André Villeneuve, Ph.D.

André Villeneuve, Ph.D., is a theologian, biblical scholar and assistant professor in the Honors College. Born in Ottawa, Canada, André grew up in a Catholic family but became agnostic in his early twenties. While studying jazz saxophone in Austria, he had a dramatic conversion to Christ through an evangelical church. This led him to move to Jerusalem to pursue biblical studies, where he became involved with the Messianic Jewish movement. His study of Scripture, Judaism, and early Christianity led him back into the Catholic church in 2002. He has taught theology and Scripture at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, Colorado, and at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. He is the author of Nuptial Symbolism in Second Temple Writings, the New Testament, and Rabbinic Literature. André is passionate about the power of Scripture to transform lives, the Jewish roots of the Christian faith, leading pilgrimages and study groups to Israel, and fostering the reconciliation of Israel and the Church. He is the founder and director of Catholics for Israel (www.catholicsforisrael.com).