Maribeth Howell, O.P.

B.S. in Special Education, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI;
S.T.B., M.A. and S.T.L. in Theology (Biblical Studies), St. Paul University, Ottawa, Canada;
Ph.D and S.T.D. in Biblical Studies from the Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Professor of Biblical Studies, 2007- present
howell@ai.edu

"Arrival" in Theological Studies
About as far back as I can remember I have been "curious" about many things. This curiosity was fostered by my father, a man whose high school education did not limit his learning. My dad was a reflective man who noticed both small and great things, and who always seemed to reverence divine mystery.

My interest in "learning" made teaching a good fit. And while my early years of teaching were spent with children of special needs, my heart was never far from the desire to delve into the Scriptures. Eventually I began to study theology in the summers, which led to full-time studies and encouragement to pursue a doctorate. However, between my graduate work in Ottawa and my doctoral studies in Leuven, my Congregation wisely suggested that I teach for a time, and so it was that I spent two years in adult education before pursuing doctoral work, with a specialization in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Favorite areas of Study
While many parts of the Bible are fascinating, my favorite Scriptures are the Psalms and Isaiah. Then again, I do love Ruth and I am intrigued by Job. If given more time and space to write this little bio, I suspect that this list of "favorites" would become rather extensive!

Other areas of Ministry
Following a sudden hearing loss in 1999 that left me with partial hearing that was completely distorted in one ear I struggled to for two years to remain active in the classroom. Before returning to full-time teaching in 2007, I was engaged in the ministries of spiritual direction and program planning at the Dominican Center of Religious Development in Detroit, and Program Planning at Weber Center in Adrian, Michigan. While time has helped me to better adjust to the classroom and to various social settings, it was the desire to continue studying and teaching that drew me back to the classroom. It was during this hiatus that I was privileged to have collaborated with many other Dominican women to help produce Dominican Praise, a provisional book of prayer for Dominican women.

Memberships:
The Catholic Biblical Association
The Society of Biblical Literature
The Catholic Theological Society of America

Selected Publications:

Sunday commentaries for Liturgy.com, an online commentary service of Oregon Catholic Press, 2003-2004.
"A Light to the Nations," in The Bible Today, 202 (2002), 205-210.
"A Closer Look: Isaiah 35:1-10,: in Imagery and Imagination in Biblical Literature: Essays in Honor of Aloysius Fitzgerald, F.S.C. (CBQMS 32), Washington, D.C.: The Catholic Biblical Association of America, 2001.
"Savoring the Psalms," in Handbook of Spirituality for Ministers, Vol. 2, edited by Robert J. Wicks, Mahwah: Paulist Press, 2000.
Abstracts in Old Testament Abstracts, 1990-2000.
"Images of God in the Prophets," in The Bible Today 198 (2000), 2000-2005.
"A Prophet Who Pouts," in The Bible Today 32 (1995), 75-78.
In Hebrew Studies 36 (1995), 194-195, book review of William L. Holladay, The Psalms through Three Thousand Years: Prayerbook of a Cloud of Witnesses, Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993.
In Catholic Biblical Quarterly, book review of Martin L. Brenner, The Song of the Sea: Ex 15:1-21 (BZAW 195), Berlin/New York: de Gruyter, 1991.
"A Poetic Analysis of Exodus 15:1b-18," in ETL LXV (1989), 5-42.
Verbs, Verbs, Verbs,educational materials for the language impaired, Dormac, Inc., 1977 (collaborative work with teachers of The Detroit Day School for the Deaf).

Other Interests:
Reading, cooking, and pottery.