Peter Beer S.J.
Focus/interest: Trinity
Current position: Director, The Lonergan Centre, Sydney
Contact: Click here to email Peter
Biography: Peter Beer graduated in Arts at Melbourne University. He then pursued doctoral studies at the Catholic University of America with Dr Carl Peter. Upon completion of his doctoral dissertation, he took up a teaching position in systematic theology at the Diocesan Seminary in Melbourne in 1971. He was awarded a travelling scholarship in Lonergan Studies at the Lonergan Center in Toronto in 1974-5, carrying out research under Frederick Crowe SJ. In 1975, Bernard Lonergan gave Peter his blessing to set up a Lonergan Centre in Australia, with the help of Frederick Crowe SJ, the Director of the Lonergan Center of Toronto.
In 1976, Peter was appointed Professor of Systematic Theology at the Union Theological Institute of the Sydney College of Divinity where he taught systematic theology and methodology until 1998. He has published a number of articles applying Lonergan’s transcendental method.
In 1979, he invited Professor Frederick Crowe, of Regis College, on a lecture tour to the Australian capital cities. After this successful tour, he invited others to join with him in setting up a Lonergan Workshop that meets regularly for the presentation of papers and discussion. Peter also set up the Australian Lonergan Centre based at Canisius College, Pymble NSW with a bequest from the Beer family, and with the collaboration of Thomas Daly SJ.
Key Lonergan-related publications
2009 An Introduction to Bernard Lonergan: Exploring Lonergan’s approach to the great philosophical questions Sid Harta Publishers, Glen Waverley
2011 Lonergan’s Theology of the Holy Spirit, The Lonergan Review 3/1:162-187
2002 Trent’s Eucharist Today, in Australian Lonergan Workshop II eds. Matthew Ogilvie and William Danaher, Novum Organum Press, Sydney pp.75-91
2002 Religious Experience and God’s Call to Prayer, Australian Lonergan Workshop II. eds. Matthew Ogilvie and William Danaher, Novum Organum Press, Sydney pp. 92-119.
2002 Did Jesus Have Faith in God?, Australian Lonergan Workshop II eds. Matthew Ogilvie and William Danaher. Novum Organum Press, Sydney pp.120-134
2002 The Redemptive Vicarious Suffering of Christ: An Inquiry, in Australian Lonergan Workshop II eds. Matthew Ogilvie and William Danaher, Novum Organum Press, Sydney pp.135-150
1993 The Holy Spirit and Lonergan’s Psychological Analogy, in Australian Lonergan Workshop I ed. William J. Danaher, University Press of America, Lanham pp.169-98 (1987 workshop)
1993 Can I Be Certain That I Am Justified?: Trent and Today, Australian Lonergan Workshop I, ed. William J. Danaher, University Press of America, Lanham pp.267-88 (1989 workshop)
1991 Trent’s Eucharist today – Consideration of the Decree by the Council of Trent on the sacrifice of the Mass, 20 Jan 1552, Australasian Catholic Record 68/4 pp.416-429
1986 G.B. Sala and E. Schillebeeckx on the Eucharistic Presence: A Critique, Science et Esprit 38:31-48
1984 Purgatory, Trent and Today, The Australasian Catholic Record 61:369-84
1978 Meaning in Our Relation to the Trinity, in Trinification of the World: a festschrift in honour of Frederick E. Crowe in celebration of his 60th birthday, eds. Thomas A. Dunne and Jean-Marc Laporte, Regis College Press, Toronto pp.2-14