Richard J. Janet, PhD

About Richard J. Janet, PhD

Richard J. Janet is professor of history at Rockhurst University and former director of Rockhurst’s Thomas More Center for the Study of Catholic Thought and Culture.

Quod Scripsi, Scripsi: The Life and Legacy of Marvin R. O’Connell

At the end of his recently published posthumous memoir, Father Marvin O’Connell quotes the words of Pontius Pilate from Scriptures. “Even though I too can write Quod scripsi, scripsi, my trouble is not the same as Pilate’s. My trouble has to … [Read more...]

The Tyranny of Numbers

“Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.” – Luke 12:7  Numbers rule. In today’s world, numbers — and the data and algorithms fed by those numbers — seem to determine everything. In business, numbers influence every facet of busi … [Read more...]

George Herbert as Advent Exemplar

As both a liturgical season and a spiritual practice, Advent invites us to consider serious questions about our Christian beliefs, and our fundamental being. Advent teaches us how to ready ourselves for whatever lies ahead in our lives; for … [Read more...]

The Rights of Conscience

How English Catholic Schools Secured State Grants in an Age of Popular Anti-Catholicism

The United Kingdom was anything but united in the early years of the long reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). The ongoing process of industrialization created deep economic dislocation, with a growing gap between rich and poor. Urban … [Read more...]

On Catholic History

The Catholic sacramental perspective continues (consciously or not) to inspire the works of historians who recognize the importance of material reality—of politics, society, economics, the arts, and all the habits and institutions of human c … [Read more...]

On Giving: What goes around…

When we are reunited with God fully in the Heavenly City, how should we explain what we have done with the entirely unmerited gifts that have been given us? Parable of the Talents  by Willem de Poorter; English martyr, Robert … [Read more...]