Timothy Costello SM
A.T.C.L. (London), B.A. (Victoria), Psych.D (Gregorian), Registered Psychologist (NZ)

Lecturer in Pastoral Psychology

E-mail: costello@unigre.it

Since 2002 I have been a full-time lecturer at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome , attached to the Institute of Psychology , the Centre for the Preparation of Seminary Educators (C.I.F.S.), and the doctoral program in Jurisprudence in the Faculty of Canon Law. The students in these courses come from all over the world and reflect the diverse faces, cultures, and languages of the Catholic Church. For many years I was involved in priestly and religious formation in New Zealand and Australia . Each year I make a small contribution to the formation of the seminarians at Corpus Christi College in Melbourne , and to the curriculum of Good Shepherd College in Auckland . For several years I have assisted the Paulist Fathers in their ministry at the Church of Santa Susanna which is the American national church in Rome . I also enjoy the opportunity to guide Marist renewal groups on a pilgrimage tracing Jean Claude Colin's footsteps on his five visits to Rome (1833-1854).

Research Interests:

• The contribution of the human sciences to priestly and religious formation.
• The human and spiritual processes underpinning priestly and religious identity.
• Motivation for entrance, perseverance, and effectiveness in the priestly vocation
  

Publications:

Book:

Forming a Priestly Identity, Gregorian University Press: Rome, 2002.

Chapters in Books

“Goal and Purpose of Priestly Formation” in Formation and Transformation, T.Costello and V Sasi (ed). Asian Trading Corporation: Bangalore, 2010 , 2-19.

“The personality of Jean-Claude Colin, Superior General” in Catholic Beginnings in Oceania . Marist Missionary Perspectives, A. Greiler (ed). ATF Press: Hindmarsh , South Australia , 2009, 183-200.

Articles:

“When does psychopathology constitute an obstacle to the priesthood?” Seminarium, 49 (2009) 303-320.

"Integrating Formative Roles" in Formation and the Person. Essays in Theory and Practice, A.Manenti, S Guaranelli, and H.Zollner (ed), Peeters: Leuven , 2007, 241-256.

"The Use of Psychology as an Aid to Priestly Formation", Seminarium, 32 (1992) 29-636.

"Psychology and the Discernment of a Vocation", Origins 20 (1990) 346-348.

"Psychological Evaluation of Vocations", Human Development, 6 (1985) 37-42.

 

Professional Activities:

2010	Keynote Speaker, Conference of Spiritual Directors from the English-Speaking Seminaries in Europe, Malta .
2009	Keynote Speaker, Archdiocese of Melbourne, Clergy Conference, Melbourne
2006	Keynote Speaker, Priests for Scotland Conference, Glasgow
2004-2010	Presenter, Priests' Renewal Course, Pontifical Irish College , Rome.
2003-2010	Consultant, Pontifical Irish College and Pontifical Scots College , Rome
2000-2010	Workshops on Priestly Celibacy, Corpus Christi Seminary, Melbourne.
1993-1995	Organizer and Presenter, Formative Leadership Course for Church Leaders and Formators, Melbourne.
1990	Peritus at the VIII Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Formation of Priests, Vatican City.
1986-2001	Private Clinical Practice, New Zealand.
1985-2001	Psychological Assessment of Applicants for Catholic Religious Life and Priesthood in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Ireland.