Mount St. Mary’s University, continued
through his MA at the PFIC (2005), and
completed his doctoral studies at the
University of St. Andrew in Scotland.
He now communicates that same faithseeking-understanding to his students
as an Assistant Professor of Theology at
Christendom College.
DR. ROBERT MATAVA:
Teaching the Faith With Understanding
By Br. Josemaría Guzmán-Domínguez , O.P.
By supporting the PFIC, you ensure
that the wisdom of St. Thomas
continues to ground minds in a
sound perspective and to shed the
light of understanding on the faith
of the Church. Thank you!
Blessed John Henry Newman once
expressed his desire for Catholic laity
“who know their religion, who enter
into it, who know just where they stand,
who know what they hold, and what
they do not, who know their creed so
well, that they can give an account of
it.” PFIC alumnus Dr. Robert J. Matava
is just such a man. He began studying
theology as an undergraduate at
Faith & Reason - Volume II, Issue III
171144_Faith & Reason.indd 7
Dr. Matava is convinced that theology
is crucial for the Church in the modern
world. The Thomistic theology taught
and lived at the PFIC is precisely
what is needed. The PFIC granted him
the priceless experience of working
through the texts of St. Thomas in an
environment steeped in the tradition
and life of the Church. Dr. Matava puts
it this way, “the formation I received at
the Dominican House of Studies gave
me a thorough grounding in a sound
perspective—it enabled me to grasp the
mind of perhaps the greatest doctor of
the Church ‘from the inside.’”
The beauty, depth, and breadth of
St. Thomas’ theology inspires the
teaching work of Dr. Matava, the PFIC,
and many others. I B6