Elena Procario-Foley
Department Chair
Email: eprocariofoley@iona.edu
Phone: (914) 637-2744
Office Hours:
Monday 12:30 - 2:00 pm
Wednesday 12:30 - 2:00 pm
and by appointment
Professor of Religious Studies.

Contact Information
Iona College Department of Religious Studies
715 North Ave.
New Rochelle, NY 10801
Phone: (914) 637-2743
Fax: (914) 633-2248
E-Mail: kpaffenroth@iona.edu
Office hours:
Tuesday and Thursday 12 noon - 2:00 pm
Education
PhD Theology: University of Notre Dame, 1995.
MTS Biblical Studies: Harvard Divinity School, 1990.
BA Liberal Arts: St. John's College (Annapolis, MD), 1998.
Departmental Information and Courses
Dr. Paffenroth joined the department in 2001, after teaching at Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame.
He teaches RST 101, Religion in the Contemporary World; RST 204, Catholicism in the Contemporary World: Christian
Scriptures; RST 338, The Gospels; and RST 375, Wisdom Literature. He also teaches the first year of the Honors Humanities
Seminar (HON 101 and 102).
Professional Interests
Dr. Paffenroth was trained primarily in the study of the New Testament and the Early Church, and he continues to publish
in these areas. His work on St. Augustine (354-430 CE) is especially noteworthy. He also investigates how early
Christian beliefs are expressed in more recent works of literature or other art – either in what used to be called
"high culture" or in popular culture. In the latter area, he has focused his attention on what many would consider
non- or anti-Christian genres, especially horror literature, films, and television. His zombie novels have enjoyed
some success in the last several years, and been translated into German, Italian, and Russian.
Professional Affiliations
Society of Biblical Literature
Catholic Biblical Association of America
American Academy of Religion
North American Patristic Society
Dante Society of America
Chicago Society of Biblical Research
College Theology Society
Westar Institute
Horror Writers Association
Delta Epsilon Sigma
Professional Research and Publications
Books (non-fiction) (selected):
Creative Work (fiction) (selected):
Edited Volumes:,
Articles and Essays (selected):
Book Reviews:
Have appeared in Ars Disputandi: The Online Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Augustinian Studies, Biography, Catholic
Biblical Quarterly, Catholic Historical Review, Catholic Studies Online, Evolution: Education and Outreach, Horror
Studies, Journal of Beliefs and Values, Journal of Biblical Literature, Journal of Early Christian Studies, Journal
of Hebrew Scriptures, Journal of Religion, Pastoral Psychology, Religion and the Arts, Religious Studies Review,
and Review of Biblical Literature.
Papers Presented to Learned Societies:
Have been read at the meetings of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Academy of Religion, the Mid-Atlantic Region
of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Association for Core Texts and Courses, the International Association
for the Fantastic in the Arts, the World Science Fiction Convention, and the Catholic Biblical Association.
Honors and Awards (selected):
Summer Seminar in Christian Scholarship, Calvin College, 2010
Finalist, Black Quill Award, 2008
Finalist, International Horror Guild Award, 2007
Silver Medal, Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year, 2007
Winner, Bram Stoker Award, 2006
Speaker, New York Council for the Humanities Speaker Program, 2003-2005
Summer Seminar in Christian Scholarship, Calvin College, 2004
Travel Grant, Devers Program in Dante Studies, University of Notre Dame, 2003
Louisville Institute Summer Stipend, 2003
The Brother John G. Driscoll Professorship in Jewish-Catholic Studies.
Mission Statement »
Lectures, workshops, retreats, pilgrimages and celebrations intended to bring us closer to the wellsprings of the spiritual life.
Mission Statement »