Dr. Gregory K. Hillis

Biography

Gregory K. Hillis joined Bellarmine University in 2008 after completing his Ph.D. in the department of Religious Studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. His doctoral research was on early Christian theology, with a particular focus on St. Cyril of Alexandria. He has published a number of academic articles on Cyril’s theology, and recently wrote the introduction to a new translation of Cyril’s Glaphyra published in 2018 by Catholic University of America Press.

In the last few years he has turned his attention to the life and writings of Thomas Merton, the famous Trappist monk from Kentucky whose literary estate is housed at the Merton Center at Bellarmine University. In addition to teaching a popular undergraduate course on Merton, Dr. Hillis has written both academic articles and popular articles on his life and thought. He has also delivered lectures around the United States on Merton’s theology. His book on Thomas Merton – “Man of Dialogue”: Thomas Merton’s Catholic Identity – is published with Liturgical Press.

In 2019, Dr. Hillis was given the Wilson W. Wyatt Faculty Fellowship for excellence in teaching and scholarship at Bellarmine University.

In 2021, Dr. Hillis was awarded the Sr. Pat Lowman Student Advocate of the Year by students at Bellarmine University.