Provost Hero

Emil and Elfriede Jochum Chair in Theology

Nicholas-Denysenko

Nicholas Denysenko, Ph.D. Emil & Elfriede Jochum University Chair nicholas.denysenko@valpo.edu Professor of Theology

Biography

Nicholas Denysenko serves as Emil and Elfriede Jochum Professor and Chair and concurrently as professor of theology. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota (1994), and his graduate degrees at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (M.Div., 2000) and The Catholic University of America (Ph.D., 2008). Prior to coming to Valpo, he taught for seven years at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he also served as director of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute. Denysenko writes and speaks on diverse topics, and specializes in liturgical theology, religion in Ukraine, and Orthodox Christianity. His work has appeared in venues such as the Journal for the American Academy of Religion, Theological Studies, Studia Liturgica, Worship, and St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly. Denysenko’s publications include “The People’s Faith” (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018) and “The Orthodox Church in Ukraine: A Century of Separation” (Northern Illinois University Press, 2018). His most recent work explores the religious dimension of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, titled “The Church’s Unholy War: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and Orthodoxy” (Cascade Books, 2023).

Publications

The Church’s Unholy War: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and Orthodoxy (https://www.amazon.com/Churchs-Unholy-War-Invasion-Orthodoxy/dp/1666748153?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER), Cascade Books, 2023

This Is the Day That the Lord Has Made: The Liturgical Year in Orthodoxy (https://www.amazon.com/This-Day-That-Lord-Made/dp/1666717754?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER), Cascade Books, 2023

The Orthodox Church in Ukraine: A Century of Separation (https://www.amazon.com/Orthodox-Church-Ukraine-Century-Separation/dp/0875807895), Northern Illinois University Press, 2018

The People’s Faith: The Liturgy of the Faithful in Orthodoxy (https://www.amazon.com/Peoples-Faith-Liturgy-Faithful-Orthodoxy/dp/1978704593), Rowman and Littlefield, 2018

Icons and the Liturgy, East and West: History, Theology, and Culture  (http://undpress.nd.edu/books/P03299), University of Notre Dame Press, 2017

Theology and Form: Contemporary Orthodox Architecture in America  (https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268100124/theology-and-form/), University of Notre Dame Press, 2017

Liturgical Reform After Vatican II: The Impact on Eastern Orthodoxy  (http://fortresspress.com/product/liturgical-reform-after-vatican-ii-impact-eastern-orthodoxy), Fortress Press, 2015

Chrismation: A Primer for Catholics (https://litpress.org/Products/6273/Chrismation), Liturgical Press, 2014
Winner of 2015 Catholic Press Association award in liturgy, second place.

The Blessing of Waters and Epiphany: The Eastern Liturgical Tradition https://www.routledge.com/The-Blessing-of-Waters-and-Epiphany-The-Eastern-Liturgical-Tradition/Denysenko/p/book/9781138109643, Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, 2012