THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS REV. JOSEPH PILSNER Rev. Joseph Pilsner, CSB Dean School of Arts and Sciences Department of Theology Associate Professor Born in New York City, Fr. Pilsner lived in Long Island until he was 18, at which time he moved to Erie, Pennsylvania for his undergraduate education. He attended Gannon University, where he obtained a BA in philosophy. In 1983, Fr. Pilsner came to the University of St. Thomas to pursue an MA in philosophy. In 1985, he took his first teaching position at Andrean High School in Merrillville, Indiana, where he taught theology and public speaking and coached Academic Decathlon. Discerning a call to serve the Church as a religious and a priest, Fr. Pilsner entered the novitiate of the Congregation of St. Basil in 1986 and attended seminary at the University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto and at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston from 1987-1991. He took final vows as a Basilian on May 3, 1991 and was ordained a priest at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NY eight days later. Fr. Pilsner returned to UST in Fall 1997 to begin teaching here. His many degrees, including an MDiv at the University of St. Michael’s College, a D.Phil at Oxford University, and a LMS at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, prepared him well for the tasks awaiting him at the University of St. Thomas. In 1998, he took over as director of UST’s Honors Program, but his term was cut short in Spring 2000 by an assignment from the Basilian Fathers to take charge of the formation of seminarians in Toronto. We were lucky enough to have Fr. Pilsner back in 2002 and he has been with us since. In the time he’s been at St. Thomas, Fr. Pilsner has tried his hand at teaching philosophy and theology classes as well as Honors Program courses. His animated lectures never failed to captivate his students, and he had an uncanny ability to motivate them. Always with a smile on his face and a warm welcome for everyone who knocked on his door, Fr. Pilsner is truly an irreplaceable part of the UST tradition. © Copyright  University of St. Thomas. All Rights Reserved. http://www.stthom.edu/Faculty_Bios/P_thru_R/Pilsner_Joseph.aqf