Benjamin J. Brenkert

Adjunct Assistant Professor

Dr. Benjamin James Brenkert, an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies (since 2021) is a Candidate for Ordination in the Episcopal Church, the Diocese of Long Island. He will be ordained to the transitional diaconate in January 2024.  Brenkert revised the Master Syllabus for THEO 3400, The Spirituality of the Educator for the Department. He is a member of the St. John's University Employee Resource Group.

Brenkert is also a Tenured School Social Worker, employed by the New York City Department of Education, where he serves on the School Based Support Team at 17K006, 17K316, 17K353 and 17K543. His clinical expertise is in school social work and palliative and end of life care.  He actively supervises graduate students of social work during their field education, including students from Fordham University and Columbia University. 

Brenkert writes about Ignatian Pedagogy and Public Education, Character Formation, Teacher Training and Ethics. He earned graduate degrees in Theology from Boston College and the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church. At Teachers College, Columbia University, Brenkert completed his doctorate under the tutelage of Ernest Morrell, Christopher Emdin and Pierre Faller.

Brenkert is also a scholar of the Newport Sex Scandal, 1919-1921. He is published by the Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide, The Advocate, Out Magazine, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the Huffington Post, the Daily Beast and other outlets. 

Brenkert worships at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Jackson Heights, New York.

CUNY Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY
Master of Science in Education, Building and District Leadership, June 2023

Fordham University School of Social Work, Bronx, NY  
Supervisor in Field Instruction Certificate, May 2023

Teacher College, Columbia University, New York, NY
Doctor of Education, Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, May 2021

Adelphi University, Garden City, NY
Advanced Certificate in Bilingual Education - School Social Work, August 2017

General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church, New York, NY
Master of Sacred Theology in Anglican Studies, May 2015

Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, Boston, MA
Master of Theological Studies, August 2014

Silver School of Social Work, New York University, New York, NY
Post-Master's Certificate in Palliative and End-of-Life Care, June 2013

Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri
DeU Philosophy Exam and Defense of Thesis, With Distinction, May 2010

Saint Louis University. Saint Louis, Missouri
Master of Social Work degree, May 2009
Major Method:  Health and Mental Health

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
Master of Arts in Humanities degree, With Distinction, December 2004

Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY
Bachelor of Arts degree, Magna Cum Laude, May 2002
Double Major - American Studies and History Minor - Philosophy


 


 

 

A Catechism of the Heart: A Jesuit Missioned to the Laity

Available @

https://wipfandstock.com/9781725274440/a-catechism-of-the-heart/

Ignatian Pedagogy for Public Schools: Character Formation for Urban Youth in New York City 

Available @

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/ignatian-pedagogy-for-public-schools-9781350339019/

Forthcoming 

Teacher Formation for the Christian Educator: Spirituality in Classroom Pedagogy (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025)