Official Title: Associate Professor

Faculty: Faculty of Religious Studies and Philosophy

Email: franz.gassner@usj.edu.mo


Short Bio

1964: born in Waidhofen an der Ybbs, Lower Austria1979-1984: Professional School for Electrical Engineering

1984-85: Civil (Alternative) Service as fire-fighter in Krems an der Donau

1985-86: Studies in Technical Physics at the Technical University of Vienna

1986-89: Studies in Religious Pedagogic at the Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Vienna.

1989-1991: Novitiate in St. Gabriel (Austria) and joining the Divine Word Missionaries

1991-1994: Theological studies at the School of Theology in St. Gabriel.

1994: M.A. thesis in Catholic Theology: Psalm 139 Horizon and Theology.

1995: Ordination to Catholic Priesthood

1995-1999: Pastoral service at the Holy Trinity Parish in Vienna 10 (Favoriten) and teaching Religious Education in a Secondary School in Vienna;

1994 to 1999: Coordinator of Justice-Peace-Integrity-of-Creation (JPIC) of the Austrian/Croatian province of the Divine Word Missionaries;

1999-2000: Assistant priest in the parish St. Genevieve, Lafayette/Louisiana, USA;

2000-2002: Graduate Studies (M.A.) in Philosophy at Boston College, USA;

2002-2011: Formator at the International Formation Community, SVD in Vienna;

2003-2005:  Hospital Chaplain at the Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Spital in Vienna;  

2005-2009: University Assistant at the Institute of Social Ethics of the University of Vienna, Austria (teaching courses; supervision of M.A. thesis; research on my PhD-thesis);

2010-2011: Lecturer at the Institute of Social Ethics, University of Vienna;

January 2012-April 2013: Visiting Professor, USJ

Since April 2013: Assistant Professor for Christian Studies, USJ

Since January 2020: Associate Professor;

From May 2020 to May 2023: Dean of the Faculty of Religious Studies and Philosophy;

Membership: 

World Council of Churches (WCC), Committee for Mission and Evangelization (2023-2030);

Society for Catholic Social Ethics of Middle Europe;

Provincial Council of the Divine Word Missionaries (Societas Verbi Divini, SVD), Province China

Areas of Research:  ethics of consumption (social ethics), ethical principles for sustainable patterns of production and consumption; contributions of religion and spirituality for sufficient and sustainable lifestyles and institutions and bearing of the Catholic Social Teaching;

Scientific & Technical Committee Member:

CEEGE 2022 - The 5th International Conference on Electrical Engineering and Green Energy, June 8-11, 2022, Berlin, Germany.

ICEER 2022 - The 9th International Conference on Energy and Environment Research “Greening Energy to Shape a Sustainable Future”, 12-16 September 2022, Lisbon, Portugal.

CEEGE 2023 - The 6th International Conference on Electrical Engineering and Green Energy, Grimstad, Norway, June 6-9, 2023. http://ceege.org/


Publications

See also:

Orcid

Book Editor: 

Franz Gassner, together with Irene Klissenbauer / Petra Steinmair-Pösel / Peter G. Kirchschläger (eds.), Menschenrechte und Gerechtigkeit als bleibende Aufgaben: Beiträge aus Religion, Theologie, Ethik, Recht und Wirtschaft (V&R Unipress / Vienna University Press, 2020). Language: German/English, 710 pages, ISBN: 978-3-8471-1165-8; Open Access

Franz Gassner / Ingeborg Gabriel (eds.). Solidarity and Justice. Ecumenical Perspectives. Ostfildern: Matthias-Grünewald Verlag, 2007 (German);

Dissertation (unpublished):

Franz Gassner, Gerecht Konsumieren. Sozialethische und theologische Perspektiven einer Ethik des Konsums (Fair Consumption – Perspectives from social ethics and theology for an ethics of consumption), Dissertation, Universität Wien, 2012. Katholisch-Theologische Fakultät, BetreuerIn: Ingeborg Gabriel (361 pp.) http://othes.univie.ac.at/25513/

Book Chapter:  

Gassner, F., together with J. M. Simoes. “Journalism Ethics and the Common Good: The Formation of Values and Virtues for Just and Harmonious Societies”. Disentangled Vision On Higher Education: Preparing The Generation Next. Ed. Franciso Jose Leondro and Roopinder Oberio. New York, Bern, Brussels, Lausanne, Oxford: Peter Lang, 2022, pp. 99-121.

