QU | Faculty Focus
Final Lecture by Jen Wingerter ’13
Biallas came to Quincy University to teach in 1973, having completed his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame, and doctorate from the Catholic Institute, in Paris, France. He taught 31 years at QU before retiring full-time from the Division of Theology and Religious Studies in June 2004. Since then he has continued to teach part-time. Biallas has published over 120 articles in several scholarly journals. He and his wife, Martha, have spent much of their life traveling. Biallas has lectured in eight different countries and taught with Martha in Uganda and Lithuania. He presented his final lecture at QU this past April, before he officially retired in May 2019.
Biallas is the only person on the QU faculty to have received all three of the University’s Faculty Awards:
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Excellence in Teaching Award Trustees’ Award for Scholarly Achievement Distinguished Professor Award
Books Written: “Pilgrim: A Spirituality of Travel” “God’s, Heroes, and Saviors” “World Religions: A Story Approach” 28
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QUniverse | Fall 2019
What life lessons shaped your values? A university is a place where I came to start a lifelong love affair with the radiance of life, a place where I came to know that the only real tragedy is to live without passion, without the desire to romp with joy through the length and breadth of the human adventure. I was taught to encounter grace when I stretched my mind to realize my God-given potential, to strive passionately for a world of social justice, and to see all persons as sacraments pointing to the divine. The Chinese Relativity Axiom: "No matter how great your triumphs or how tragic your defeats, approximately one billion Chinese couldn't care less."
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What principles did you want to instill in your students? Curiosity: A sense of wonder, a sense of awe before the mystery of life. A trusting atmosphere: where students feel free to be themselves while growing into the persons that God calls them to be. A sense of enthusiasm and a feeling of delight for knowledge and wisdom.
