Cosmic Convergence

Cosmic Convergence: Teilhard’s Vision and the 2024 Olympics 

The Paris Olympics, unfolding over the past two weeks, have showcased not only athletic prowess but also the remarkable spirit of human support. In an era dominated by technology and…

Hearts as temple

The Humility of God

This month I returned to my roots in Franciscan theology in order to write a book chapter on Early Franciscan mysticism.  I revisited the world of Francis of Assisi who was…

Embracing Connection: Wireless Signs and the Spirit of Togetherness

Trinity and Personhood

I have been teaching a graduate course on the Trinity this semester and it has impelled me to think anew about the Trinity and what the implications of the Trinity…

eternal glowing light in sky horizon, Spiritual divine power

Death Anxiety and the Cross

This week Christians around the world celebrate the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus was simply horrific, the worst of what humans can do to…

MarchBlogFeaturedR

The Unemployed Trinity and a Fragile Earth: Refocusing the Christian God

The Christian understanding of God is upside down. For some odd reason, we emphasize a God of power and might when the God of Jesus Christ was hidden and humble.…

Man praying as the sun rises in the mountains.

When Did Jesus Become God?

In an article on “The Emergence of Devotion to Jesus in the Early Church,” Australian theologian Anne Hunt writes: “Our familiarity as Christians with Christian faith’s conviction that Jesus is divine…”