Rev. Kevin Gillespie, S.J., associate professor of pastoral counseling and interim chair, will receive an award titled, “Sapientia et Doctrina” from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education on Saturday, Oct. 20.

The award, which honors service to the renewal of the Church, will be presented at the 2nd annual Sapientia et Doctrina Celebration at the College’s Rose Hill Campus in New York. The evening’s keynote speaker, Rabbi Marc Gellman of The God Squad, will present the award, of which Fr. Gillespie is one of 12 recipients.

The title of the award, also Fordham’s motto, means wisdom and knowledge.

Fr. Gillespie’s research includes the relationship between spirituality and psychology. He is the author of Psychology and American Catholicism: From Confession to Therapy?, which focuses on the history of relations between professional psychology and American Catholicism. He has also researched and written on topics such as the spirituality of Henri Nouwen and Adrian Van Kaam as well as William James’ The Varieties of Religious Experience.

Most recently, Fr. Gillespie has researched terrorism, trauma, technology and transcendence. He has a private practice and maintains professional memberships in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, where he is a fellow; the American Psychological Association; and Spiritual Directors International. In fall 2004, he became a member of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors’ executive committee for formation.