John W. O'Malley, S.J., is Professor of Theology at Georgetown University. One of the most respected and widely recognized church historians in North America, he has held a number of prestigious fellowships including ones from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. His books have won major prizes, and his best known work, The First Jesuits, has been translated into ten languages. Fr. O'Malley's research interest is the councils of the Christian church, with special attention to the Council of Trent and the Second Vatican Council. His latest book, What Happened at Vatican II, was published in 2008. Fr. O'Malley received his doctorate in history from Harvard University and has taught and lectured at a number of institutions, including Harvard and Oxford.