Christopher M. Bellitto, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of History
Ph.D., Fordham University

Willis Room 205
Phone:
908-737-4261
E-Mail:
cbellitt@kean.edu

 

Biography:

Dr. Bellitto is Assistant Professor of History at Kean University in Union, NJ. He is also Academic Editor at Large of Paulist Press.

He is the author of eight books and the co-editor of five others. His most recent books are 101 Questions and Answers on Popes and the Papacy (Paulist Press, 2008), Church History 101 (Liguori Publications, 2008), Ten Ways the Church Has Changed (Pauline Books and Media, 2006), and the companion volumes, The General Councils: A History of the 21 Church Councils from Nicaea to Vatican II (Paulist Press, 2002) and Renewing Christianity: A History of Church Reform from Day One to Vatican II (Paulist Press 2001). His articles have appeared in the Catholic Historical Review, Church History, Cristianesimo nella storia, Revue d'histoire ecclésiastique, America, Commonweal, U.S. Catholic, and other journals. He is also a frequent public speaker and media commentator.

Credentials:

Dr. Bellitto received an M.A. and a Ph.D. in History from Fordham University. His B.A., magna cum laude, is from New York University, where he was a University Scholar with a double major in Journalism and Politics, and a double minor in Classics and Religion.

Areas of Study and Research Interest:
Reform movements in church history and theology; history of political theory; church councils; Vatican II and contemporary Catholicism

Previous Employment:

During and immediately after college, he worked in journalism, including a period at Newsweek magazine. He then taught English at Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx, NY, before entering graduate school at Fordham University, where he held Presidential Scholarships and was a Teaching Fellow while studying for his doctorate. From 1996 to 2001, he was Assistant Professor of History at St. Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie) and its Institute of Religious Studies in Yonkers, NY, where he also served as the Institute’s Associate Dean. From 2001 to 2004, he was Academic Editor at Paulist Press in Mahwah, NJ, while teaching as an adjunct at Fordham’s College of Liberal Studies (2002-2004) and serving as a Fellow at Fordham’s Center for Medieval Studies (2003-2004).

Professional Activities:

In addition to his extensive publications and presentations, Dr. Bellitto is on the Executive Committee of the American Cusanus Society and is a member of the American Historical Association and the American Catholic Historical Association. He is also the Editorial Associate of the semi-annual American Cusanus Society Newsletter.