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Walter Urban Voll

(October 27, 1922 - January 24, 2021)

was an American Catholic priest of the Order of Preachers (Dominican). He is best known for his contributions to the fields of philosophy and theology through his writings, teaching, and thought leadership within Catholic institutions from 1942 to 2018.

He was greatly influenced by the philosopher and theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas. His ministry centered on gaining knowledge and understanding of the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas.  

He is listed in The American Catholic Who’s Who (Volume 23, 1980-1981).

Early Life and Education

Born Walter John Voll in Syracuse, NY on October 27, 1922, he was the eldest of four children born to Walter and Genevieve (Morrissey) Voll. The elder Walter Voll was a prominent businessman. Genevieve was a homemaker and devout Catholic active in their local church. Young Walter credited his mother with instilling his strong sense of faith that would later shape the trajectory of his service-based life.

Voll’s extensive formal education, which began at the age of four, provided the inspiration and opportunity for a long career in theology and academia. 

As a young child, he began attending religious-based schools. He first studied at Most Holy Rosary School between 1928 and 1936. During this time, he was schoolmates with Theodore Hesburgh, an influential Catholic priest well known for his role as President of the University of Notre Dame. 

Voll’s high school years were spent at the Christian Brothers’ Academy in Syracuse, NY, where he graduated in 1940. Coming of age during World War II reinforced his commitment to religion.

Firmly dedicated to the humanities at this time, Voll enrolled in Providence College to begin his higher education. He studied in the Guzman Hall pre-ecclesiastical program and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1946.

He went on to study theology at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. from 1946 to 1950, earning his Lectorate and Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in 1950.

 

At the same time, Voll was also studying at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Here, he earned a Master of Arts degree in English Renaissance Literature in 1951.  

In 1961, Voll was again awarded a degree from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, this time a Doctorate in Sacred Theology in Moral Theology.

Voll’s most notable academic credential came in 1967 when he earned the degree of Master of Sacred Theology by the Master of the Order of Preachers in 1967. Having already taken his vows of the priesthood, he was one of the last members of the Order to have earned his S.T.M. by sitting for an examination.

In 1997, Providence College awarded Father Voll an honorary doctorate degree. 

Academic and Leadership Service

Voll spent most of his life immersed in theological studies, not just learning, but also teaching and assuming leadership roles in several academic and religious institutions. 

 

Shortly after his ordination, Voll returned to Providence College where he began his long and varied teaching ministry. For the good part of the next two decades, Voll continued his teaching ministry at Trinity College in Washington, D.C., College of St. Mary of the Springs in Columbus, Ohio, Xaverian College in Silver Springs, Maryland, Catholic University and Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, both in Washington, D. C. and Barry College in Miami, Florida.

 

From 1960 to 1966, Voll served as an Associate Editor for The Thomist, a quarterly academic journal produced by the Dominicans of the Province of St. Joesph.  The Thomist was created in the tradition and spirit of St. Thomas Aquinas to promote original inquiry into contemporary philosophical and theological questions.

 

From 1962 to 1964, Father Voll served as President of the recently formed Society of Catholic College Teachers of Sacred Doctrine.  The organization, now known as the College Theology Society, mission is to deliver the best theological education to college students. That mission has translated into a professional society that currently has more than 500 members in which men and women, lay and religious, find a common foundation in their love of theology, both as scholars and teachers. Voll’s publication of “The Objective of College Theology” in Reginald Masterson’s acclaimed book Theology in the Catholic College in the prior year led to him taking a more prominent role in the organization.

 

In the sixties, Father Voll was an assistant professor at Catholic University and then at Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, both in Washington, D. C.  During this time he was a Contributor Editor to the New Catholic Encyclopedia which was released in 1967.  The fifteen-volume set has been cited by the Library Journal as one of the top 50 reference sources of the millennium and has become a standard in public and academic libraries worldwide.  

 

Beginning in 1966 and continuing until 1970, Father Voll held the position of Editor for Moral Theology for the Catholic Theological Encyclopedia.  The Catholic Theological Encyclopedia was an international encyclopedia project, based on the reorganized staff of the New Catholic Encyclopedia.  Voll along with the other chosen editors initially isolated a multitude of theological topics worthy of in-depth evaluation.  Each editor then sought authors to submit works on each defined topic.  Each author’s submission was then edited and presented by each editor for review to be included in the final publication.  The final publication was released in 1979 as the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Religion with Voll as a Contributing Editor, which included multiple contributions from him on a variety of subject matters in the three-volume set.  

 

Among the most significant of his assignments was as the first rector of St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida from 1973-1980. Appointed to this position by Archbishop of Miami Coleman F. Carroll, it was here where Father Voll had what he’d later consider the most fruitful years of his life. While serving in this role, Voll also was appointed as Chairman of the Committee for Continuing Education for the Archdiocese of Miami.  At St. Vincent de Paul, he first re-accredited the institution and restored its ability to retain faculty and students.  

