Doctoral graduand Fiona Li has discovered that bridges are built through open communication and nurturing relationships. Her time at Regis College has prepared her to share her experiences and findings with future students.
She will join Regis College’s Class of 2024 when she will receive her Doctor of Philosophy in Theological Studies at Saturday’s convocation ceremony. The celebrations mark a bittersweet moment as it closes a chapter of her life as a student, but she is eager to take what she has learned to help bring about the Kingdom of God and share the charisms of the Basilians and Jesuits with the world.
Her teaching role as the inaugural holder of the Archbishop J. Michael Miller Chair in Catholic Studies at St. Marks’s College in Vancouver will provide the perfect setting to achieve this, as it’s a Catholic college affiliated with the University of British Columbia, founded by the Basilians and now endorsed by the Jesuits.
Shem earned her Master of Theological Studies, followed by her Master of Theology, from the University of St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology. Upon completion of these degrees, she still had questions she wanted to raise and research. She also wanted to add to the limited research about the experience of Canadian-born Chinese women. She worried the lack of research into this area could signal that their needs are not being addressed by the Church.
Fiona was keen to examine this topic using Jesuit research methodology and Regis College Professors John Dadosky and Michael Stoeber were interested in her topic. She chose to enroll at Regis College in 2018, not long before the federation of Regis College and the St. Michael’s faculty.
Her dissertation, titled, “Exploring the Image of Mary as Bridge-Builder (Pontifex) for Contemporary Contextual Theology,” argues that the image of Mary as a bridge-builder can be a helpful role model for Canadian-born Chinese women who often find themselves bridging the culture divide between Canadian culture and the culture of their parents. Similarly, Mary symbolizes a bridge between the divine and the human in both scripture and tradition.
During her time at Regis, Fiona also served as the Associate Director of the Msgr. John Mary Fraser Centre for Practical Theology, which facilitates reflection on the practical relevance of the academic study of theology. In her role, she brought together members of various institutions through events designed to engage participants in meaningful dialogue.
At St. Marks’s College, she will emphasize to her students that theology needs to consider contemporary culture and context as they also shape individuals’ worldviews. She’s learned and witnessed that theory and praxis need to work hand-in-hand for the betterment of all.
