Ann Catherine Swailes

Ann Catherine Swailes, OP serves as a Research Associate at the Margaret Beaufort Institute and assistant chaplain at Fisher House, the Roman Catholic chaplaincy to the University of Cambridge. She is currently completing her doctorate in theology at Clare College, Cambridge, focusing on the relationship between ecclesiology and the mystery of suffering while emphasizing dignity for the suffering as members of the body of the Crucified Christ.

Her educational background centers on doctoral research at Clare College, Cambridge, where she examines how Christian communities embody paschal liturgy through medieval sources like Julian of Norwich and William Langland alongside contemporary spirituality. Previously, she taught ecclesiology, ecumenism, and liturgical theology at Blackfriars, Oxford, and participated in the national Methodist-Roman Catholic dialogue.

Research interests span Ecclesiology, Liturgical Theology, Theology of Suffering, Christology, Trinitarian Theology, Ecumenism, Interfaith Studies, and Medieval Theology. Her work critically engages with medieval literature and devotional practices to develop theological frameworks that avoid glamorizing pain while affirming suffering communities.

Her scholarly output demonstrates a cohesive focus on suffering within liturgical and ecclesial contexts, exemplified by her 2020 article on pandemic implications for liturgical theology of suffering in Crucible: The Journal of Christian Social Ethics, alongside numerous book reviews for New Blackfriars.

She will commence teaching Christology, Trinitarian theology, and ecumenical/interfaith studies at St Mary’s University, Twickenham in the upcoming academic year. No information was provided regarding academic advising, research grants, or dedicated research laboratories and teams.