Dr. Amy E. W. Maxey

The Rolheiser Chair in Spirituality
Dr. Maxey currently serves Oblate School of Theology as the first Rolheiser Chair in Spirituality. The Rolheiser Chair for an Emerging Scholar in Spirituality is named for Rev. Ron Rolheiser, OMI, founder of the Spirituality programs at OST and renowned author. He is internationally recognized as one of the foremost scholars in the field of Spirituality. The Chair was formed to honor his contribution to the field of Spirituality and the depth of achievement that his work represents. This chair honors his legacy and strives to ensure that his vision of the place of the field of Spirituality in the academy continues and grows. The chair is particularly open to scholars who wish to pursue Fr. Rolheiser’s maxim of “drawing on the deep wells of the tradition to address the issues of contemporary times.”  It is for emerging scholars in an emerging field, intended to develop scholars in the field and to develop the field itself.

Research and Teaching:

Dr. Maxey’s research specializes in Christian mysticism, feminist and womanist theologies, and contemporary Catholic systematic theology. Her work on mysticism spans the historical tradition, from patristic sources until the early modern period, with a particular focus on medieval women mystics. Her work also critically investigates modern and contemporary theoretical frameworks for understanding mysticism, particularly from a feminist perspective. She is currently working on a book project proposing a intersectional feminist theology of mystical eros. She teaches classes on mysticism, theological anthropology, and the hermeneutics of religious experience.

Recent Publications:

“Contemplative Epistemology in the Work of Sarah Coakley.” Studies in Spirituality 33 (2024) (forthcoming)

Book Review: The Mysticism of Ordinary Life: Theology, Philosophy, and Feminism, by Andrew Prevot, in Theological Studies (forthcoming)

“The Liberating Transformation of Mystical Eros.” In Freedom and the “Contemplative Turn”: Studies in Freedom, Contemplation, and Resistance, edited by Mary Frohlich and Benedict Shoup. Wipf and Stock. (forthcoming)

“‘I Want to Die Living’: The Entanglement of Death and Desire in Mechthild of Magdeburg.” In Medieval Mystical Women in the West: Growing in the Height of Love, edited by John Arblaster and Rob Faesen, 206–27. Contemporary Theological Explorations in Mysticism. London; New York: Routledge, 2025.

“The Uses of Mystical Eros as Power in Feminist Theologies: Issues of Mediation, Intuition, and Rationality.” In Theology and Media(tion): Rendering the Absent Present, edited by Stephen Okey and Katherine Schmidt. College Theology Society Annual Volume 69. Maryknoll: Orbis, 2024.

“Feminist Theologies and Christian Mystical Spiritualities: Convergences, Challenges, and the Future.” In The Future of Christian Spirituality – In Our Lives, in Our Churches, and in the Academy: Essays in Honor of Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, edited by David Pocta and John J. Markey, 143–61. New York: Herder and Herder, 2022.