Articles:

Gassner, F. "Learning God’s Mercy: Spiritual Transformation According to Hos 11:8", The Journal of the Macau Ricci Institute,  Issue 10: Crisis and Spiritual Transformation (14th October 2022);
http://mrijournal.riccimac.org/index.php/en/issues/issue-10/252-mrij10-5-eng

Gassner, F. “To Listen to the Language of Nature and to Act Accordingly”: Natural Law as Beacon guiding to Human Flourishing and Ecological Civilization" Orientis Aura: Macau Perspectives in Religious Studies, No 6 (2021), 3-21. https://journals.usj.edu.mo/index.php/orientisaura/article/view/118

Gassner, F. "Ethical Investment’s Visible Hand: Methods And Transformative Potentials." The Journal of the Macau Ricci Institute, no. 7 (2021) http://mrijournal.riccimac.org/index.php/en/issues/issue-7/166-ethical-investment-s-visible-hand-methods-and-transformative-potentials

Gassner, F. "Resources for Future in a Caring Economy" Open Access: https://doi.org/10.14220/9783737011655.683

Gassner, F. “Science and Laudato Si’ on the Paradigm Shift towards Sustainable Development”. The Journal of the Macau Ricci Institute, Issue 2, June 2018, Macau (English/);

Gassner, F. "Abfaelle sind kostbar!" Konsumethische Perspektiven in Papst Franziskus' Enzyklika Laudaut Si', in: Ingeborg Gabriel / Peter G. Kirchschlaeger / Richard Sturn: Eine Wirtschaft, die Leben foedert: Wirtschafts- und unternehmensethische Reflexionen im Anschluss an Papst Franziskus. Ostfildern: Matthias Gruenwald Verlag, 2017: 183-208 (German);

Gassner, F.. “Education in Religious Freedom: Path to Peace and Stability”, in Journal Orientis Aura: Macau Perspectives in Religious Studies, no. 1/2016, 77-99.

Gassner, F. “Sufficient and Sustainable Lifestyles: Challenges for Global Consumer Cultures”, in: Intercultural Mission: Looking Forward, Volume 2, ed. by Lazar Thanuzraj Stanislaus SVD and Martin Üffing. New Dehli, India: ISPCK, and St. Augustin, Germany: Steyler Missionswissenschaftliches Institute, 2015: pp. 64-88 (English);

Gassner, F. “Carne Vale? Meat Consumption as Social Question”, in: Gunter-Prüller-Jagenteufel, Hans Schelkshorn, and Franz Helm (eds.). Twilight of Idols? The Civilization Crisis and Its Victims. Aachen, Germany: Verlagsgruppe Mainz, 2012: pp. 80-89 (German);

Gassner, F. “Stability Criteria ‘Justice in Exchange’: Aristotle and the Economic Crisis”, in: Pribyl, Herbert (ed.): The New Economic Crisis. Solutions from the Perspective of Christian Ethics. Vienna 2013 (German);

Gassner, F. / Alfred Weiss, “Caritas Work in the Republic of Moldavia”. In: Ingeborg Gabriel/Helmut Renöckl (eds.). Solidarity in Crisis. Würzburg, Germany: Echter Verlag, 2012: pp. 161-168 (German);

Gassner, F. „Ethics of Consumption: Economical-, Ecological-, and Social Compatibility.”  Stock Exchange Courier: Austria’s Weekly for Finance and Economy, no. 1, Dec. 17th, 2009 (German); 

Gassner, F. „Freedom – Security – Risks: Paradigm from Ethics of Needs“, in: Frühbauer, Johannes J. / Hörter, Michael / Noweck, Anna (eds.): Freedom – Security – Risks. Christian Ethics facing new Challenges. (Forum Sozialethik 6). Münster, Germany: Aschendorff Verlag,  2009: pp. 207-220 (German);

Gassner, F. “Formation for Mission Today. Elements of the new Formation Program of the Divine Word Missionaries in Austria”, in: Spiritus. Edición hispanoamericana. 45/1 No. 174 / 2004 (Espaniol);

Book Review:  Justice in a finite World. Ecology – Economy – Ethics, eds. Ingeborg Gabriel and Petra Steinmair-Pösel (Ostfildern: Matthias-Grünewald, 2013), in: Erbe und Auftrag. Benediktinische Zeitschrift 91. Jg./2 (2015), 230-231 (German); 

Franz Gassner, “To Listen to the Language of Nature and to Act Accordingly”: Natural Law as Beacon guiding to Human Flourishing and Ecological Civilization" Orientis Aura: Macau Perspectives in Religious Studies, No 6 (2021), 3-21;


Modules

Year 1 Doctorate
Year 1 Master
MES101
3 credits
Year 1 Bachelor
LCS106
2 credits
LCS110
2 credits
Year 2 Bachelor
LCO104
2 credits
Year 3 Bachelor
LPH203
2 credits
LCO301
4 credits
Year 4 Bachelor
LCO107
2 credits
LPH220
2 credits
LPH226
2 credits
LCS510
4 credits
LCM404
3 credits