People
Conor M. Kelly
Associate Professor, Department of Theology
Conor M. Kelly, PhD, is the lead designer and instructor for the Nourishing Hope course. A Catholic theologian and ethicist trained at the University of Notre Dame (BA, MTS) and Boston College (PhD), Kelly has taught at Marquette University since 2015.
A firm believer in the transformative power of Catholic higher education, Kelly designs classes to promote student growth in discernment and ethical reflection. He co-authored the textbook Who Will You Become? An Ignatian Introduction to Catholic Theology with Fr. Ryan Duns, SJ to empower students to ask life’s big questions in conversation with the Catholic, Jesuit tradition. He also served as the director of the Marquette Core Curriculum for four years, supporting the program that connects undergraduate studies with the Jesuit vision for higher education.
The Nourishing Hope course is an extension of Kelly’s experience as a teacher, researcher, and administrator. The class serves as a section of CORE 4929, fulfilling the Culminating Course requirement in the Marquette Core Curriculum.
Kelly has published five books, including The Fullness of Free Time: A Theological Account of Leisure and Recreation in the Moral Life and the co-edited volume (with Kristin E. Heyer) The Moral Vision of Pope Francis: Expanding the US Reception of the First Jesuit Pope. He is the author of numerous academic articles, book chapters, and general audience publications on health care ethics, Catholic social thought, and the theology of Catholic higher education.
Beyond Marquette, Kelly is a husband and father of two children and a parishioner at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wauwatosa, WI.
| Office | 326 Marquette Hall |
| Phone | (414) 288-6522 |
| [email protected] |
| Majors | Theology Major, Biology minor, with a concentration in Innovation Leadership, and on the Pre-PA Track. |
| Hometown | Oak Park, Il |
Jane Oberlies
Marquette University Class of 2026
Uprising senior, Jane has assisted Dr. Kelly in the devolvement of the Nourishing Hope course through the Signature Course Fellowship at the University of Notre Dame. Before studying at Marquette University, she attended St. Giles Elementary School and Fenwick High School.
At Marquette she has participated in Midnight run, intermural soccer and volleyball, the sisterhood of Alpha Omega Epsilon, E-Lead, and served as the student director of Marquette Volunteer Corps. She studied abroad during her junior Spring Semester in Florence, Italy.
She aspires to use her Theological education to guide her future work in the medical field.
In her free time, Jane enjoys running, volunteering at the RUSH Oak Park ER, and spending time with family and friends. She is a parishioner at St. Giles Catholic Church in Oak Park.