Joseph Cheah, OSM, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Religious Studies
Contact
Phone: 860.231.5349
E-mail:
jcheah@sjc.edu
As an Asian American and a Catholic priest, Reverend Joseph Cheah (or “Father Joe” as he is known on campus) brings a multicultural and multidimensional approach to teaching and learning: “I agree with Parker Palmer that we teach best when we ‘teach from the heart,’ unencumbered by our egos that prevent us from being who we truly are,” he said. “In other words, what makes teaching effective first and foremost is the inner life of the teacher.” And his inner life is shaped by a Confucian ethos, a Daoist sensibility, and a Servite charism — qualities that are apparent in his teaching and service to the community.
Father Joe defines his teaching style accordingly: “As a co-learner, I collaborate with students for insight and understanding. As a guide, I model for my students in the area of compassionate thinking. To think critically and compassionately is a part of the core values of the Mercy tradition. Teaching at the College is not simply a job for me — it is a ministry.”
Students benefit from the totality of Father Joe’s ministry, both on campus and off. In addition to serving as the campus chaplain, he advocates for Korean refugees in the Hartford area and was recently awarded “Immigrant of the Year” by the State of Connecticut. He is, by his own definition, living “the privilege of an academic life: engaging with many communities at the same time and being a part of something larger than myself. It both humbles me and gives meanings to my endeavors.”
Academic Degrees
Ph.D., Graduate Theological Union – Cultural and Historical Studies of Religions
M.A., Graduate Theological Union – Theology
M.Div., Franciscan School of Theology
B.S., University of Southern California
Recent publications and/or presentations:
Cheah, Joseph: presenter, “Examining Teleological Impasse in Asian American Theologies,” Catholic Theological Society of America, Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 6, 2009.
Cheah, Joseph, “Ethnicity Function of Burmese Religious Practices”, Emerging Voices: The Experiences of Underrepresented Asian Americans (Huping Ling, ed.) New York: University of Rutgers Press, 2008.
