Celebrating A New Endowed Chair in the School of Philosophy

On April 23, 2026, The Catholic University of America celebrated the installation of Professor Gregory Doolan as the Msgr. John F. Wippel Endowed Chair in Thomistic Metaphysics. A full and joyous audience in Heritage Hall attended the ceremony, which marked the third endowed chair in the School of Philosophy.

Msgr. Wippel was a renowned metaphysics scholar who spent nearly 70 years within the Catholic University community, first as a seminarian in the Basselin Scholars Program and then as a faculty member.

“This professorship was established through a bequest from Msgr. Wippel, a last gift from a scholar who had already given so much to Catholic University,” President Peter Kilpatrick said in his remarks.

In addition to the generous bequest of Msgr. Wippel, professor emeritus of the philosophy school, support from the Most Reverend Allen H. Vigneron, archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Detroit and former chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, enabled the new position. Endowed chairs help recruit and sustain renowned scholars to the University, who in turn provide invaluable learning opportunities for students.

“The at once highest and deepest part of philosophy is metaphysics, the science of being as being,” said Bradley Lewis, dean of the School of Philosophy. “This was the focus of [one] of the University’s greatest figures, Msgr. John F. Wippel, who first came to this place as a student, returned as a professor, and managed to serve as our University’s chief academic officer while writing the most important study of the metaphysical thought of St. Thomas Aquinas published in modern times.”

School of Philosophy Dean Emeritus John McCarthy, executor of Msgr. Wippel’s estate, commended his long-time colleague for his service.

“His priestly vocation was for him entirely of a piece with his calling as an academic. He always understood his membership on our faculty as itself in service to the Church, as a sign … that a life of philosophical study and teaching can be lived wholly within the household of the Christian faith.”

“The same high seriousness that animated his research and writing also determined the way he approached his obligations as a teacher. The care he exercised … in directing dissertations was legendary,” said Dean Emeritus McCarthy.

Professor Gregory Doolan was one such student, completing his doctoral dissertation under the direction of Msgr. Wippel. Like his advisor, Doolan transitioned from student to faculty in the School of Philosophy, and now steps into an endowed chair named for him. 

During the program, Professor Doolan’s colleagues and students lauded his achievements as a scholar of metaphysics, including through his publications, as well as his excellence in teaching a challenging subject.

Professor Doolan’s remarks focused on gratitude–for Msgr. Wippel, other former teachers, and his family–as well as the obligations that extend not just from students to teachers but bidirectionally.

“What I wish to acknowledge now is that teachers, in a way, have the same debt of gratitude to their students that students owe their teachers. For there is no better way to learn a subject than to share it with others through teaching,” said Professor Doolan.

The study of philosophy is essential to the mission and identity of Catholic University, as the discipline was offered from the beginning of the institution.

“One of the things I’ve come to appreciate most is how the faculty here in the School of Philosophy make philosophy come alive,” said Tommaso Marena, Class of 2027, who served as emcee for the evening. “There’s a wonderful sense of humor and accessibility that comes through these dialogues, and none more so than with Professor Doolan.”

Founded in 1895, the School of Philosophy student body quickly expanded from priests and seminarians to lay students and grew in scope and stature.

“With more than 120 students majoring in philosophy in any given year, the undergraduate philosophy program at Catholic University is, per capita, one of the largest and most successful in the country,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Aaron Dominguez. “A strong doctoral program and research faculty make major contributions to the field, while also elevating the undergraduate and seminary programs.”

With Professor Doolan stepping into the inaugural role of the Monsignor John F. Wippel Endowed Chair in Thomistic Metaphysics, the long history of the School of Philosophy at Catholic University continues, as does the thread that connects student and teacher, giver and gifts, across generations.

Experience the Ceremony

Please enjoy watching the ceremony and individual remarks.

Full Ceremony

V. Bradley Lewis, Dean, School of Philosophy

Aaron Dominguez, Executive Vice President and Provost, The Catholic University of America

Peter Kilpatrick, President, The Catholic University of America

John McCarthy, Dean Emeritus, School of Philosophy, Executor of the Msgr. John F. Wippel Estate

Gregory Doolan, Msgr. John F. Wippel Associate Professor of Thomistic Metaphysics