As a fully professed member of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS), and a Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, I provide an advanced expertise for understanding Catholic spirituality.

Hello! I'm Dr. Donald Wallenfang and it is a pleasure to welcome you to myinteriorcastle.com and the variety of online courses that live here! I hope you enjoy spending time on this special website rooted in the riches of Catholicism and Carmelite spirituality.

By God's grace, I have authored twelve books and serve as Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. More importantly, I have been married for over 22 years to my best friend (maxima amicitia), Megan, and we have six incredible children. I also am a fully professed Secular Discalced Carmelite (OCDS). Here are a few more details about my areas of academic interest in the short bio below. Welcome again to myinteriorcastle.com!

In Carmel,

Dr. Wallenfang

BIO: Donald Wallenfang, OCDS, PhD, Emmanuel Mary of the Cross, is a Secular Discalced Carmelite, Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, and founder of myinteriorcastle.com. He received his MTS from St Norbert College and his doctorate from Loyola University Chicago.

Wallenfang specializes in Catholic theology and philosophy, Carmelite spirituality, phenomenology and metaphysics. His research concentrates on the work of Edith Stein, Emmanuel Levinas, Paul Ricoeur, Jean-Luc Marion, the Carmelite saints, and the New Evangelization. He teaches courses in philosophy, theology, lay ecclesial ministry, evangelization, and Catholic spirituality. His articles have appeared in Philosophy and Theology, Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, The International Journal of Religion in Spirituality and Society, Listening: Journal of Communication Ethics, Religion, and Culture, and Pacifica, as well as in other book compilations.

He is the author of iGod: A Hidden and Fragmentary Autobiography (Cascade, 2021), Emmanuel: Levinas and Variations on God with Us (Cascade, 2021), Shoeless: Carmelite Spirituality in a Disquieted World (Wipf & Stock, 2021), Metaphysics: A Basic Introduction in a Christian Key (Cascade, 2019), Phenomenology: A Basic Introduction in the Light of Jesus Christ (Cascade, 2019), Dialectical Anatomy of the Eucharist: An Étude in Phenomenology (Cascade, 2017), and Human and Divine Being: A Study on the Theological Anthropology of Edith Stein (Cascade, 2017). Wallenfang is co-editor with John C. Cavadini for the book series, Global Perspectives on the New Evangelization (Pickwick), the first five volumes of which are entitled Pope Francis and the Event of Encounter (2018), Evangelization as Interreligious Dialogue (2019), and Gift to the Church and World: Fifty Years of Joseph Ratzinger's Introduction to Christianity (2021), Motown Evangelization: Sharing the Gospel of Jesus in a Detroit Style (2022), and Roots: Catholic Youth Evangelization in a Post-Pandemic World (2022). He is a member of Société Internationale de Recherche Emmanuel Levinas and the North American Levinas Society.

Before entering the world of academia, Wallenfang served in full-time Catholic youth ministry for nine years.

See Curriculum Vitae