Paul F. Ford's Academic Journey

Professor of Systematic Theology and Liturgy

B. A. in Philosophy, St. John’s Seminary College, Camarillo (1969)

M. A. in Religion, St. John’s Seminary, Camarillo (1974)

Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California (1987)

St. John’s Seminary (1988)

Dr. Ford studied for the priesthood for the then diocese of Monterey-Fresno, 1961–1973, but was never ordained. He was a Benedictine monk at St. Andrew’s Abbey, Valyermo, from 1973–1978. Dr. Ford was the first Roman Catholic in the doctoral program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. His primary areas of competence are ecclesiology, spirituality, and music and liturgy; his secondary areas are Mariology and chant. He is an internationally recognized authority on the life and writings of C. S. Lewis. His award-winning book, Companion to Narnia (HarperCollins) is now in its fourth edition. Cardinal Mahony honored him with the Laudatus Award for 1995 “for excellence in the promotion of the liturgical life of the parishes and the people of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.” Dr. Ford’s latest publications are eleven entries in C. S. Lewis: A Reader’s Encyclopedia (Zondervan, Summer 1998) and By Flowing Waters: Chant for the Liturgy (The Liturgical Press, Summer 1999).