 

Then, once re-established, Voll focused his efforts on making St. Vincent de Paul Seminary a regional and bilingual institution to prepare priests to receive an increasing number of Catholics from Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Mexican communities.  It is from this experience that Voll wrote “Towards a Bi-Lingual Seminary: A Catholic Effort” published in 1977 in Theological Education. 

 

As a result of his work at St. Vincent de Paul, Father Voll was appointed to the Committee of Bishops and Rectors as a subcommittee of the Executive Board of the National Council of Catholic Bishops. The committee met for several years in Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco to increase ministry access to people of Latin America. During this time, Voll also served as Chairman of the National Council of Catholic Bishops Committee on Priestly Formation to Holy Trinity Seminary in Texas.

 

He went on to teach at the Pontifical Faculty of St. Thomas (The Angelicum) in Rome from 1981 to 1984, where he taught students from around the world, many of whom were enrolled in pursuit of their doctorate degrees. In the role of dissertation director to doctorate candidates, Father Voll provided guidance to students as they delved into the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, assisting them in successfully completing their dissertations.  

 

In 1984, he returned to Providence College to be close to his aging mother. During this time at Providence College, he was elected Prior of the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas where he was the religious superior to more than 60 Dominican priests and brothers of Providence College’s St. Thomas Aquinas Priory. 

 

In 1993, Father Voll was elected Prior Provincial of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph, headquartered in New York City, and served until 1997 when he returned to Providence College. In the role of Prior Provincial, Voll was responsible for guiding the mission of the province of St. Joseph. The province was made up of 21 Dominican communities across Kenya and the United States, including Providence College. Associated with the position, he had pastoral care for 300 Dominican priests and brothers who were members of the province.  

 

Father Voll served as a member of the Corporation of Providence College from 1972 to 1988.  He formally retired in 1997.

Full list of academic and leadership assignments:
1950 - 1952:

Instructor, Providence College, Providence, RI, Theology and English

1950 - 1952:

Instructor, Emmanuel College, Boston, MA, Theology

1952 - 1956:

Instructor, Trinity College, Washington, D.C., Theology

1957 - 1959:

Faculty Member, Immaculata College, Immaculata, PA Theology

1956 - 1960:

Instructor, St. Mary of the Springs (now Ohio Dominican), Columbus, OH.,  Theology and Philosophy

1960 - 1961:

Instructor, Xaverian College, Silver Springs, MD  Theology

1960 - 1966:

Associate Editor, The Thomist, Washington, D.C.

1961 - 1965:

Assistant Professor, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., Department of Religious Education, Theology

1962 - 1964:

President, Society of Catholic College Teachers of Sacred Doctrine

1965 - 1967, 1969 - 1970:

Associate Professor, Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C., Sin, Law, and Grace / Theological virtues & prudence

1966 - 1970:

Editor for Moral Theology, Catholic Theological Encyclopedia

1970 - 1971:

Chairman, Barry College, Miami, FL, Theology

1971 - 1973:

Professor, St. Vincent de Paul Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL, Grace, theological virtues, spirituality, homiletics

1972 - 1974:

Chairman, Committee for the Continuing Education, Archdiocese of Miami

1973 - 1980:

Rector, St. Vincent de Paul Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL

1978

Chairman and Member, University of Dallas, TX, National Council of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Priestly Formation to Holy Trinity Seminary

1979:

Chairman, Committee for the Provincial Council on Dominican Formation in Washington, D.C., and Dover, MD

1981 - 1984:

Professore Ordinario, Pontifica Università di S. Tomasso, Rome, Italy, Moral Theology

1984 - 1990:

Visiting Professor, Providence College, Providence, RI Religious Studies, Western Civilization

1990 - 1993:

Prior, St. Thomas Aquinas Priory at Providence College, Providence, RI

1993 - 1997:

Prior Provincial, Province of St. Joseph, New York, NY

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Personal Life and Legacy

Father Voll spent his life in pursuit of theological understanding, teaching, and philosophy. He had a passion throughout his life for swimming which he saw as a way to stay active and clear his mind. He also mastered several languages and had the ability to speak French, Italian, and Spanish, as well as the ability to read Greek and Latin. 

 

After retiring, he continued an active life of priestly ministry, study, community life, and prayer at Providence College. He maintained his intellectual interests and was a voracious reader and commentator.  

 

Voll’s alma mater, Providence College, established a scholarship program in his name for students pursuing subjects in the humanities. 

He died on Sunday, January 24, 2021 at St. Patrick’s Manor in Framingham, MA at the age of 98 and is interred at Providence College. 

References

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