John Navone, S.J. was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1930. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1949 and was ordained in 1962. He received his master’s degree in philosophy from Gonzaga University, Spokane, in 1956. From 1959 to 1963 he studied theology at Regis College in Toronto. Since 1963, he has resided in Rome, where he received his doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in 1966. His doctoral dissertation, History and Faith in the Thought of Dr. Alan Richardson, was published in 1966 by the SCM Press, London, marking the first time a Catholic doctoral dissertation was published by this Anglican- Protestant press. The book appeared in the Contemporary Theology Series to which Barr, Macquarrie, Moltmann, Ogden and Torrance contributed.

Navone began teaching biblical theology at the Gregorian University in 1967, when his second book was published: Personal Witness: A Biblical Spirituality (New York: Sheed & Ward). His third book Themes of St. Luke (Gregorian U. Press, 1970) was acclaimed by J.E.Bruns,J.Dupont,D.M.Stanley and M.Zerwick.

Of Navone’s twenty-three books, five have been associated with the development of narrative theology and the work of Bernard Lonergan.

Two of his most recent books have won recognition in both Europe and the United States for his contribution to the theology and spirituality of beauty. Gesa E Thiessen (Theological Aesthetics: A Reader (London: SCM, 2004) ranks Navone among 95 contributors to this field from the time of Justin Martyr in 165. Edward Farley of Vanderbilt University Divinity School calls attention to Navone’s work in this field as one of the five significant “Twenthieth-century Catholic Theologies of Beauty” in his book Faith and Beauty: A theological aesthetic (Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2001), pp. 74-81

Navone was keynote speaker at the Anglican clergy conference at St. George’s House, Windsor Castle, England, Dec. 4 to 8, 1978. He addressed the 50 Anglican priests daily on “Communicating Christ, a subject which is the title of his book published in 1976 (Slough,U.K.: St Paul Publications.)

Navone was awarded Italy’s National Capri- S. Michele prize in 1998 for his book Italia. Natura e Genio (Roma:Ed. Dehoniane, 1998)